In 1995 the movie "Judge Dredd" starring Sylvester Stallone came out based on the comic book of the same name. It revolves around a futuristic wasteland where the cops are "Judges" who arrest criminals, pass judgement, and sentence them on the spot. Often including execution. Judge Dredd is the most well known of the judges who is known never to take off his helmet.
Why did the concept fail the first time? Because of Sylvester Stallone. Given his star power, the studio was under the belief that he would bring automatic success. Wrong. After the first five minutes, he took off his helmet. And from that point, it became just another Stallone shooting gallery.
"Dredd" stars Karl Urban as the title judge assigned to assess a rookie pyschic as they investigate 3 homicides in the most dangerous part of Metro One. All the while, the drug kingpin Ma-Ma has her goons hunt them down in order to protect her new synthetic narcotic "Slo-Mo" which slows down the perception of reality.
Why does this version work? Because the filmmakers are making a movie based on the comic, not on the profit projections of their star. Karl Urban is no stranger to comic/sci-fi/fantasy films. You may know him best as Éomer from The Lord of The Rings Trilogy or as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy from the new Star Trek films. He gives his all because he doesn't care about appearances. He devotes his skills to crafting the character that we all know and love from the comics. He remains truthful, given the outlandish circumstances of his environment. He is not concerned with vain notions about his image, he is concerned with bringing Dredd to life. He does it for the love of the character and not the paycheck.
The plot is sound with ample character development. It not only introduces you to the characters, but shows you how they grow in such a little amount of time. Even the ones with no apparent emotions.
When I saw this movie, I saw it in 3D. I highly recommend that you do the same. The special effects make ample use of this technology, and create a visual experience unlike any other I have seen in 3D so far.
A-
The cast is good and the action is inspired, and I think that’s where Dredd stands above all of the other remakes that continue to get churned out almost every month. Nice review Andrew.
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