Back in May, the gestating “Judge Dredd” reboot landed a director in the shape of Paul Greengrass protege Pete Travis. Best known for helming the ludicrous thriller “Vantage Point” (he also directed the excellent docudramas “Omagh” and “Endgame”) our main interest in the film still comes courtesy of regular Danny Boyle collaborator Alex Garland who was tapped to write the screenplay.
Firstly, the script — for better or worse — earned some comparisons to a couple of fairly big, benchmark action and sci-fi films:
Imagine DIE HARD taking place within the world of BLADE RUNNER; that’s the JUDGE DREDD script offered by Alex Garland. Clocking in at 110 pages, this is not the most complex or plot heavy story. What is offered is a high-octaine, action filled screenplay, that is both hardcore and gritty.
MEGA CITY ONE is plagued by a new drug, SLO-MO, it slow’s everything down and producers visually stunning images, with time that moves at one percent normal.
Dredd has a rookie shadowing him for the night (CASSANDRA ANDERSON), she has some special abilities that the CHIEF JUDGE thinks could be very useful, however her JUDGE APTITUDE test scored just put her below a pass. It’s up to DREDD to see if she has what it takes to be a Judge and one night to do so.The pair investigate a multiple homicide in PEACH TREE BLOCK. A place ran and controlled by the MA-MA CLANG. After busting one of Ma-Ma’s henchmen, Ma-Ma takes control and locks the entire place down, she seals the place with concrete shutters — and no way out. Ma-Ma also tell’s everyone within the block to KILL THE JUDGES, or their families will suffer. Ma-Ma is the ultimate force in Peach Trees, more than the law, so everyone complies. Dredd and Anderson have to survive, holding onto their prisoner and try and escape the block. They begin on the ground floor and work their way up the 200 or so floors.
It’s a very action heavy script, with some amazing sequences that will make any Dredd fan happy…this is a gritty film, that plays the world we are in as a realistic future, a very dark, unpleasant crime ridden world as Dredd explains ‘Tweleve serious crimes reported every minute. Seventeen thousand per day. We respond to around six percent’. The famous ‘I am the law’ makes a few appearances.
Even if we’re not quite sold on the plot just yet, we are heartened that the film appears to be light on its feet, with the potential to be quite the spectacle:
It never felt too long or too short, It’s just right. The pace is fantastic and if shot well would make for one visually stunning piece upon release.There is a very cool sequence told from a junkies POV high on SLO-MO, the cool visuals of melting images, vibrant colours and [a] slow raid by Dredd and Anderson will be [something] very cool to see.
"SLO-MO"? I bet Zack Snyder is behind that s**t!
I bet it has a lousy third act.
Dredd done in the style of Die Hard and Blade Runner?
Wow – if this works it could be incredible (budget permitting).
I'd scrap the Peach Tree Block name. Sounds a bit crappy. But the rest of the screenplay could have major potential.
Please, conserve the hard R rate…
Please, conserve the hard R rate…
Please, conserve the hard R rate…
It's an awesome script for setting up the world and also being true to what the fans would expect in the comics, as well as being a great introduction for those unfamiliar with the work. The slo-mo stuff is inventive and cool. It is certainly a 'hard R' judging (no pun intended) by the script (exploding heads, creative gunfights galore, etc) and the third act is great and exactly as it should be; hint: Dredd's worst fear is introduced to him…
I wonder if Alex Garland wrote the message above?
"hint: Dredd's worst fear is introduced to him…"
Stallone returns to the role? That would freak Dredd out. 😛
If Alex Garland wrote that hint, is there any chance he can scrap Peach Tree Block. It's really naff sounding. I think the block deserves a better name.
Good luck with the rest of the screenplay. 🙂
I don't think Dredd should go the Die Hard route. Seems too unimaginative for Dredd – a character with a rich backstory of 33 years standing.
I suggest scrapping this screenplay and coming up with something more imaginative. Dredd deserves more than Die Hard in a block!
It should be something like 'Miley Cyrus block'. Mind you, Miley Cyrus could turn into a brutal Crack-pushing family murdering crime kingpin in the next 5 years, thus ruining the joke.
Garland is a hack. Evidence of…
Dredd has to find a perp and escape before a crazy warlord and gang kill him – that's ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. Identical to that.
Dredd trapped in a block facing gangs and a big bad guy – that's DIE HARD.
Slo-mo – a new drug that slows things down – that's THE MATRIX BULLET TIME.
He's shamelessly copied from three big action films. 33 years of Dredd material to choose from and Garland can't think of anything but stealing from those action films. How lame. This film sounds awful.
"Judge Dredd' Screenplay Compared To 'Die Hard' And 'Blade Runner'"
Isn't it foolhardy to make a film and promote it as Die Hard and Blade Runner. Surely Dredd should stand on its own and not need such comparisons? Why would you want to do that? I agree with the previous poster, the storyline sounds unoriginal.
As for slo-mo, this is a joke, right? Slo-mo sounds like a bad name for bullet time. Will Dredd's lawgiver fire slo-mo bullets too. 😛 Garland's Beach novel was widely acclaimed but this Dredd outline doesn't sound too good.
In keeping with naming the city block in the comics after contempory celebrities, surely it should be called Bruce Willis Block?
Why don't all you knockers and put down people out there give this movie a chance, I was a fan of Dredd in my youth and to me any film based on our hero would be great. The first one was pretty shitty but it it have its moments. Just give it a chance, this seems to be going in a different direction and I cannot wait to see it, in 3D and Matrix style slow motion and all. District 9 was one of the best movies I have ever seen, if the same people are making it, it's bound to have some good stuff in it.
I've read the script, I think the comparisons to these other movies are fair if a little dispiriting, the 'Peach Tree' title of the block was the origonal title of the script and I presume it's some opaque reference to the red Indian uprising. The original Block monikers, in 2000ad, were great sources of in-jokes e.t.c.; but in a still-panel there's plenty of time to read them. In a movie, you're only likely to come across a couple of spoken references to the location; though I that agree 'Bruce Willis Block' is a great name, I'm not sure audiences wouldn't be confused by it.
More opinionsand a couple of pictures from the set here
How can this movie be "closer to the comics" and yet still be described as "gritty, dark and action oriented"?
Have the people saying that ever read a Dredd comic? Have they heard of Walter the robot with a speech impediment that cries oil? How about Judge Fish, King of the Big Smelly, Judge Death, Boing, The Laurel and Hardy Block gang or any of the crazy shit that takes place in Mega-City One?
Gritty? Dark? Go F yourself and quit shitting up my second favorite favorite comic.
dredd:good…anderson:good…..no other real characters…wot no robots,not even as texture and no general mega city weirdness.looks like they're going for dark and brutal.crap final face off…thats if all this is the real screenplay?
I'm rooting for Tony Montana Block!