I Am The Law.

Last week I had to go to jury duty. It was the first time I had ever been called so there was a quickly fleeting moment of excitement. Then, like most Americans, I found it a real drag. All those hours spent sitting and waiting around did get me thinking. Is there a better system?

Now, I’m not saying that the Judge system is the better option we’re all looking for. I’m just saying that it’s an option. A really bad option. 

For those of you unfamiliar with the Judge system here’s a brief rundown. The Judge system appears in the Judge Dredd comics (and movies). In the future there are “street judges” who are given the power to arrest, convict, sentence, and execute as they see fit. They’re like a combination police force, judge, jury, and executioner. The system has been put in place to help avoid legal battles that might take a long time and waste city money. 

If this sounds like a little too much power then you’re a smart person. The Judges eventually stage a coup and take over the government. But that’s a story for a different blog post.

People have a fascination with cops. There are so many cop shows and movies and books out there. I guess it has something to do with the appeal of seeing some tangiable form of truth, justice, and the American way. People also have a fascination with brutal dystopias where the government is essentially a military dictatorship. It only makes sense that someone would combine the two. 

Judge Dredd has been in publication since 1977. What I particularly like about the comic is that Judge Dredd, the main character, has been aging the whole time. It isn’t like Spiderman where the character is constantly getting rebooted straight back to high school. Judge Dredd is getting old and even though you never see his face it’s obvious.

I don’t think that Judge Dredd is a household name. People who aren’t interested in the comics might not have ever heard of him before. However, he is popular enough to have gotten two movies made. One in 1995 with Sylvester Stallone and one in 2012 with Karl Urban. 

I won’t get into which one is better because things like that are a matter of taste.

Do I prefer the 2012 movie? Yeah, sure, I’ll admit that. It’s more true to the tone of the comics. 

Would I ever refuse to watch the 1995 one? No way. It’s still a fun movie even if there’s some interesting interpretations going on. 

What I like about Judge Dredd (and please don’t judge me) is the intense and ridiculous level of violence and disturbing imagery. It is super gross. Eyeballs popping out and entrails splattering all over the place level of gross. Stuff like that is kind of a guilty pleasure of mine. You don’t get a lot of that in the movies because they have to appeal to a broader audience. However, they’re still interesting to watch based on the premise of a police officer in an uber-violent future city taking criminals to task.

Like I said, I don’t think the Judge system is the answer to jury duty. But it was a fun way to pass the time.