Great film for sure. Dredd was never my favorite 2000ad story. As 'punk' as 2000ad was, Dredd was glorified fascism. Kinda weird stuff for kids to be reading, especially during a Thatcherite government.

This scene also responsible for the highest resolution .gif I ever downloaded.

At least originally, I think that was the point of Dredd. He was never meant to be the good guy, he was a cautionary tale.

As the character became more popular, they had to justify his actions more and more until he eventually became the good guy, even if only in comparison to his enemies.

I liked that about him though. The writers weren't heavy handed. Dredd could do something incredibly cool one minute, and then they would remind you that, yeah, this guy's a one man personification of the police state. It made for uncomfortable reading.

While the movie didn't really capture that, it was still a great flick and it's a shame they never made a sequel

This was a fantastic film. It left me really impressed.

I like this one a lot after watching it a few weeks ago even though a bit violence and gory.

I like Carl Urban. Damn good Dredd frown. He also had the balls to never take the helmet off. You just know Stallone demanded to have his face seen.

Lena Headey was spectacular in it as well. Was amazed at her makeup. Thought they cast someone with massive scars until I realized who it was.

I think that might be the other scene...

No man, that body armour, those boots...I'd harvest the bones of a thousand murdered infants to build our bed if that's what it took. Do you think that's what she wants?

I had to go rewatch this. It's practically perfect. Not an origin story, no romance subplot, no compromise. Just a day in the life of Judge Dredd. Love it, but my favourite Dredd story was told in rhyme:

They'd been waiting there since nightfall for the Sharks to come along,
They knew they'd have to pass this stretch of street.
So they'd sharpened up their stickers and they'd brought along their bars,
And they were wearing steel-tipped stompers on their feet.

There was Big Frank Zit and Faceache, Crazy Joseph with his spear,
The Dixon Boys were there and Billy Rat.
Ike the Spike had brought his sister with her homemade ghetto blaster,
And the Ghoul had put new rivets in his bat.

Now it wasn't nothin' personal that they had against the Sharks,
Any bunch of dead-end spugs would do.
'Cos there was nothing they liked better than to mash and bash and stomp,
Same as any normal Mega-City juves.

"A-rumbling! A-rumbling! We love to go A-rumbling!
("AAAH!")
We love to lay in ambush in the night!
("AAAA!")
A-rumbling! A-rumbling! The Zits were born for rumbling!
(SMAK!)
There's nothing we like better than a fight!"
(KRAK!)

Then a headlight pierced the darkness - a rider gaunt and grim,
Daystick drawn and ready in his hand.
     The chin belonged to Dredd,
     And the voice as well, which said:
"You creeps can do your rumbling in the can!"

"It's just one judge!" cried Cindy Spike and opened with her blaster -
"I'll send him back to Central in a sack!"
(SPOING! "AAAAAAA!")
But Dredd's bike absorbed the blast and laid her on the street,
With tyre marks running right across her back.

Then the judge got down to business and his daystick rose and fell,
Striking out at every head he saw.
For though the Zits launched the attack, the Sharks were fighting back -
And self defence is no defence in law!

As the heap of bodies mounted, Big Zit could see his Waterloo,
Waiting just one station down the line.
Oh, sure, he loved to rumble - but he preferred to be on top...
"Let's scram and live to fight another time!"

("Dredd to Control! We got forty-plus juve rumblers fleeing east through Bernstein. Zits and Sharks, back-up required."
"Wilco, Dredd!"
"Med squads and meat wagons to Moreng Alley. Estimate twenty casualties, more to follow."
"Control to all units area Bernstein. YPs on the run."
VRMMMM!
"Pick 'em up!")

In the space of sixty seconds there was a judge on every street.
From watching bays others scanned the slab -
"We got two Zits runnin' fast though the Tamblin Underpass!"
"Krupke here! I got 'em in the bag!"
(THUNK! THUNK!)

They cut them off at Sondheim and they mopped them up on Wood,
On Pedway 12 they corned Crazy Joseph.
He tried to make a stand - but a spear's not worth a damn,
When it's up against a judge's high explosive.

The Ghoul surrendered quietly, he didn't have much choice -
Ike the Spike tried to scale the sector wall -
("Save your bullet, he'll never make it." "Oh no! AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" SPLATT!)
The Dixon Boys all copped it when they tried to hitch a ride,
On the 2020 Zoom to Bernstein Halt.

Big Zit thought he'd play it clever, the law was everywhere,
The safest thing for him to do was hide -
Dredd tracked him down on infrared - "Don't bother to come out!"
"The best place for trash like you is inside!"

In minutes flat they'd caught them, every Shark and every Zit.
To Dredd it fell to ladle out the years -
"Twenty years apiece for Cindy Spike, Billy Rat and Ghoul."
An extra ten left Big Frank Zit in tears.

For Faceache minus half his face, for the hapless Dixon Boys,
For Ike impaled so cruelly on his spike,
For Crazy Joe with his gaping hole, there'd be one final rumble,
Along the last conveyor belt at Resyk.

A-rumbling! A-rumbling! They loved to go A-rumbling!
But the Zits will go A-rumbling no more!
A-rumbling! A-rumbling! They loved to go A-rumbling!
But they should've known they couldn't buck the law!

Yeah, I get similar feelings when reading Warhammer 40k books. It's cool sci-fi but you are frequently reminded that the Imperium is mostly made up of genetically enhanced white boy fascists in power armor, cruising through the galaxy killing and subjugating everything that doesn't look like them. Yep, that gets a little awkward, until someone shows up in Terminator power armor again, then it's back to "oooh, shiny!"

Well yeah, I mean, it's called freakin' Terminator Power Armour.

That's just inherently awesome.

Besides the bad guys are frequently more awesome.
Which would you rather have: a Super Star Destoryer or a boring Mon Calamari cruiser? A dragon or a horse? A fireaxe or Shelly Duvall?

Even in real life... yeah, the Nazis were pretty goddamn evil, but you can't deny they had style.

edit: just re-read that... just to be absolutely clear, I am not suggesting that the Nazis were in any way awesome, simply that they had cool stuff.

No, no, I understand perfectly
For some reason the bad guys do often seem to rate higher in the style department, I've had friends who loved the outfits the Nazis had, without liking what was wearing them.
Super Star Destroyer or a Viscount class Star Defender? (Mon Cal cruisers were the equivalent of a regular Imperial Star Destroyer) The SSD looks cooler, but the Mon Cal ships gave the Imperials fits because their modular designs meant you were never totally sure what you were up against until the shit hit the fan. Shield generators were on top of the SSD's bridge, where were the shield generators on the Mon Cal ship? Could be any one of those fuckin bumps. So it's kind of a toss up. Otherwise, dragon, yes, and a fireaxe or Shelly Duvall? Well, since the fireaxe probably went up with the house I guess I'd have to go with Shelly on that one.

Great movie. So glad there was no romance story, you feel it coming on when Anderson shows up. You are like, oh great, go Hollywood cliche, then nothing...

I liked both Dredd movies, though for different reasons.

behind-the-scenes on the new Dredd blu-ray are pretty cool - they have interviews with all the comic creators.

Dredd Speech - I Am The Law has been added as a related post - related requested by enoch on that post.