Karl Urban as JUDGE DREDD
- Thread starter Noeland
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firesprite
Master Member
Me likey! Granted, I'm a big fan of Karl Urban and find him highly drool-worthy in addition to being a good actor. I've never read the comics, but I definitely wanna see this!
C0mmand3rC0dy
Sr Member
ditto!
Oh, and I definitely agree with the wtf Rob Schneider comment :lol
can you believe he was with Stallone in Demolition Man too?
YenChih Lin
Master Member
The photo looks nice, but is Karl bulky enough to play though Dredd?
Jack T Chance
Sr Member
I've decided I don't like how blurry and grainy the image is. It's as if it was taken by a REALLY crappy digital camera! :unsure
Still, it's the only image we have of Urban's Dredd right now, sooo... I resized and cropped it to make a wallpaper for my laptop. Here it is if anyone else wants a copy:
I have a 17" gaming laptop, so I'm running a monitor with a 16:10 aspect ratio, and a resolution of 1920 x 1200. If any of you want a copy of the image resized and cropped for use on your computer, let me know what size you need and I can make it for you. :cool
Still, it's the only image we have of Urban's Dredd right now, sooo... I resized and cropped it to make a wallpaper for my laptop. Here it is if anyone else wants a copy:
I have a 17" gaming laptop, so I'm running a monitor with a 16:10 aspect ratio, and a resolution of 1920 x 1200. If any of you want a copy of the image resized and cropped for use on your computer, let me know what size you need and I can make it for you. :cool
Jack T Chance
Sr Member
I can see that there are still some fans that are possibly ignorant as to the origins of the character and his uniform design.
First, here's a quote of the synopsis for DREDD, which has been in some of the articles about the new movie:
Even the Statue of Justice depicting Judge Dredd has the same look in those early strips:
The things that jump out at me about Ezquerra's original uniform design are...
Sure, it's not 100% the same, but that's due to the necessity of the design. Prop-makers start with real handguns and then modify them, so that the gun will be capable of firing blanks on the set. But at least this time they've attempted to make it look more like the Mark II in the comic.
As for the Mark I...
...it's clear to me that the reason we haven't seen that one adapted for the screen is its shape. The only way I can see to make a movie Lawgiver that looks like the Mark I is to use something like a Mauser (a WWI era handgun, famously customized to make Han Solo's blaster pistols for the original Star Wars trilogy) or a Luger (a WWII era Nazi handgun). Those might be harder to find in good, working condition. And they wouldn't look as impressive or manly as the Mark II.
First, here's a quote of the synopsis for DREDD, which has been in some of the articles about the new movie:
Now then, let's have a look at how Carlos Ezquerra drew Judge Joseph Dredd in those early strips, shall we?
Even the Statue of Justice depicting Judge Dredd has the same look in those early strips:
The things that jump out at me about Ezquerra's original uniform design are...
- More than any other artist, he made the uniform look like a black leather outfit designed to protect a motorcyclist. Hence the protective pads and the helmet.
- He drew the shoulder pads at a smaller, more realistic size... just like the ones we see in the new movie! The ones that most artists draw, the ones that Sly Stallone wore in his movie, would limit the movement of a Street Judge's arms more than the smaller, more realistic shoulder pads Ezquerra drew. In real life, that could be dangerous.
- Ezquerra drew a smaller, more form-fitting helmet... more reminiscent of the one in the Stallone movie. So the new movie's costume designer clearly preferred a larger take on the helmet, from a different artist.
Sure, it's not 100% the same, but that's due to the necessity of the design. Prop-makers start with real handguns and then modify them, so that the gun will be capable of firing blanks on the set. But at least this time they've attempted to make it look more like the Mark II in the comic.
As for the Mark I...
...it's clear to me that the reason we haven't seen that one adapted for the screen is its shape. The only way I can see to make a movie Lawgiver that looks like the Mark I is to use something like a Mauser (a WWI era handgun, famously customized to make Han Solo's blaster pistols for the original Star Wars trilogy) or a Luger (a WWII era Nazi handgun). Those might be harder to find in good, working condition. And they wouldn't look as impressive or manly as the Mark II.
Lancer
Sr Member
*ahem* not ignorant of the character origin considering I'm in the UK and have read 2000ad for years.
personally I don't like ezquerra's art style for dredd. never have. I didn't mind him drawing other strips but did not like his dredd output. brian bolland, cam kennedy and ron smith drew dredd the way I like it and the way it is universally recognised.
personally I don't like ezquerra's art style for dredd. never have. I didn't mind him drawing other strips but did not like his dredd output. brian bolland, cam kennedy and ron smith drew dredd the way I like it and the way it is universally recognised.
Jack T Chance
Sr Member
I hope you don't feel I was singling you out, because I wasn't. We have a total of 3 threads on 3 sub-forums about this movie and the image that was released this week. LOTS of people are making the same complaints you are... I was even one of them, until I remembered that I hadn't looked at Ezquerra's art in awhile, so I sought out some images online to refresh my memory as to what the character's ORIGINAL look was. Once I did that, I realized that the costume designer seems to be taking inspiration from Ezquerra's costume design, but using a different artist's take on the helmet because he or she likes a larger helmet better.
I understand and respect your preference for the look of the character. And while this differs from the standard look, I can see the design logic behind it.
Ezquerra designed every element of the costume around the fact that the Street Judges are motorcycle cops. They don't cruise around in patrol cars, they ride Lawmaster motorcycles. And he carefully thought out every element of the uniform based on that role.
