Blu-ray Review: Judge Dredd - Page 2

Dredd's attitude changes after he’s framed for the murders of a prominent reporter and his wife. Dredd finds himself on the other side of the law, fighting for his innocence. Everyone turns against him except his partner Judge Hershey (Diane Lane) and Chief Justice Fargo (Max Von Sydow). Fargo stands up for Dredd, but is forced to retire in exchange for sparing Dredd's life. For reasons that are not fully explained in the film, Fargo is cast out of society for his “long walk” to the Cursed Earth, a barren and inhospitable land. Dredd finds himself being transported to prison with a group of violent criminals and Fergee (Schneider), a petty criminal Dredd had just sentenced to five years in prison.

Had Judge Dredd exploited the buddy aspect of the film between Stallone and Schneider, it might have been a better movie. The unlikely duo works well together (Schneider was also in Demolition Man, but with far more limited screen time). Schneider's main purpose in the film seems to be for comic relief (he certainly doesn't have anything to do with the actual plot), but he is a welcome presence. His imitations of Dredd and commentary on their circumstances are pretty funny. However, the film focuses more on a lame plot that has to do with corruption, genetic manipulation, and cloning. It's not very interesting, and I found myself not caring about the outcome. Armand Assante (whose first starring role was in Stallone’s 1978 Paradise Alley) gives an over-the-top performance as the villain Rico that comes across as more annoying than entertaining. It's not his fault. It's more that he is trying hard to do something with very thin material.

If there’s anything easy to recommend about Judge Dredd, it’s the Blu-ray presentation. The standard DVD release was a non-anamorphic disaster. Now the 17-year-old film looks awesome, with a 1080p transfer that truly adds depth and clarity. Having seen the old DVD several times, I was pleasantly surprised by the great level of detail, especially in the actors’ faces, now visible. Black levels are deep but crush is never an issue. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is just as impressive. The action scenes make good use of the surround channels, with gunfire zipping all around. The dialogue is always clear as a bell above the ruckus. Alan Silvestri’s score (one of the film’s best elements) is also well balanced between the front and surround channels.

Article Author: Sherry Lipp

Sherry writes mostly music and DVD reviews, and on occasion she gets to do an interview. She plays the guitar, loves to read, watch movies, and write. Sherry also is a gluten free food blogger, and enjoys coming up with grain and sugar free recipes.

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