I have to admit it: the previews for this film were downright exciting. The promise of spectacular effects and intense action mixed with hilarious remarks by “Saturday Night Live’s” Rob Schneider made even me capable of overlooking the fact that Sylvester Stallone was starring.

Among the candidates for gun-blazing comic heroes, however, Stallone is obviously a prime choice. And with a minimal number of lines given to him, his portrayal of Judge Dredd was all the better.

Caught in the middle of a crime-ridden “mega-city” of the future, Stallone assumes the role of the ultimate Republican “get-tough-on-crime” enforcer — serving as judge, jury and executioner.

Within minutes, we witness Judge Dredd blast away at least a half dozen gun-toting youths with little or no regard to whether killing them was necessary. His partner in anti-crime, played by Diane Lane, spends ample time gawking over Stallone, who for the most part ignores her throughout the entire film. Schneider stumbles into the gun battle in progress, only to end up receiving a swift five-year jail sentence from Judge Dredd.

Soon after, Dredd receives a taste of his own medicine when he is wrongly convicted of murdering a prominent news reporter. Having been banished to a maximum security prison, Dredd ends up next to Schneider on a transport headed to the “Cursed Earth,” a desert-like realm inhabited by vagabonds and ruthless killers.

Judge Dredd truly shines during an encounter with a band of desert cannibals, one of whom is expertly rendered by the movie’s makeup artists and special effects teams. Later, following a narrow escape from the “Cursed Earth,” we learn that Dredd has been framed by his evil genetic equivalent, Rico, played by Armand Assante.

From this point on, the film flows like a cheap B-action flick gone stupid. Although an occasional scene sparkles with dazzling special effects, the dialogue and action sequences become trite, tired and just plain goofy.

Perhaps the biggest token role in recent movie history is played by Joan Chen, who portrays Rico’s bitchy but beautiful gun-toting sidekick. Even Schneider’s attempts at comic relief fail to amuse.

Aside from its interesting imagery about our possible (and increasingly probable) dystopian future, Judge Dredd amounts to lots of hype and very little substance.

Varsity Theatre 7:00 & 9:10