Let’s face it: comic book movies nowadays are a little bloated. Whether it’s the cast, the visual effects, or the story, there’s a lot to be said of how stuffy Easter eggs shoehorn their way into otherwise fine projects. This can overcomplicate the narrative in favor of fan service or nostalgia. That’s not to say these aren’t fun films. They just come off a bit…unfocused.
This becomes more apparent when tackling comic books with a small but committed fan base. Creatives are dedicated to bringing in everything that makes the comic book iconic, even if it means losing the plot. There’s a balance between being true to the source material and capturing new fans who may be unfamiliar with the comic’s intricacies. This is what Ironman did well in 2008 when it took a more obscure (at the time) Marvel Comics character and launched their entire MCU off its back.
But I argue that perhaps the best example of an adaptation like this was released ten years ago. It offered lessons about how less is more filmmaking can capture everything great about a comic book icon, delivering for fans and new audiences alike.
I’m talking about Dredd (2012). And while Dredd doesn’t have the following or box office of a larger fair, its rise on home release and continued appreciation as a cult classic establishes all the grounds you need to understand why this film is exactly what studios should look to when adapting a new comic to screen.
The Setup: The year is 2080, and Earth has suffered nuclear fallout. The dystopian society that remains resides in megacities, and on the East coast lies Mega City One: an overpopulated, crime-ridden place where the only law and order comes in the form of the Judges. Serving as judge, jury, and executioner, they purge the streets of gangs, drug deals, and violent offenders.
The Plot: Veteran Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is tasked with evaluating recruit Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), a psychic trainee who barely failed the judge aptitude test. Called on a seemingly routine suicide at Peach Tree Block Tower, Dredd and Anderson are soon caught in an all-out battle over 200 floors to take down Slo-Mo drug kingpin Ma-ma (Lena Headey) and her entire operation.
Localize the Plot
When screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Ex Machina) started adapting the twenty-nine-year-old comic in 2006, he envisioned pitting the titular Judge against his arch nemesis, Judge Death. The super-alien undead fiend quickly introduced complications: audiences would need a complete understanding of the Judge system, an explanation for the Dark Judges, and, of course, aliens.
The draft was a surreal and bloated mess, requiring too much knowledge of the comic books to sustain a new audience. Garland considered other notable storylines. “Democracy” addresses the dictatorial repercussions of the Judge system, or “Origins,” as a more classic starting point for comic book fair, could establish the system and Dredd’s role in it.
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Garland ultimately landed on something far simpler. A day-in-the-life style plot with a centralized location. He and Judge Dredd creator John Wagner worked together to establish the character in pure, methodical form. By localizing the plot to Peach Trees Block tower, the film establishes everything you need to know about how megacities operate and how corruptible a society cornered into buildings they can “live and die in” (as Wagner puts it) can be. It also allows audiences to encourage and root for Judges while challenging how they operate in society.
Dredd Proves that Small Budget Doesn’t Mean Small Concept
Dredd was made with a budget of approximately $50 million. For perspective, Ironman was made for $140 million. You’d be hard-pressed to find a comic book movie nowadays made for under $200 million. A lot of this budget goes to visual effects. The visual gravitas of a comic book film is a marker of its entertainment value. We want to be transported to worlds of superheroes, spaceships, and extraordinary situations in a way that suspends our disbelief. You need hundreds of millions to do that. Or do you?
The filming of Dredd took place in practical locations in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Sets were built for the different floors of Peach Tree Block Towers. Some aesthetic changes were made from the comic, including Dredd’s classic motorcycle, Lawmaster, so Urban could actually ride it instead of using Chroma-key in post.
Operating with the decision to do a 3D release, it was shot primarily using digital 3D Red MX and SI2K cameras. Phantom Flex high-speed cameras were used for the kaleidoscopic Slo-Mo sequences. Things like compressed air and squibs were used to great effect during slow motion and ultra-violent sequences, opting for practical applications instead of after effects. Sounds expensive, right? Well, like I said, $50 million.
Even with all this technical and practical production, the budget was a quarter of today’s comic book fare. And what was delivered was nothing short of a gritty, epochal film delivering high-concept audience fodder.
Characters are More Important than CGI
Garland made a key observation when developing the script for Dredd. Throughout the comic book run, Judge Dredd makes only very small character changes. Garland told Empire that Dredd’s character arc “doesn’t lead to that sort of classic film story arc of some great epiphany, or moment of redemption and resolution…” So, how does one create a classic arc when your character cannot change in ninety-five minutes?
