Dredd

7

Cinemassacre94Mar 20, 2016

Originally, Dredd, the second motion picture incarnation of the British comic book hero, was due for a mid-August U.S. release. Distributor Lionsgate, buoyed by a positive reactions at advance screenings, decided to move the film out of theOriginally, Dredd, the second motion picture incarnation of the British comic book hero, was due for a mid-August U.S. release. Distributor Lionsgate, buoyed by a positive reactions at advance screenings, decided to move the film out of the "dumping ground" wasteland of late summer and into the earliest days of autumn. Despite obvious (but mostly superficial) similarities to The Raid: Redemption, Dredd can claim to be sufficiently different to avoid being labeled a rip-off. It's also much closer to the comic book than the Hollywood-ized 1995 version that starred Sylvester Stallone in the title role.

This time around, Judge Dredd is played by Karl Urban, although you'd never know it was Doctor Leonard McCoy under the mask if not for the credits. As in the comics, Dredd never removes his mask, so the most we see of Urban are his lips and stubbled chin. Also, he speaks in a throaty growl that sounds a lot like Christian Bale's Batman. Dredd is less a character than an icon. He shows no emotion and, although he utters the occasional one-liner, he's as straightforward as they come. Think Robocop.

As in The Raid: Redemption, this is about an attempt by law enforcement officers to infiltrate a high rise building that has been co-opted by gangsters, fight their way to the top, and take out the chief bad guys. The Raid: Redemption is more bloody and visceral, but Dredd offers its own pleasures, chief of which is a scene of mayhem in which the villain, Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), takes out an entire floor of the complex in a futile attempt to kill two judges. It's pretty spectacular stuff. And, once Dredd runs out of ammo, the level of tension escalates remarkably.

Dredd has an associate, rookie judge Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), a mop-haired blond who eschews headgear. She is being assessed for a pass/fail grade by Dredd. Her test scores were judged "marginal," but she has been accorded an opportunity in the field because of her impressive psychic abilities. She's unprepared for Dredd's brutality, but adapts quickly. She also plays mind games with a prisoner they take during their initial raid of the Peach Tree high rise. Kay (Wood Harris) knows something about Ma-Ma that she doesn't want him to tell anyone, and Anderson goes mucking around in his mind out to find out what it is. It turns out that Peach Tree is ground zero for the manufacture and distribution of a new drug, Slo-Mo (makes the brain think time is moving at 1% of actual speed), and there's nothing Ma-Ma won't do to protect that secret. Trapping two judges in the building and hunting them down is child's play. Or so she thinks.

The action scenes are graphic and well choreographed with a slightly artistic edge. Visually, Dredd is impressive, with the digital rendering of Mega-City One offering the most satisfying helping of visual candy. Dredd was filmed in 3-D, but there are problems. Most of these occur during special effects-laden scenes that attempt to represent reality through a Slo-Mo filter. The 3-D comes across as artificial and overdone in these sequences. There is also noticeable blur during a few of the action scenes. Director Pete Travis does, however, solve the problem of things being too dark. Dredd has just about the right level of lighting.

If there's a serious disappointment, it's the villain. Ma-Ma, despite being played with over-the-top zest by Lena Headey, isn't a very impressive foil for the mighty Judge Dredd, even when she calls for "back-up." Heady is so inconsequential that the final confrontation seems more like an afterthought than an important moment in the story. It's a little like Superman confronting Lex Luthor, except in this case Lex doesn't have any Kryptonite on hand.

Unlike many post-apocalyptic scenarios, the one presented in Dredd offers sufficient glimpses of a dystopian future without overselling the dark, ugly miseries of this future. The background is strong enough to make some of the movie's more outlandish elements seem credible and to represent the dour Judge Dredd as a paragon of justice. There's also a fair amount of dark humor, often of the gallows variety, that never seems out-of-place. Not much of what Dredd has to offer is new or groundbreaking, but the fusion of familiar elements generates a smartly-paced, suspenseful 90 minutes that's a vast improvement over the 1995 film, although not quite on par with The Raid: Redemption when it comes to pure, unexpurgated action.… Expand

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10

robertoiglesiasJan 3, 2022

My favorite movie of all time. Amazing characters, story, cast, tone, industrial music, and effects.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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7

