One of the most misguided comic book movies of all time resurfaces with this handsomely repackaged comic book adaptation of the 1995 Sylvester Stallone vehicle. Directed by Danny Cannon and starring Sly as the lawman of the future, Judge Dredd was a fine mid-nineties action movie but an utterly abysmal take on the iconic 2000 AD character. First published to coincide with the film’s release, this adaptation comes illustrated by the mighty Carlos Ezquerra, with Andrew Helfer adapting the film’s screenplay back onto the comic book page.
Most of the film’s problems remain – Dredd taking off his helmet a few pages in, the baffling catchphrases – but Ezquerra’s art goes a long way to legitimise some of the blasphemy. As illustrated by the Dredd co-creator and 2000AD legend, he certainly looks the part, for the 20-odd panels where he’s in uniform, anyway. The rest of the time, the book is at least attractive, featuring a gritty depiction of Mega-City One and versions of ABC Warrior Hammerstein (minus hammer), the Angel gang, and Dredd’s clone brother Rico. The mid-nineties was when Carlos Ezquerra was putting out some of his finest artwork (including Necropolis, with which one might argue he peaked), and Judge Dredd: The Movie is nothing if not good-looking.
Even better, the change in medium now means that one can enjoy the story of Judge Dredd: The Movie (if such a thing is indeed possible) without having to endure Rob Schneider. The character is still an irritant (no flies on the Fergee of the comics), but here he takes on the role of generic perp rather than, well, Rob Schneider. Ezquerra didn’t even bother to draw him, either, with few of the characters made to resemble their movie counterparts. One can only imagine how poor Ezquerra must have felt as he was forced to draw all those pages of an un-helmeted Joe Dredd (who doesn’t really resemble Sylvester Stallone either, it must be said).
There’s no sugar-coating it – Judge Dredd: The Movie is still a mess (and the breakneck pacing of this adaptation only serves to make it clumsier), but this book is a charming throwback to a flawed but still highly enjoyable work of ’90s action cinema. Still don’t like it? Just squint and pretend it’s a Demolition Man sequel.
This 30th Anniversary Edition is also supplemented with the double-whammy of Ken Niemand and Richard Elson’s crossover story Trinity. First published in Christmas 2021, this short but sweet tale sees Dredd prime cross paths with his multiversal selves – Stallone’s Dredd, and the 2012 version, as played by Karl Urban. And yes, he takes the helmet off. The other Dredds are bewildered by such flaunting of protocol, but, in its quiet affection for this much-maligned version of the character, Trinity is all of us.
JUDGE DREDD: THE MOVIE – 3Oth ANNIVERSARY EDITION is out from March 12, 2025.