Simple, you give the arc to another character.
Garland and Wagner, realizing the necessity of having a character go through an arc to avoid a crash-bang, zero-substance movie, chose Judge Anderson, a long-time sidekick to Judge Dredd. Her story is the catalyst for all the great motivators of the story: she fails the judge admissions test, she’s marginalized as a psychic (a prejudiced class in Mega City One), and she’s got a lot to prove. This gives weight to every action she takes and even gives way to the small change we get to see from Dredd himself. As the driving force behind the heart of the story, Anderson keeps us invested in the personal stakes of the story, elevating it above just another pulp and popcorn flick.
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That being said, Karl Urban, a seasoned character actor, did more with his jawline than some actors can do with their entire bodies. Urban told Empire’s Helen O’Hara, “He [Dredd] is supposed to be the faceless representative of the law and I think that is part of his enigma … You wouldn’t get to the end of a Sergio Leone Western and go, ‘God, I didn’t even know the character’s name!’ It’s irrelevant.” Urban and Garland both understood their title character and matched that with the story they told.
Dredd Had Fan-Based Marketing
One of the failures of Dredd’s release was undoubtedly its marketing. The $25 million pledged by Lionsgate to the promotion laid itself into campaigns that, while delighting long-time fans, failed to capture the next generation of Judge Dredd. It is no doubt because of this that Dredd’s initial release less than broke the production even, grossing $41 million worldwide.
So why would I say a “less is more” lesson comes from fan-based marketing? Because the marketing it did do was downright spectacular, and its reputation as a cult classic through home release is undoubtedly due in part to the tie-in fan marketing.
In August of 2012, the website “Dredd Report” was launched. A riff on “Drudge Report,” the site featured Mega City One news articles, Judge features, and a “Say No to Slo-Mo” campaign straight out of Nancy Regan’s playbook. All tying into the scope of the project, it gave anticipatory fans insight into the world they had long adored. Judge Dredd: The Megazine released a Ma-ma Madrigal comic sharing the backstory of the ruthless villainess. The film’s trailer even earned the Golden Trailer Award for Best Thriller TV Spot, along with several other noted awards.
This content-type marketing did more than just promote the new movie. It built the world of the film Dredd that enriched the film and fans alike.
It’s About the Movie You’re Making, Not the Next One
While fans of the 2012 Dredd have long clamored for a sequel, new fans just discovering the film ten years later are avidly asking about the possibility, as well. Garland and co. did not go in with the intention of creating a franchise. Garland did map out what a trilogy would look like had the film performed well (culminating in a final showdown between Dredd and the Dark Judges). But he and Wagner knew the importance of this film, the first film, existing on a singular scale.
There’s a magnetism in the movie, from the FX to the plot, that holds its water without the need for future promises. By setting forth the intention of not leaving fans with unanswered questions, Dredd is a capsuled watch that exists as its own piece of the entire comic strip story. The idea of “you can enjoy Dredd on its own, and you can enjoy more by reading the comic” (just not by watching the 1995 Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone**). It creates less need for a sequel and more hope for one.
A series entitled Mega-City One has been in the works since 2017 with IM Global and 2000AD publisher Rebellion but seems to have stalled out or at least still in the early stages of production. Urban has reportedly been approached by creators to reprise his role as the Judge. A two-part comic released in 2018 entitled Dredd: Final Judgment is the first true sequel to the film. These are all incidental to the fact that Dredd (2012) made an indelible mark on fans with its bludgeoning stamina.
Dredd is the iconic Less is More comic production, which is ironic considering how dark, disturbing, and kinetic it is. No one would watch Dredd and say, “I’m glad they pulled back the reigns on this one.” In fact, it shines because of its grandiose spectacle.
What it did less of created a more accurate adaptation of an iconic character from the comic series. And whether you’re a fan of Judge Dredd or simply tales of dystopian futures, Dredd is a must-watch with its ten-year legacy.
**Writers Note: If you’re a ‘90s action glutton who enjoys silly quips, explosive stunts, and costume design by Versace, then 1995’s Judge Dredd will hit all the right marks. It’s just not really a Judge Dredd movie…he takes off his helmet, for jury’s sake!
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