TRY NOT TO LAUGH AT THE FIRST OFFICIAL PIC OF JUDGE DREDD

God, he looks like a kid playing dress up.

Massive Judge Dredd fanboy, so I'm still holding out hope for this and I'm not going to judge the entire film based on a harshly lit promo-photo.

But still, eugh.

Holy shit!  It's Officer Pout!

It looks like a valiant attempt at Dredd's trademark sneer, but... no. Not quite there.

If Urban keeps his helmet on for the whole thing, though, it'll already be better than the Stallone film.

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Originally Posted by The Rocka-Who? 

Holy shit!  It's Officer Pout!

Ha!  That's what I thought.  Judging people must make you sad.

I like Karl Urban, but pic like this makes it hard for me not to assume the worst for this movie.

He looks like he has chicken neck.

Though what really caught my eye was new Jaws shots. Ooooo!!

Have fond memories of the original movie (although it's been years since I've seen it, so...), but no real attachment to Dredd himself having only read a few of the graphic novels. Been meaning to rectify that.

What I'd like to know, however, is why it's so important that Dredd keep his helmet on? Like, I understand it's because he never takes it off in the comics, but why doesn't he take it off? Is it a good enough reason for us to never see the actor's eyes, which make it that much harder to emote?

At least the original movie gave a good reason for his helmet to be removed, because he was being thrown in prison, although he'd already taken the helmet off before that.

As is, Urban just looks silly, but so did Hugh Jackman in those first promos for X-Men (well, and the promos for XO: Wolverine).

No jokes, I hated the movie, but as a one-off pic, Stallone makes a more believable Dredd than Urban.

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Originally Posted by Teitr Styrr 

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Ha!  That's what I thought.  Judging people must make you sad.

Irony.  ;)

I tried.  I swear I did.  But I failed.  Boy oh boy did I fail!

TRUTH BE TOLD, I'm impressed at how old and sickly Urban looks. Dredd has always been pretty crusty and thin in the comics.

But they put the worst pic on the cover.

All of the other shots in the magazine are better:

http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/168025-new-dredd-photos-

What an awful cover.  It honestly looks like some relic from the 90s, a lost issue of the old Sci Fi Universe magazine or something.

Of all the things the Stallone movie got wrong, the costume wasn't one of them. Can't say the same for leather daddy astro-cop Urban Dredd. Snarkiness aside, who knows, maybe he'll really sell it. I hope so.

Though he does look a little bit like..

..with a bucket on his head.

"I am the law, see? Wah!"

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Originally Posted by wadew1 

TRUTH BE TOLD, I'm impressed at how old and sickly Urban looks. Dredd has always been pretty crusty and thin in the comics.

But they put the worst pic on the cover.

All of the other shots in the magazine are better:

http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/168025-new-dredd-photos-

Oh, that is more like it. Dig.

Looks like a bobble head doll and Urban looks 60 years old from the smashed nose down.

He looks like the early years of the character...

This may sound very minor but I believe the main issue with the helmet is that the sides come straight down like a bad haircut rather than framing the face with some inward curve as it passes the ears (similar to the comic The Rain Dog just posted). I'm sure that would negate the bobble head/scrawny neck thing that's going on in that photo. Of course it'll look better on film but that's not we're judging at the moment.

Urban's definite lack of "shoulder eagle" ain't helpin' anything.

I really hope to be surprised by this movie but I'm getting a real Punisher: War Zone vibe from everything so far.

I would hope to be even as half entertained by this Dredd as I was for War Zone.

I'm going to still retain some optimism for this but whoever gave the OK for this to be on the cover of Empire, needs to get beaten up. Also, where's the fucking eagle?

Fuck one lousy picture.  Urban is up for this.

The trailer for the Stallone Dredd 15 years ago was pretty solid.  The movie sucked.

He looks like an old man trying on a gigantic helmet.

That's what Dredd is, really.  An old dude wearing a huge helmet.

