Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

Lost in the pre-SDCCC scramble of news has been the announcement of a new Judge Dredd movie in active development with Taika Waititi directing and Drew Pearce scripting. That’s a hell of a duo and if you want to get an idea of what to expect Alasdair Stuart has got you covered.

Waititi is a bit of a controversial figure these days. Thor: Love and Thunder badly fumbled in both tone and plot and Waititi’s ill-considered jokes about the bad special effects landed at the exact wrong time, as burnout in the field finally became the subject of public discussion. More recently, Next Goal Wins was heavily criticised for elements of its portrayal of real-life trans athlete Jaiyah Saelua.

Those two aside (and Next Goal Wins is honestly an interesting watch) Waititi’s got some very impressive other entries on his resume.

What We Do in the Shadows

The original movie is a delight, following a group of vampires sharing a house in Te Aro, Wellington. It’s very funny, weirdly sweet and features possibly the best acting turn from Waititi as well as great work from most of his frequent collaborators including future Our Flag Mean Death screen partner Rhys Darby.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

One of my all-time favourite movies. Endearingly rubbish wannabe thug foster kid Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) is taken in by Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and Hector (Sam Neill). When Bella dies of a stroke, a series of misunderstandings send a nationwide manhunt after Ricky and Hector, which it takes a surprising amount of time for them to notice.

Very funny, very sweet and a career making turn from Dennison coupled with yet another beautiful piece of work for Sam Nell. Supremely weird, melancholy and hopeful it’s a delightful movie and Waititi’s best to date.

Jojo Rabbit

Another controversial one, Jojo Rabbit follows a young boy (Roman Griffin Davis) in the Hitler Youth in the closing stages of the war. He has a mother he loves, played by Scarlett Johansson and an imaginary friend, Adolf, played by Waititi. As the world collapses, JoJo grows up and Adolf… curdles, Waititi shifting him from a likeable buffoon to a feral monster.

Very funny and incredibly dark, Jojo Rabbit plays like very little else. Davis is stunning in the lead and a young Thomasin McKenzie is fantastic as Elsa, the Jewish teenager Jojo discovers his mother has hidden in the house. Sam Rockwell, Alfie Allen and Rebel Wilson are great in support as is Archie Yates as Jojo’s endlessly long suffering actual best friend. But Johansson is the standout in a role that’s kind, calm, courageous and terrified.

Drew Pearce is writing and given Dredd’s world’s fondness for massive ideas, heavy calibre satire and action that’s brilliant news. Pearce’s 2008 cult superhero sitcom No Heroics remains a classic and his filmography is a Who’s Who of some of the most fun, and odd, action movies of the last decade. Here’s a couple of my favourites:

Hotel Artemis

Sherman (Sterling K. Brown) is a principled thief with a dead accomplice, a seriously injured brother and a backup plan. The Hotel remis, an off-the-books criminal hospital. But with LA rioting outside the front door and the other guests including Acapulco (Charlie Day), an arms dealer and Nice, an assassin, the Hotel is having a busy night/

One part cyberpunk, one part John Wick viewed through the lens of e.r. and all fun, this is a ridiculously fun script with a cascade of great names in the cast, all of whom you’ve seen before. Come for Brown’s endlessly calm badassery. Stay for Jodie Foster as the Nurse and Dave Bautista as Everest her orderly.

Iron Man 3

My favourite Iron Man movie is both a surprisingly nuanced and sweet exploration of PTSD and what happens when Tony Stark realises the armour isn’t protecting the wound it’s just stopping it closing. One of the truly great, and overlooked, MCU movies with some great action beats (Especially the Air Force One) rescue and a top class cast.

The Fall Guy

My favourite action movie so far this century. A bloody, grimy love letter to Stunties everywhere, it’s a soft adaptation of the old TV show that requires you know nothing about the original to enjoy it. Ryan Gosling is Colt Seavers, a stuntman injured in a suspicious accident called to a movie shoot run by his ex girlfriend to keep the leading man honest. A genuinely fun crime thriller fizzing with the glee of practical stunts coupled with a great turn from Gosling and some perfect jokes make this a winner. See the extended version for more unicorn. Trust me.

More news as we get it. In the meantime, 2000AD, Dredd’s comic home, can be found here