Dredd

I've been a Dredd fan for thirty years now, but I'm not about to give this movie adaptation of my favourite comic character a ridiculously high rating purely from some misguided sense of loyalty. Instead, I'm going to give it a deservingly high score because, quite simply, it is a very good film, one that successfully captures the essence of the 2000AD strip, delivering brutal action by the bucket-load, excellent central performances, and inspired direction, all enhanced by breathtaking state-of-the-art 3D special effects.

After the debacle that was Stallone's Judge Dredd (1995), the makers of this movie have clearly made their prime directive to please hardcore Dredd fans, and it shows: the screenplay, by Alex Garland, remains very faithful to the spirit of the comic, and in Karl Urban, we now have the perfect Dredd-all raspy voice and humourless grimace, it looks as though the character has jumped straight onto the screen from the pages of 2000AD (helmet intact). Similarly, it would be hard to imagine anyone more suitable than Olivia Thirlby as rookie Psi-Judge Anderson (and believe me, I've tried!).

Is Dredd 3D my 'ideal' Dredd movie? Not quite... made for a comparatively meagre budget of $45million, it would be hard pushed to live up to my impossibly high expectations (just realising the Mega-City One of my dreams would require way more money than it cost to make this entire film). That said, it is definitely a massive step in the right direction, and if it is the financial success that it genuinely deserves to be, who knows what treats await us in the future: The Cursed Earth, Judge Cal, Judge Death, The Apocalypse War.... I'm salivating like a Klegg just thinking about it.

** EDIT - 5th April 2021 ** Just watched Dredd again, this time without the benefit of 3D, and found it less impressive than I remembered. I was struck more than before by how poorly Mega City One is presented, with vehicles that look like they're from now instead the end of the 21st century. Little effort was spent in making the environment appear futuristic - things like computer keyboards and electric fans are still as they are today. Budget was clearly an issue, and it shows.

Also, the whole 'Wait' conversation doesn't work for me. The bad judge would've plugged Dredd in the head instead of allowing him to buy time.

I still love Urban's portrayal, and the violence is cool, but I really hope that if there is a next time, they make the film look more like the comics.

Old rating: 8/10 New rating: 6.5/10, rounded up to 7. It's still good, just not great.

DREDD is the second adaptation of the cult comic book series Judge Dredd, following on from a poorly-received Stallone flick in the '90s (for the record, I thought that version was passable but weak in places, as is the case with a lot of mid-'90s cinema). This one's a lot more gutsy and compelling, thanks to the lean script and emphasis throughout on bloody action and adult entertainment. No pandering to the teenage crowd here.

Karl Urban, long since a favourite of mine (since his excellent turn as the Russian assassin in THE BOURNE SUPREMACY) headlines as Dredd, never taking his helmet off throughout the film. Thus he's reduced to acting via his chin and gravely voice, and the surprise is that it works, to a degree. The helmet serves to distance the viewer from warming to the character, but then that's the point. I did like him though, and enjoyed his totalitarian attitude towards keeping crime off the streets.

Many reviewers have commented on the movie's similarity in plot to the Indonesian action epic THE RAID, and it's clear the two films share plenty. However, I think there's space for both of them in the market; DREDD is an unashamed shoot-em-up while THE RAID is an unashamed martial arts movie. They cater to different markets, and both are equally good.

DREDD's grim, claustrophobic setting is a strong one (bringing to mind the likes of '80s nihilist cinema like TENEMENT and DEATH WISH 3) and the action never lets up from start to finish. The scene with the huge guns is the stand-out, of course, but there's plenty of good minor stuff along the way, where encounters between Dredd and various bad guys are well directed and choreographed. Lena Headey's villain is utterly imposing and my only disappointment was with the ultra-slow-motion sequences, which are a bit pretentious and overused; thankfully they virtually disappear once the novelty wears off. I watched the 3D version of this movie, and while it's not the most visually impressive 3D film I've seen, it does make the film feel more immersive as a whole.

In a dystopian future, the world is devastated. Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the last word in Law & Order within Mega-City One. Judge Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) is his junior partner. They are battling drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) who is operating out of a massive apartment block.

The previous version of Judge Dredd (1995) starring Sly is a campy affair. Consider that it had Rob Schneider in it. 'nuff said. This one brings us into the comics once again but this time, they drop the camp. It is well written probably because they had Alex Garland who also wrote 28 Days Later... and Sunshine among others. Karl Urban is not as imposing as Sly but he does a solid job. Most importantly, he's not impersonating Sly. Olivia Thirlby is great as a foil or conscience to Dredd. Their relationship is the heart of the movie. Lena Headey does a good job as the baddie. It's an interesting unusual choice. It's certainly not your average muscle bound villain.

I did have 2 problems. First, Slo-Mo happens too many times. The first couple of times are interesting. I'm sure it's cool 3D fun, but even that would get tiresome. It's a balancing act between pace and cool and the climax needs pace more than cool. Second problem is the ending. The final fight with Lena Headey is not as climatic as needed. It's a bit of a letdown. Overall, this is super-fun despite the minor problems.

Dredd is a simple action film with a simple premise that suffers from the legacy of a horrid 1995 Hollywood film adaptation to a British cult comic (2000 AD). It's a shame a sequel never saw the light of day, since Karl Urban was superb in his portrayal of Judge Dredd.

Graphic, gripping, and very well developed. This is exactly what we should see from a comic of this subject matter. The performances are outstanding; everyone plays their role to absolute perfection. Completely loaded with entertaining action and blood to keep you interested. The directing, editing, sound design, and effects, terrific. A criminally underrated movie that I'm glad got the cult following and recognition it deserves.