Judge Minty

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. Mega City One is exactly as it should be; the Judges' uniforms retain the iconic gold shoulder pad and the eagle; the lawmaster looks exactly like it did in the comic. And it works. Brilliantly.

Put simply, director Steven Sterlacchini, his cast and crew have worked miracles, their obvious passion for all things Dredd shining through in every frame; the attention to detail is stunning, the effects are great and the plot, although simple, is guaranteed to please long time fans of the comic strip, with the action taking place both on the streets of Mega City One and the wastelands of The Cursed Earth. Watching Judge Minty, one cannot help wonder what these guys might have achieved with more money at their disposal; someone should give them a chance to show us...

I'm so impressed, I'm giving this a rating of 8.5/10 (rounded up to 9 for IMDb), which is actually higher than I gave Dredd!!!