Dredd (rumoured) movie script discussion - WITH SPOILERS

[bluemeanie]

AGAIN - THIS IS FOR TALKING ABOUT THE MOVIE SCRIPT SO WILL HAVE SPOILERS AS A MATTER OF COURSE, NOT BLACKED OUT.
IF YOU DONT WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING, HIT THE BACK BUTTON

So there's been a script floating around for a few weeks now that I've gotten on good authority is genuine.

Anyone out there who is a film nerd knows how much its likely to change between now and the release, but I was surprised a quick search didnt find a thread where people were talking about this as I cant be the only one who has read it.

So my quick opener... loved it. Thought the device to isolate Dredd and make him the movie's sole focus was brilliant and the whole thing really felt like PROPER Dredd.

[Large48]

Got a link / copy to read?

[locustsofdeath!]

Yeah, don't be a tease, bm, give us a link so we can discuss it with you.

[bluemeanie]

um...... I get the feeling if I did post a link I'd get a severe knuckle rapping from the powers that be.

Just did a cold search though and found it in about 30 seconds, so good hunting 

[Emperor]

um...... I get the feeling if I did post a link I'd get a severe knuckle rapping from the powers that be.

I am not aware of an official line but it'd be best to err on the side of caution and not link to it.

[radiator]

I've seen the script but only read the first ten or so pages because I wanted to get a flavour of what to expect while not spoiling the film completely...

While on the whole I'm confident the script is a strong one, my initial thought is that it seems perhaps a little too dark and gritty...? There doesn't seem to be much room for the usual Mega-City lunacy and often harmless eccentricity of the Mega-citizens we know from the comics. It seems more of a generically grim dystopia, which would be a shame if that's exactly what we get on screen... A lot will depend on the execution - it gives me hope that John Wagner is acting as a consultant, and has stated that he is providing suggestions for set dressing etc so hopefully he will be able to inject a bit of colour and character into the backgrounds?

I initially took issue with Dredd's line about the judges only responding to "6% (or thereabouts) of crimes", and the justice department of the film doesn't seem to be anywhere near as powerful an entity as it is in the comics.

But thinking about it, this approach is probably the best way to go for a movie adaptation - giving the judges less control (and making their crusade against rampant crime more desperate) means you don't have to make excuses for their actions and methods - if justice department were portrayed exactly as they are in the comics, the mainstream audience would probably just regard them as fascist bullies.

People will no doubt moan that there are lots of minor discrepancies (and judging by the main movie thread on this site there are plenty of people who don't think a single thing needs to be changed to make Dredd work on screen) but in my mind the best adaptations are the ones that retain the spirit of the source material while doing their own thing creatively (as long as they don't drift too far from the source - it's a fine line to tread) - literal translations from page to screen rarely work.

[bluemeanie]

Actually that 6% line made me wonder what the ratio IS in the comics.

I mean sometimes you get the feeling that the Judges get everyone so you wonder why there would be any crime at all. I kinda like the idea that it is that bad which is why they have to be so severe.

And I thought the opening scene was them stamping an official "This ISNT the last Dredd movie, this guy will fuck you up"

[JOE SOAP]

I have the script but I've only read the first 3 pages so what follows may all be bollocks but I don't particularly want the film spoiled, especially if there's a chance of it being great.

The only issue I currently have knowing the premise of the film is the PSI and Anderson aspect, though I know the reasons for it's conclusion, it's a bit of a retread of the Stallone film that had Hershey as his sidekick which they, the writers, felt supplied an "emotional" Judge as insight and to provide empathy which is kind of nonsense and there are subtler ways to do it.

I generally don't like the PSI aspect, I prefer the facet of Dredd that amplifies the "sardonic realism" and has a stronger secondary character support cast rather than the more fantastical elements and fantastical friends and enemies. Including Anderson in the flick leads me to believe that possibly Judge Death may be following in any sequels and I'd rather see other stories get the "big treatment" as the suspension of disbelief needed for the "Death" story is too high in Dredd's world. It works on the inky page but tougher on the silver screeen.