I get the feeling some Dredd fans may have a little bit of a disconnect about just how silly the character looks in the comics.

Isn't silly & outlandish kind of the point with Dredd? The comics do have a heavy satirical element & giant shoulder eagles are part of that.

Fucking terrible. Subo hits the nail on the head with the Stallone Dredd a great trailer and an awful film.

Thats your first image for Dredd? To be a studio publicist these days I tell you.

Honestly, suit wise I'd be fine with the design as it is just with the addition of the Fucking Eagle. A good script will of course make any suit misgivings moot. And Urban's sneer is 100% accurate. It's the super shitty quality of the photo that's really pissing me off. It's the first damn mainstream reveal of the character and this is what they chose? 

Details aside, the suit looks alright in action

I'm assuming it was someone at Empire who thought a sneering Dredd would look good with a royal blue background and bold yellow writing (looks like a 'comic book edition' from the 90s. All that's missing is a POW or WHAMMO)

Show me some footage and I'll form an opinion (though, yeah - the Stallone DREDD does have a pretty great trailer).

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Rain Dog 

I get the feeling some Dredd fans may have a little bit of a disconnect about just how silly the character looks in the comics.

My thoughts exaclty.  The cover photo is ok (not half as bad as people seem to think) but the rest of those photo in the mag look pretty damn good.

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Originally Posted by Bartleby_Scriven 

What I'd like to know, however, is why it's so important that Dredd keep his helmet on? Like, I understand it's because he never takes it off in the comics, but why doesn't he take it off? Is it a good enough reason for us to never see the actor's eyes, which make it that much harder to emote?

 

Just seconding Bartelby's question. Why should the helmet always stay on? It's a huge handicap to whomever is playing Dredd.

Because it's a big part of the charater that he has never taken his helmet off.  It's not a silly costume gripe it's something core to the charater.

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Originally Posted by MichaelM 

 

Just seconding Bartelby's question. Why should the helmet always stay on? It's a huge handicap to whomever is playing Dredd.

 

It's a thing in the comics. But it's not just Dredd. Pretty much every street Judge, apart from Judge Hershey and Judge Anderson, are never seen without their helmets. It's a part of their entire vibe, the faceless fascism. The mystery of what's under the helmet is kind of a core facet of the character now, although that was accidental rather than intentional. I also think it's dumb to force Judge Dredd to essentially be anonymous in the film. The first movie has a shit ton of stuff wrong with it, Dredd taking off his helmet isn't one of them.

The problem with that image does seem to be specifically with that image. The other stuff looks absolutely great.

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Originally Posted by MichaelM 

 

Just seconding Bartelby's question. Why should the helmet always stay on? It's a huge handicap to whomever is playing Dredd.

 

Because that is what Dredd is. Remember the line Stallone kept mangling? "I am the law." For Dredd this is a literal statement. If they can't make a movie work with the helmet on, they shouldn't be making a movie about Dredd.

I don't know if the film is going for the satire of the funnies, but isn't the character supposed to look and act absurd?

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Originally Posted by JacknifeJohnny 

I don't know if the film is going for the satire of the funnies, but isn't the character supposed to look and act absurd?

Depending on the writer. Conceptually he's a satire of authoritarianism and is specifically a fuck you to perceived totalitarianism in 1980s Britain. But then you had a bunch of writers who really liked the character and made him a 'hero' of sorts. I'm reading the collected editions of the comics and it's funny seeing the back and forth in Dredd's personality and tone between individual comics.

JacknifeJohnny, It depends on your definition of Absurd.  To me Dredd is...The Hero of Mega City One!  He has one speed...Full!  He is the most intense Judge, and rarely jokes around, if at all.  The...Other characters, The Dark Judges, Mean Machine and the rest of the Angel Family, etc, are the absurd elements.  There was never a...Rob Schneider type sidekick, but he did have a robot named Walter, that had problems with pronunciation.  Judge Anderson is there to squeeze...Some humanity out of Dredd.  She has a...Devil may care style, and routinely annoys all the other Judges.  My favorite tale was the war between Mega City One and MC2.  He shouldn't ever take off his helmet, as he is a clone of Mega City Ones Greatest Judge, Judge Fargo, and Dredd never takes...The Law, easy!

