We haven’t learned a whole lot about the Judge Dredd remake Dredd, but that’s OK. As oppose to trying to get information from the studio or director Pete Travis, why don’t we just ask the man who created the character and comic back in the 70’s, John Wagner.
The L.A. Times has done just that and here is what Wagner had to say about the second go around with his creation.
Dredd’ homes in on the essential job of judging, instant justice in a violent future city… The plot is about Dredd and his world. It’s impossible to cover every aspect of the character and his city. Perhaps that was one of the failings of the first film. They tried to do too much and ended up with not a lot.
He goes on to explain that the new film will not make the same mistakes as the 1995 version which featured Sylvester Stallone as Judge Dredd
My views haven’t changed, though apart from my initial viewing I haven’t seen the film since it came out. They told the wrong story. It didn’t have that much to do with Dredd the character as we know him. I don’t think Stallone was a bad Dredd, though it would have been better and lent him more cred if he hadn’t revealed his face. He was just Dredd in the wrong story. I envy their budget, though. Some of the CGI was very good, and the re-creations of the Angel Gang and the robot. The robot actually came from a Pat Mills story and didn’t belong in Dredd, but it looked good. If the plot had revolved around characters like them the film would have been more successful.
That has to be the nicest way I have ever heard someone say a film sucked and was so screwed up it shouldn’t have been made. Well done Wagner, well done. He then continues with his views on the casting and how this script stays true to his Dredd.
I like the actors, they’re well cast and they handled their parts well. Olivia Thirlby is perfect as Anderson, the young psi judge. She gives the character a touching vulnerability. Karl Urban will not remove his helmet and will not kiss his co-star.
Finally, this could be the Dredd we have all been waiting for. I love the fact that he established that we will not see Dredd’s face in the film and that the helmet will not come off. That was half the awesomeness of the comics, not really knowing what or who was under that helmet.
Dredd hits theaters September 21st
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