Since Dredd -and 2000AD- has generally been the only iconic comic character based more in "future realism" with everyday wit and circumstance served with a tweak, the alternative to Superheroes. It's a little strange to see the opposite angle taken in superhero films like "The Dark Knight", with Batman in a more stripped down realistic tone but that the new Dredd film is going slightly in the opposite direction with PSI abilities etc, which can somtimes be a bit deus ex machina.

Dredd to me works best when dealing with the perps, the morals and the politics and how other cits and other Judges provoke Dredd's reponses. Dredd was never just about the bullets and daysticks and ultraviolence alone is not a dramatic solution either. My opinions matter little though as I'm not making the film, so it's all a matter of personal taste. I just hope it's successful for all our sakes whatever the angle they take.

[SmallBlueThing]

Sadly, i was very disillusioned on reading the script in its 'current' form. Im not sure how much i should say, without inviting basically, a flame war, but i passed it on without comment to two friends whose critcal faculties i trust. One mirrored my thoughts and the other refused to believe it was real, thinking it "a crappy fan script, written by one of your mates". He then added "or you", with a laugh. When assured that no, it's for real, he replied "oh well, that'll crash and burn then".
I've read it several times now, and while i may not dislike it quite as much as he did, my overall feeling still stands. It has nothing to make it stand out from a slew of other mid-range, straight to dvd thrillers, has none of the feel of the strip, follows the structure of the 95 film and repeats too many of the same beats, relies on a dodgy visual gimmick that seems ten years out of date, and has, at it's centre, the psychic hallucination naked Anderson forced blow job sequence, which is the dramatic centre of her arc.
Im unconvinced itll be anything other than as shit as the first one, just for different reasons.
The villains are cardboard batman crooks, and the scope is tiny and narrow. It reads like a mid season episode of a tv show, and not a good one at that.
SBT

[vzzbux]

I have not read any of this thread but these leaked scripts may be just red herrings just to wet the appetites on nit picky fans.







V

[Mr 9.8]

Sadly, i was very disillusioned on reading the script in its 'current' form. Im not sure how much i should say, without inviting basically, a flame war, but i passed it on without comment to two friends whose critcal faculties i trust. One mirrored my thoughts and the other refused to believe it was real, thinking it "a crappy fan script, written by one of your mates". He then added "or you", with a laugh. When assured that no, it's for real, he replied "oh well, that'll crash and burn then".
I've read it several times now, and while i may not dislike it quite as much as he did, my overall feeling still stands. It has nothing to make it stand out from a slew of other mid-range, straight to dvd thrillers, has none of the feel of the strip, follows the structure of the 95 film and repeats too many of the same beats, relies on a dodgy visual gimmick that seems ten years out of date, and has, at it's centre, the psychic hallucination naked Anderson forced blow job sequence, which is the dramatic centre of her arc.
Im unconvinced itll be anything other than as shit as the first one, just for different reasons.
The villains are cardboard batman crooks, and the scope is tiny and narrow. It reads like a mid season episode of a tv show, and not a good one at that.
SBT

They don't even have ''DROKK'' they use real curse words!
I want DROKK, GRUDDROKKIT!
And are they serious with this slow-mo crap? It's nothing more then A blatant rip-off of ''bullet-time''.
The script needs some SERIOUS edits & I hope the producers of this ''flick'' are reading these forums.

[Beeks]

I've not seen the script but from the last few posts

that's my bonfire well and truly urinated on..

[SmallBlueThing]

Mr Sweaty: it's still a long way off, and there's an awful lot that can change once actors, directors and distributors, and all their complex agendas,  get to work on it. Don't lose hope!
SBT

[Pioneer]

They can't use regular expletives!

If fuck isn't replaced by drokk and god replaced by grud I'll eat my own head!

That is all.

[Mr 9.8]

They can't use regular expletives!

If fuck isn't replaced by drokk and god replaced by grud I'll eat my own head!

That is all.

I'll get the Pitchforks & you get the torches and we'll met each other at the front offices of DNA Films!