The helmet is there because every biker needs a helmet to protect his noggin.
The main part of the uniform (pants and jacket) is clearly, in his artwork, a black leather biker outfit... which is how the uniform for the new movie looks. The body armor the costume designer has incorporated looks more like protective garments for a biker, than it looks like a "bulletproof" tactical armor. My sister and brother-in-law own and ride Harley Davidson's. Have you seen modern motorcycle jackets? They have protective armor plates embedded in them to give the rider more protection in an accident. That's the first thing I thought of when I saw the image of Urban in his Street Judge uniform. :cool
He wears knee pads and elbow pads because those would give more protection in an accident. He doesn't wear a normal cop's shoes, he wears BOOTS, which is what a biker would wear. Even the eagle and the "bars" on the left shoulder make a lot more sense as protective padding/armor over the shoulders, which are 2 of the most important, and most sensitive, joints in the human body. It makes sense to give them extra protection.
Ezquerra even extended this logic to the location of Dredd's equipment. The holster for Dredd's Lawgiver sidearm isn't on his hip or thigh... it's on his BOOT, to make it easier to draw the Lawgiver while patrolling on his Lawmaster bike! George Lucas (or rather his costume designers) later copied this idea in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi! The Imperial Biker Scouts carry their blaster pistols in a boot holster for the same reason!
I'm willing to give the new movie's producers the opportunity to show me THEIR vision of Dredd and his world. Once I've seen the movie, I'll be able to make a more informed decision as to whether or not it's a GOOD take on the world of Mega City One. But so far I like what I see in that picture. At the moment, with just one picture, they've shown to me that they seem to understand the character and the design logic behind his uniform even better than the makers of the 1995 movie did. :cool
YenChih Lin
Master Member
Who's going to tackle the new badge of Dredd?
OldKen
Master Member
I didn't say this the first few days. But THAT was my first impression. And I really like Karl Urban! I really was psyched about him being Dredd. I would like to see a smaller helmet and suit on him making him look larger!
As it looks he is kinda to Dredd what Hayden Christiansan was to Vader.... too small to fit the suit. :unsure
baron von blondle
Sr Member
I hope you don't feel I was singling you out, because I wasn't. We have a total of 3 threads on 3 sub-forums about this movie and the image that was released this week. LOTS of people are making the same complaints you are... I was even one of them, until I remembered that I hadn't looked at Ezquerra's art in awhile, so I sought out some images online to refresh my memory as to what the character's ORIGINAL look was. Once I did that, I realized that the costume designer seems to be taking inspiration from Ezquerra's costume design, but using a different artist's take on the helmet because he or she likes a larger helmet better.I understand and respect your preference for the look of the character. And while this differs from the standard look, I can see the design logic behind it.
Ezquerra designed every element of the costume around the fact that the Street Judges are motorcycle cops. They don't cruise around in patrol cars, they ride Lawmaster motorcycles. And he carefully thought out every element of the uniform based on that role.
The helmet is there because every biker needs a helmet to protect his noggin.
The main part of the uniform (pants and jacket) is clearly, in his artwork, a black leather biker outfit... which is how the uniform for the new movie looks. The body armor the costume designer has incorporated looks more like protective garments for a biker, than it looks like a "bulletproof" tactical armor. My sister and brother-in-law own and ride Harley Davidson's. Have you seen modern motorcycle jackets? They have protective armor plates embedded in them to give the rider more protection in an accident. That's the first thing I thought of when I saw the image of Urban in his Street Judge uniform. :cool
He wears knee pads and elbow pads because those would give more protection in an accident. He doesn't wear a normal cop's shoes, he wears BOOTS, which is what a biker would wear. Even the eagle and the "bars" on the left shoulder make a lot more sense as protective padding/armor over the shoulders, which are 2 of the most important, and most sensitive, joints in the human body. It makes sense to give them extra protection.
Ezquerra even extended this logic to the location of Dredd's equipment. The holster for Dredd's Lawgiver sidearm isn't on his hip or thigh... it's on his BOOT, to make it easier to draw the Lawgiver while patrolling on his Lawmaster bike! George Lucas (or rather his costume designers) later copied this idea in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi! The Imperial Biker Scouts carry their blaster pistols in a boot holster for the same reason!
I'm willing to give the new movie's producers the opportunity to show me THEIR vision of Dredd and his world. Once I've seen the movie, I'll be able to make a more informed decision as to whether or not it's a GOOD take on the world of Mega City One. But so far I like what I see in that picture. At the moment, with just one picture, they've shown to me that they seem to understand the character and the design logic behind his uniform even better than the makers of the 1995 movie did. :cool
pretty much 100% well put. :thumbsup
The movie is bound to be a bit disappointing for some, classics transformed for the screen always are but people are reeeeeeeallllllly getting carried away with negative vibes from ONE...1...single blurry rehearsal still.
I'm as passionate as anyone about Dredd - been reading it since 1980(ish), fully understand that (flame me here, apologies) for the most part Americans can't understand the irony of the strip as it's written by and for a British audience (hence the Stallone atrocity) BUT...it's not to say it's an exclusively British creation (perdon Ezquerra) or that to adapt certain design or story elements is a bad thing.
I'm so psyched by the mere possibility that this movie could be at least a vaguely cool adaptation of the Joseph Dredd myth I can't even begin to express it!
at least look at it from the point of view that it can't be as heinous a crime against the iconic character that the previous "effort" was.
sit back, enjoy the vibe and if the worst comes to the worst we;ve always got Judge Minty to pin our retro nerd hope on.
Respect
P.
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