My 100 Worst Movies of the 90's - 31 - Judge Dredd (1995)

Judge Dredd (1995; Hollywood Pictures)

This is one of the big ones!  The only thing that keeps this one out of the top 20 for me is the few unintentional laughs I get out of Sylvester Stallone and Armand Assante’s over-the-top-awesome performances in this absolutely dreadful, dismal movie.  Shortly after the release of Demolition Man (an exceptionally silly action flick from 1993), Judge Dredd managed to make THAT movie look like the freaking Best Years of Our Lives (If you do not know what that movie is, watch it.  It is a GOOD film)!

The plot takes place in a dangerous future where the law is upheld by Judges, law enforcement officers who also determine guilt and administer sentencing on the spot.  One of those Judges, Joseph Dredd (Stallone) is framed for murder, and is sentenced.  Dredd manages to escape captivity however and fight back while attempting to clear his name as he suddenly becomes a target of the unfair justice system of which he was once part.

Rob Schneider returns to this list as, what else, a quirky sidekick.  James Coburn is wasted in his throwaway role as a senior judge forced into retirement to cover up the framing of Joseph Dredd and just about every other actor in this film more or less fills one of the simplest character stereotypes that commonly appear in films such as these.  The action is incomprehensible, the special effects are terrible and the dialogue is off-the-charts-bad.  I will say though, as bad as this movie is, I do enjoy laughing at this stupid movie try to take itself seriously and that it is so unintentionally funny it does hold a special place in my heart.  It isn’t quite so-bad-it’s-good, but I don’t know, I think it is just that I hate this movie so bad that I kind of respect it.