JamedrisApr 10, 2019

I love cyberpunk, I love action and I love Lena Headey. What's not to like in this movie for me, then? It was fun to see Lena looking totally different than in Game of Thrones TV's show. It's a good portion of violence, action andI love cyberpunk, I love action and I love Lena Headey. What's not to like in this movie for me, then? It was fun to see Lena looking totally different than in Game of Thrones TV's show. It's a good portion of violence, action and cyberpunk/brutalist looking building with nicely done CGI resembling effects of some drug important in the history.… Expand

0 of 8 users found this helpful08

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7

ValgethOct 3, 2020

So for some reason the original Judge Dredd isn't on Metacritic, but just like it Dredd is a visual masterpiece, the slo-mo scenes are especially good, you get to see a lot of bodily deformation from bullets. One thing I liked that they tookSo for some reason the original Judge Dredd isn't on Metacritic, but just like it Dredd is a visual masterpiece, the slo-mo scenes are especially good, you get to see a lot of bodily deformation from bullets. One thing I liked that they took away from the original were the set pieces, props and costumes, the original was very detailed in this area but their decision to keep the comic book style was a bad choice, Dredd (2012) made the right choice with a more realistic take. What I did not like about both versions was the **** action typical of most movies in this genre, at what point do you just pause and say "you know, Dredd should be deceased by now", there were so many cliches in both, I get that this is more like a continuation or spinoff of the 1995 movie but this is just so... Shallow, but I like that this is more open-ended, it expands the story after the main plot rather than making the implication that they lived happily ever after once a few corrupt judges were gone.… Expand

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10

AlphaSenseJul 10, 2020

This movie is really well made. The critics who gave this a low score represent the beginning of the left-wing WOKENESS that is plaguing society today. This Dredd fits with the character of the comic books and the acting of all theThis movie is really well made. The critics who gave this a low score represent the beginning of the left-wing WOKENESS that is plaguing society today. This Dredd fits with the character of the comic books and the acting of all the characters, the plot and the musical score are simply top-notch! I loved it!!… Expand

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8

HellHoleHorrorFeb 16, 2022

I was expecting this to be terrible having associated it with the previous one, Judge Dredd (1995). But it was not! I was actually pretty darn good. It's very violent, has an unexpected story, and interesting characters. It's not too sillyI was expecting this to be terrible having associated it with the previous one, Judge Dredd (1995). But it was not! I was actually pretty darn good. It's very violent, has an unexpected story, and interesting characters. It's not too silly and not too serious. The action is exciting and the 3D is relatively well done. Some of the darker shots were a bit grainy but other than that the technical aspects were solid. It is gory which I was not expecting. The drug sequences were well done and memorable.… Expand

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7

DarkwingSchmuckJul 27, 2023

A rock-solid, hyper-violent action film with a brisk pace that feels like it was ripped right out of the 80s and given a modern make-over. Dredd manages to find the right balance between playing it straight while still embracing its sillyA rock-solid, hyper-violent action film with a brisk pace that feels like it was ripped right out of the 80s and given a modern make-over. Dredd manages to find the right balance between playing it straight while still embracing its silly elements, helped by a pitch-perfect performance from Karl Urban. He knows what movie he's in. I only wish the film allowed itself to delve more into its social commentary and ambiguous moral implications, though the film doesn't entirely side-step it either.… Expand

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0

pulpfictMar 4, 2022

Yikes! After finally remembering this movie existed from my initial interest upon its release, I got the chance to watch Dredd. As a mindless action flick, it's good enough to sit through. It's moderately enjoyable from a cinematic point ofYikes! After finally remembering this movie existed from my initial interest upon its release, I got the chance to watch Dredd. As a mindless action flick, it's good enough to sit through. It's moderately enjoyable from a cinematic point of view. Great color grade, set-pieces, art design, for the most part. But, I'm happy I didn't waste the price of a movie ticket. Amazingly, this film even comes up on a couple top scifi movies of ALL TIME. Sometimes my fellow geek culture brethren severely disappoint me.… Expand

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9

ORIOLESep 26, 2020

I enjoyed more today rewatching in 2020 than in 2013. Very cool movie in a tangible futuristic world where gang wars are out of control and lawofficers are toughter. I think Cyberpunk 2077 city was inspired in this show/comic and theI enjoyed more today rewatching in 2020 than in 2013. Very cool movie in a tangible futuristic world where gang wars are out of control and lawofficers are toughter. I think Cyberpunk 2077 city was inspired in this show/comic and the drugdealers inspired in "Tropa de elite" movie (this I don't think it match how it could)… Expand