Dredd

A gritty ride that jumps right in & doesn't stop. It's simple & effectively meets its goals of hyper violent suspenseful crime content. The world building is brief but immersive with dull colors except for the gorgeously shot intoxication scenes.

The basic aim of Dredd is simple – it needs to be bold, true to the source material and full of juicy violence, enough to wipe out the memories of the notoriously poor Stallone attempt of 1995 that threw plenty of money at the screen without bothering to work on anything resembling a decent script.

The character of Judge Dredd, now entering his 35th year in UK comic 2000AD (they know it's 2012 - don't ask), isn't a complicated one. He is, as he is fond of stating, the law. The time is the future, and amidst the wasteland that is America there is a single, massive city with 800 million inhabitants, appropriately called Mega City One. It's quite the scumhole, and the only thing that stands between it and total chaos are the Judges, trained for years to be the ultimate in law enforcement, yet so outnumbered they can only handle 6% of the crimes committed. This, people, is as thin as the blue line gets.

The film is written by long time fan Alex Garland (28 Days later, Sunshine), and has had plenty of input from Dredd's creator (and still main writer even now) John Wagner. Filmed in South Africa on what passes for a tight budget these days (especially for Sci-Fi), it could be compared to District 9 in terms of the sheer effort put into it, with a result that is similarly impressive although aesthetically miles apart. Director Pete Travis (Endgame) does an excellent job, and between them they have turned in a film that will stand the test of time as a superior, adult action movie.

The premise is reasonably simple, something that works well as an introduction to what is, in the comics at least, a sprawling future world. Dredd is accompanied on patrol by rookie Judge Anderson, very well played by Olivia Thirlby, who is on the verge of failing her final assessment but is being given a second chance because of her powerful, and rare, psi abilities. A routine triple homicide (it's that sort of city) turns into a siege when they are trapped in a massive tower block by criminal nutjob Ma Ma (Lena Headey) and forced to fight their way out and stop her manufacturing the addictive new drug, Slo Mo. Obviously there's a bit more to it than that, but this is the basic set up and it works very well indeed, allowing for plenty of violence, some character development and no few explosions.

I can't write this review without focusing on Karl Urban, who has previously stood out for his excellent turn as Dr McCoy in the Star Trek revival. Not afraid to go through an entire movie with a helmet on, he is spot on as Dredd. He gives us an emotionless machine, a man who cares for nothing but the law, but a man you want to get behind and cheer on as he splats bad guys left right and centre. The humanity comes from Anderson, and it helps that Thirlby doesn't have to wear a helmet herself, with the handy excuse that it interferes with her psi abilities. Between them they give us the tired old wardog and the 21 year old rookie on the streets for the first time, and you sympathise with the life of a Mega City Judge.

Some people have criticized the apparent similarities between Dredd and the recent film The Raid: Redemption, in which Indonesian cops storm a tower block and much chop sockey ensues. To be honest, I was a little worried myself, but having seen both films I can happily confirm that they are nothing alike. Whilst The Raid is a pretty intense martial arts film which is rather dull between fights (although the fights are awesome), Dredd is a tight film all the way through, with the plot more than an excuse to go from fight to fight.

In conclusion, I can heartily recommend this film, in case you hadn't guessed. It's sort of like a cross between Robocop and Die Hard, all moderned up and with better music. It's no coincidence that those are two of the most kick ass action films ever, and Dredd borrows from the best, although as Robocop stole from Dredd in the first place it's more like recovering pinched property. The 3D is actually worth shelling out for, and there are some beautiful sequences where it comes into it's own, whilst the film itself is gritty and dirty, although not without a few lighter moments amidst the carnage. The humour in Dredd's comic strips comes from the city around him rather than his own actions, and here's hoping we'll see Alex Garland penning a sequel that allows us to wander through Dredd's world. Quite simply a superior action film, and whilst it's no masterpiece (then again, it's not supposed to be) it's as good as fans could ever have hoped. Here's to the sequels

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 an efficient and entertaining action movie, with lots of memorable moments, kills and one-liners.

I really hope that everyone goes out to see the movie, because how often do we really get an extremely violent, faithful, intelligent science fiction movie in cinemas nowadays. I also want them to make more sequels. There is so much potential for sequels, as this movie has set up the character and the scenario, and we can really get into the more epic storytelling. The story in 'Dredd' is very confined, 85% of the film takes place in one of the huge tower blocks, and I kinda wanted to see more of the city and more of Dredd's world. But for what it is, 'Dredd' is a very good movie. There are also lots of nice character moments in between all the action, and some truly breathtaking slow-motion sequences, that almost makes the extra price of the 3D worthwhile.

Dredd is such a great character. He is a challenging anti-hero and an uncompromising bad-ass. And don't worry, the film does not glamorise violence, or justify Mega City One's judicial system. People often compare Dredd to 'Dirty Harry', but I would argue that Dredd is a more heroic character, because he would never break the rules, like Dirty Harry does. He isn't a hero because he executes bad guys, but because he is incorruptible, and will always fight for what he believes is right, despite the danger of doing it. If it is right or not, the movie leaves to the audience.

Its such an enjoyable movie that deserves success. Now go watch 'Dredd'. Creep!!

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.