McClennan wrote:
Disagree. In my mind I had a different vission of Mega City One but I liked the grime and realism of the film's Mega City One. It put a different, dirty tint to it which isn't obvious from the comic's colourfulness.
We'll have to disagree. For me, Mega City One should remain faithful to the concept of 2000AD and exactly how millions have pictured it since reading the comics; a chaotic, neon-lit swarm of buildings.
Not this, an extended version of relatively low-level inner city New York with some huge tower blocks inserted for dramatic effect. I do actually like it - urban and grim, realistic - but it's a mile from the Mega City One we grew up with - and not 'Dredd' for me.
Hate to say it, but Stallone's version was more faithful to the concept.
We did. We learned that Judge Anderson doesn't need to read Judge Dredd's mind because he is so consumed by his role. That was in there if you were looking. I didn't particularly want to watch an origin story about the history of Judges etc. Just get in there straight away like they did with Dirty Harry. Who needs all that milieu flannel? We're grown adults aren't we? We don't need a documentary of Mega City One because it's pretty obvious from the film what state society is in by that time. The audience is smarter than Hollywood gives them credit for.
Did I say I wanted an origin story? No. What I'd like though, is to feel something for the protagonists I'm supposed to relate to and feel something for. Whether that;s via a back-story or emotional development or bits of both, I don't care. You, of all people, understand how character development in film works. I understand Dredd is generally portrayed as grim and faceless, but that makes for a pretty uninteresting character and I found it hard to care if anyone lived or died.
As I said, a good film but take away the Judge uniform and it could be any future cop action flick.
