Danny Cannon's Judge Dredd

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!

I have watched this edit about 4 or 5 times now and haven't tired of it yet. This edit really did a lot to bring this film in line with the source material. The editor made some really good choices to tighten it up. I did have some additional cuts that I wanted to see and have discussed those with the editor on the thread.

Honestly, I think this cut comes closer to the source material than the new Dredd film. It is better at capturing some of the satire form the comic. This is a must see for any Judge Dredd fan and anyone else who wants to see a well edited project.

Having been disappointed by the excessive stupidity included in the original and an overly emotive characterisation of Dredd I was exited by the goals of the this edit. It hits the mark accurately, most of the chaff has been removed and the heavy editing of Stallone's performance transforms it into one of his strongest — less is most definitely more here. Schneider's character still has a role in the film, but now he is an minor antagonising idiot vs a majorly irritating fool.

The first two thirds of the edit are strong and appropriately emotive, things start to weaken towards end — but that's due to the limitations of the source material not the editing. The final act does it's job and the ending carries much more weight than the original.

All in all a worthy investment of your time.