Danny Cannon's Judge Dredd

A terrific package, with extra documentary footage explaining Dredd's backstory to newcomers and casual fans, as well as the history of the troubled production of Judge Dredd. The movie still amounts to Blade Runner for meatheads, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, and with Rob Schneider pared down, it is a throughly watchable actioner, with genuine love of 2000AD visible in the art direction of every frame. As usual, TM2YC does an immaculate job with the editing and gives us a Dredd movie that deserves a spot on your shelf next to the tremendous (yet too dour, which this one at least doesn't have that problem) Karl Urban reboot/sequel.

This edit does an amazing job of rescuing a bland movie, and bringing it closer to the 2012 "Dredd," this edit helps set things right, as little Schneider as possible, Dredd not showing any emotion and loads of tweaks and edits that change the overall viewing experience. It's now more exciting and I felt I could enjoy the film without being bored or annoyed by additional nonsense.

This is my first TM2YC edit and I know its one of his older ones but I was very curious to see what he had done with this as the original is still a guilty pleasure of mine even with its goofiness. It goes without saying Dredd 2012 is far more in keeping with the source material but TM2YC has done a great job here of cutting away the chaff that doesnt fit the Dredd tone.

I really liked the info reel at the start about Danny Cannon and the new comic scrolling intro. The extensive cut list did mean I noticed a few cuts here and there where the audio faded a little quicker than normal where the score got in the way but considering how much is cut I would imagine thats pretty unavoidable and it didn't detract from the experience at all. The only other thing that stoodout a little that I was watching a fanedit rather than a studio pic was seeing Danny Cannons directorial credit and no-one elses but given the title of the edit hardly a criticism either. Most importantly it sets out to make Dredd 95 more like its source material and it acheives that in spades. 2000AD Comic fans no longer need to Dread watching the 95 version.

Really enjoyed this edit. I'm a casual fan of the character. I thought the recent film, while fun, had zero plot, not enough of the goofy 2000AD charm and it just felt really small. The Stallone film was generic (though no more generic than the new one) and suffered from an overabundance of comic relief and misjudged romance, but its production values and artistic scope eclipse the new film completely. As much as Judge Dredd was ruined by comic relief, Dredd was ruined by the need to be dark and gritty. I was hoping for a middle ground, and this film seems to be it.

Schnieder is still there and still has lame one-liners here and there, but he's more of an annoyance now than a film-ruiner. The film still has some goofy magic thanks to the ABC warrior, some scenery chomping by Armand Assante and the OTT sets, but it feels less like a kids' film and more like a light action movie. The editing is top notch and for the most part I couldn't remember what had been removed. The plot is still daft, but it still makes sense. The removal of the romance, while I wanted it gone, doesn't really work for me. Hershey's emotions in the final shots don't match. She goes from "That's it? You're just gonna leave without a goodbye?" to putting Dredd's helmet on and smiling like a giddy schoolgirl. The kiss is a much-needed bridge between those two things, I think, because otherwise she's just having some sort of nervous breakdown. Maybe you could remove the "You're just gonna leave without a goodbye?" stuff, so she's just happy? I'm not sure. It's a small point, though.

I can't remember what the original opening credits were, but I'm not sure the 2000AD covers work for me. I'd probably just prefer titles over black. The covers are a bit much for me. I don't like to be reminded that I'm watching an adaptation; I just like the film to try to suck me in on its own merits. Personal preference, I guess. A couple of the covers were a bit low res when they zoomed in, if I remember rightly, too. Also, while I appreciate the Danny Cannon backstory - it is really interesting - I'd rather not have to sit through it if I want to watch the film again. I would've preferred if that was just in a text file with the video.

Despite these negatives, I really enjoyed the edit. The film inevitably feels a little short now, but it's much more exciting and I felt I could enjoy the genuinely impressive film-making going on without being bored or annoyed by additional nonsense. This film rightly has a lot of detractors, but the special effects work is outstanding and it has a great visual style. Stallone, too, gives a terrific performance. (Well, maybe not terrific, but he's born for the part, I think.) The editor's done a good job saving this film. I'd even rate this fan edit over the Karl Urban Dredd for its scope, effects work and goofiness. It's not turned it into a classic or anything, but it has made it a lot more enjoyable.

Good call on the Manics as well! Love it!

So TM2YC is one of the more prolific editors on FE.org. He also seems to have an endless supply of ideas for edits. Unfortunately it's taken me a long time to finally watch one of his edits, because the edits that he had released were not of interest to me. But a improved Judge Dredd piqued my interest.

There was a nice background to give context and background behind Danny Cannon and the production of the film.

The audio and video quality were top notch. The editing was nearly invisible, with the exception of one or two spots.

Removal of a lot of Rob Schneider! Rejoice! Plus removal of the romance! Excellent editing choices.

We're left with a much stronger movie. Improving on a film that is a guilty pleasure. This will definitely replace my theatrical Judge Dredd DVD.

Excellent job TM2YC!