|
Review added January 13, 2005.
Judge Dredd
:: DVD Review |
|
.
. |
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
Studio:
Roadshow Entertainment |
|
>> Review
Equipment |
|
Video:
2.35:1 (Enhanced for 16:9) |
|
Length:
102
Minutes |
|
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 (384kbps) En |
|
Subtitles: None |
|
Dolby
Digital 2.0 (192kbps) En |
|
Disc Format:
DVD-5 |
|
Video Format:
PAL |
|
Disc Capacity Utilised:
4.30GB |
|
Layer Change:
NA |
|
Region Coding:
4 |
|
Average Bit-Rate (A+V):
5.65Mbps |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
.
. |
|
:: The Film
:: |
|
>> Skip to
Audio/Video Details
As much as I hate to say it (being
a big fan of the original comic), Judge Dredd is a really
bad movie. The film just doesn't capture the humour of the
comic book, the acting is bad, the script is weak and
Sylvester Stallone, physically a good match for the part,
just seems to be sleepwalking through the film. The film's
set designers and effects crew, on the other hand, have
captured the gargantuan scale of Mega City One superbly,
with brilliantly designed sets and visual effects sequences
that look as though they were ripped straight from the comic
book's pages.
Sylvester Stallone plays Joseph
Dredd, a Judge (a sort of all-purpose police officer, judge,
jury and executioner all rolled into one) in the
post-apocalyptic (2139 to be precise, better mark that in
your diary!) city of Mega City One, located in The Cursed
Earth: a radioactive desert wasteland formerly known as the
USA. |
 |
As part of an elaborate plot to reactivate a long-dormant
cloning project, a senior Judge (Griffin, played by Jurgen
Prochnow) frames Dredd for the murder of a prominent
television reporter. Sentenced to life behind bars at an
Aspen Penal Colony, Dredd's transport plane is shot down en
route to the prison by a family of Cursed Earth mutants (the
Angel family), providing him with an opportunity to clear
his name and uncover the senior Judge's plot. Dredd must
make his way back to Mega City One to prevent Griffin and
his accomplice, a psychotic former Judge named Rico (played
by Armand Assante), from creating an army of cloned
super-criminals.
The film's visual effects are its
primary assets, in addition to some nicely executed action
sequences, but that's about all the film has going for it.
Being a fan of the comic, I just had to have a copy of this
film in my collection, but I find it very hard to recommend
this film to anyone other than hard-core science fiction
fans.
|
|
| ::
Video
:: |
.
. |
|
This anamorphically-enhanced 2.35:1 transfer comes to us
from the good folks at Roadshow Entertainment, and it's
pretty good considering it was one of their earlier
efforts. The film print used for the transfer was in good
condition, with very few visible distractions such as
hairs or nicks, and the picture is often admirably clean
and clear. Colours are excellent, and the neon colours on
display in Mega City One look particularly clean and
vibrant, with virtually no colour bleed.
There are no major digital compression
artefacts and little obvious use of edge enhancement,
although there is often a low-level digital 'haze'
present. Many scenes looked very grainy (particularly in
some of the more obvious digital effects sequences) and
blacks were slightly problematic, rarely as solid or as
deep as I had hoped for, while shadow detail was almost
non-existent.
A more distracting problem is the constant
low-level shimmer and aliasing, which combined with the
frequent grain and less than stellar blacks takes a few
points away from the transfer. Don't get me wrong, this is
a nice transfer with some jaw-droppingly good shots, but
its inconsistency really counts against it, earning it
three and a half stars.
|
|
|
.
. |
| :: Audio
:: |
.
. |
|
|
Well, this Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is an absolute blast.
It may be getting on a bit in years (1995) but it really does
demonstrate what a good soundtrack is capable of. The front
soundstage is wide and deep, with an amazing number of
precisely located directional cues, a nicely enveloping front
soundfield, and some impressively deep bass. The centre
channel is integrated seamlessly into the front channels, and
dialogue is always clear and easy to understand (with the
exception of some Stallone mumbling, but that's really a given
with any Stallone pic).
ADR dialogue is nicely integrated,
although there are a few minor instances of pegging
distortion. The LFE channel is used constantly, and although
LFE information isn't quite as deep as that present in some
newer films, it's still more than enough to agitate neighbours
and assure you that your subwoofer is switched on. The
surround channels are very active, containing numerous
impressive discrete split-surround effects and working with
the front channels to produce a fully enveloping 360 degree
soundfield.
Overall dynamic range and fidelity
are superb and I can't imagine this soundtrack disappointing
even the pickiest of home theatre enthusiasts. It really
should be heard, it's that good. Five stars.
|
|
|
.
. |
|
|