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Originally Posted by stelios 

Because that is what Dredd is. Remember the line Stallone kept mangling? "I am the law." For Dredd this is a literal statement. If they can't make a movie work with the helmet on, they shouldn't be making a movie about Dredd.

 

 

Exaclty,I always thought  the whole "not taking of the helmet" thing helped to emphasise the fact Dredd wasn't a man he was simply a walking, talking rule book with zero compassion. 

I met Urban in the Hilton lobby at last year's SDCC and got a pic with him. I was taken aback with how skinny he was in person at the time. I'm hoping this has PUNISHER: WZ levels of violence. I'll wait for some footage, but looks silly so far IMO. And yeah, I like the original for what it was. Atleast the score was epic.

I have high hopes for this. Like I said the script is good and this is basically and Independent film, so there probably won't be much meddling.

The biggest question mark is the Director.

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Originally Posted by The Rain Dog 

I get the feeling some Dredd fans may have a little bit of a disconnect about just how silly the character looks in the comics.

What fuckin' planet are you on, are you suggesting that all the Marvel/DC characters with tights and capes look sensible in comparison?

I'm guessin' most of the negative comments are from people more familiar with the Stallone fiasco rather than the source cos the 'current' version is favoured more by the fans. This Dredd in both look and attitude is closer to the original concept by John Wagner & Carlos Ezquerra, not a 80's steroid-induced 'action hero' but a lean and strong amoral anti-hero.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bartleby_Scriven 

Have fond memories of the original movie (although it's been years since I've seen it, so...), but no real attachment to Dredd himself having only read a few of the graphic novels. Been meaning to rectify that.

 

What I'd like to know, however, is why it's so important that Dredd keep his helmet on? Like, I understand it's because he never takes it off in the comics, but why doesn't he take it off? Is it a good enough reason for us to never see the actor's eyes, which make it that much harder to emote?

 

At least the original movie gave a good reason for his helmet to be removed, because he was being thrown in prison, although he'd already taken the helmet off before that.

 

As is, Urban just looks silly, but so did Hugh Jackman in those first promos for X-Men (well, and the promos for XO: Wolverine).

The movie is a reboot and not a remake right, not the same basically?

Quote:

Originally Posted by garageman 

What fuckin' planet are you on, are you suggesting that all the Marvel/DC characters with tights and capes look sensible in comparison?

 

 

I'm guessin' most of the negative comments are from people more familiar with the Stallone fiasco rather than the source cos the 'current' version is favoured more by the fans. This Dredd in both look and attitude is closer to the original concept by John Wagner & Carlos Ezquerra, not a 80's steroid-induced 'action hero' but a lean and strong amoral anti-hero.

The movie and comics will have two different sets of fans, but it's too soon to see if they mix or not.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by garageman 

What fuckin' planet are you on, are you suggesting that all the Marvel/DC characters with tights and capes look sensible in comparison?

Um nooooo.

Most superheroes look pretty silly frankly.

Jesus, new guy. What's with the hostility?

Yeah, let’s take a breath here. Have we learned nothing from the X-Men Leather Wars of 2000?

The other empire pics definitely look better. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the costume per se, even if it’s a shame they didn’t go with the huge shoulder eagles. IMO, what throws that cover image off is Urban’s Dredd scowl – sure it’s accurate to the comic character, but it’s something that really does look ridiculous in real life. He looks a lot better in some of the other shots where he’s not doing the Sad Panda Face.

Exactly.  This is really the only bad picture I have seen from the production so far.  It's just a shame that it happens to be the one that ended up on a magazine cover.