This short film, made by a set of fans, is a very pleasant surprise.Don't expect shakiness and jerky camera work, this is actually very well put together with some great special effects.
Just how did these guys, with no doubt a very tight budget and limited resources get it so right when two Hollywood efforts got it wrong (so wrong with Stallones version)? I think the reason is that they know and love the characters, history and idea behind Judge Dredd and his world, they did not compromise when it came to the basics, like the uniforms, the bikes and the city (admittedly a very big basic).
A 27 minute short that starts in Mega city one, and which takes you to the cursed earth, it really is a film of two halves. The first few minutes are set in an extremely impressive looking MC1, with the events that lead up to an aging judge taking the long walk into the Cursed Earth, and the action and effects are really good for such a low budget.
A little over 20 minutes, "Judge Minty" chronicles the retirement of the eponymous Mega City Judge and his survival in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Cursed Earth. Apart from a short prologue it is a really long, visually stunning action sequence, bringing to life the gritty universe of the comic book.
When I think of "Fan Films" I think of low budget productions put together on a shoelace...that LOOK like it.
As much as I enjoyed Dredd (2012), I did struggle a little with Mega City One's 'realistic' aesthetic, and to a lesser extent, the practical design of the judges' uniforms and their new-look lawmasters. What fan-film Judge Minty proves is that, even when working on a very tight budget, the unmistakable visual style of 2000AD's greatest strip need not be compromised.
The world of Judge Dredd is not a happy one. This has been proved three times now - Judge Dredd (1995), Dredd (2012) & Hardware (1990).
I admit, there are far too many short films that I never seem to have the time to watch, between all of the feature length films, indie flicks & television series there is little room left. After catching this inspiring fan film "Judge Minty" I have made a vow to make some time in the future to ensure that I don't miss out on gems like this.
