WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

Judge Dredd
Genre:Action Adventure

Reviewed In Issue 18 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Diane Lane, Rob Schneider, Joan Chen, Jurgen Prochnow, Max Von Sydow

WSR Review Scores
Picture Rating: 5
Sound Rating: 5
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Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score:
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Supplementals

DVD General Information
(Studio/Distributor): Hollywood Pictures Home Video
(Catalog Number): 5261 AS
(MPAA Rating): R
(Retail Price): $39.99
(Running Time In Minutes): 96
(Color Type): Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): Yes
(Theatrical Release): 1995
(LD Release Date): 12/1/95
(THX® Digitally Mastered):

Credits Information
(Director): Danny Cannon
(Screenplay/Written By): William Wisher & Steven E. DeSouza
(Story): Michael DeLuca & William Wisher
(Music): Alan Silvestri
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer): Nigel Phelps
(Visual Effects): Mass Illusion
(Costume Designer): Emma Porteous
(Editor): Alex Mackie & Harry Keramidas
(Supervising Sound Editors): NA
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers): Andrew Vajna & Edward R. Pressman
(Co-Producers): NA
(Producers): Charles M. Lippencott & Beau E.L. Marks

DVD Picture Information
(Principal Photography): Panavision
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 2.39:1
(Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 2.35:1

DVD Sound Information
(DVD Soundtrack): Dolby Digital
(Theatrical Sound): SDDS & Dolby Digital
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(Remastered Dolby Digital):
(Remastered DTS Digital Surround):
(Additional Languages):

WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
Judge Dredd, based on a popular British comic of the same name, stars Sylvester Stallone as the muscular anti-hero who responds to a public plea for restoration of law and order in the crime-plagued mega-cities of future Earth. Dredd and others like him are “Judges,” whose duties are police, jury and executioner in one. Because of genetic breeding, Dredd is the most feared of all the Judges. But when Dredd is framed for murder, he must escape the desert penal colony and restore justice—Dredd’s way.

LaserDisc Picture:
The 2.35:1 picture is sharp and detailed with vivid color, natural fleshtones and deep, solid blacks. The THX® digitally mastered picture is stunning with just an occasional artifact. Images are sharp and detailed, and contrast is excellent. Blacks are deep and solid, and shadow delineation is superb. The resolution is wonderful, and reveals subtle textural details which heighten the visual experience.

LaserDisc Soundtrack:
The Dolby® Digital AC-3® encoded 5.1-channel soundtrack is aggressively enveloping and dynamic, with slightly improved clarity and interchannel definition, compared to the Dolby Surround version, but the differences are not dramatic. Dialogue intelligibility is excellent on both versions. The LFE channel delivers a pounding and transient bass response to below 25Hz that is not noticeably as powerful on the matrix sountrack version, but nonetheless, the matrix version does not disappoint and is just as dynamic and powerful as the discrete.
(Surround Bass Below 50Hz):
(Aggressive System Surround):
(Intense 25Hz Bass):
(Deep Bass Challenging):
(Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
(Holosonic Soundfield):
(Aggressive Split Surround):
(Center Back Surround Imaging):
(Directionalized Dialogue):
Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
Superb Color Fidelity:
Superb Cinematography:
Reference LaserDisc:
Collector Edition: