Dredd Review

Dredd Review

Year: 2012

Stars: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headey

Directed: Pete Travis

Running Time:  95 mins approx.

 

Dredd he is the law, now I’m setting this in stone FORGET the Stallone one although I enjoy it as a tongue in cheek romp in a comic book universe I’m not 100% familiar with. I’ve only read the judge death arcs. I do have though a bunch of big finish audio stories that are wrote by the people who created the comic though.

Well I don’t know where to start with this I enjoyed it so much so here goes firstly Karl Urban was great, I’m not a massive fan of his. Doom scarred me against him for a long time Star Trek redeemed him a little this film has given me faith in the guy.

He pulled off Dredd to a T who is stoic and before all else puts the law, with the smallest of small streaks of niceness for fellow rookie judge Anderson.

The story in a nut shell is not taken from any source material in the comics as far as I know. I think this is to ease people into the universe of Dredd and they can then expand into the stuff more diehard fans know in a sequel which I’m almost 100% sure is going to happen. The main bad-woman is Mama who is played nicely and robotically by Lena Headey whose acting always seems to be very straight in whatever she’s in, I think the woman must find conveying emotion hard at least it seems that way to me.

She’s usually eye candy in most things she’s in, not so in here as she has a frickin big scar down her face that’s elegantly explained later on in the film.

Anderson was also pulled off fantastically by Olivia Thirlby who has been in other things inbetween this and Juno I haven’t seen her in since. She plays her well as Anderson doesn’t wear a helmet (helmets huh I’ll get to them) as it interferes with her psychic abilities she’s about the only judge that refuses to play by the judges rule book in the comics. May I add to that not a in a bad way she just disagrees with some things.

Now her psychic powers are portrayed in a believable realistic way in this film there’s a brilliant head fuck scene between her and a perp later in the film. For some people who dislike fantasy/sci-fi even in the small doses I think it’s easily acceptable in here as they dont give an over the top explanation about it.

There’s a drug in mega city one (a massive city housing billions in massive blocks it’s a walled city safe from the outside barren wastes of a long past war that ravaged most of the world) SLOMO it makes the mind think time is passing only fraction of what it actually is.

This here is one of my three gripes about the film every SLOMO part is made specifically for 3D now if you’re like me which lets face a lot of adults are (and Dredd is an 18 so adults will be the only ones watching this hopefully *laughs*) you won’t have perfect 20/20 vision which is needed in a 3D movie or you won’t see it properly simply put.

Also 3D because of a filter they use is darker in comparison and Dredd is a dark film I’m sure you’d miss things.

Changes for film are there in this film but you have to for the masses as a lot of people’s experience of Dredd is the old Stallone one they don’t realise it’s a comic book as well. Armour in the comics has much bigger shoulder plates and that’s pretty much all it consists of as well. Here in Dredd it’s been toned down but still has all the hallmarks the eagle on the shoulder but it’s been made into a full body flak jacket which I actually liked.

The helmets oh my, helmets were much too big for my liking even bigger than the comic book versions, though not by much. That was my second gripe I didn’t like about the movie little I know but it’s something you constantly see as Dredd true to the comic also and not like the Stallone film NEVER takes his helmet off.

This film is bloody and quite a few of those scenes again are made for the 3D element but work well despite that. There are a few scenes they really could have shown more of even. As they didn’t need to hold back at all on this I feel it was an 18 anyway, just a few things happening off camera that they could have done on screen.

Anyway few the modestly low budget they made this film on $45mill which trust me isn’t a lot compared to a lot of films these days they did well.

I have one more gripe in judge Dredd there’s corrupt judges but in this film the inclusion of 4 is a bit of over kill 2 maybe 3 would have worked and been more believable over all.

So in conclusion this film is well worth the watch and a great return of the 18 rated movie reign hopefully it’ll make some directors not as scared to put that scene that would make a film in rather than remove it to get more bums on seats.

Go watch Dredd it’s a tour de force and well deserves the 5 stars I’m giving it here