This is a film that life-long fans of 2000AD's Judge Dredd have been waiting for. As a kid reading the weekly comic was like being let into an 18's movie..The cursing was replaced with futuristic synonyms (Drokk and Grud) but there was violence and grown-up humour and a level of satire and social commentary that I didn't fully appreciate until years after. A previous attempt was made to bring Dredd to the screen. It was an ill-guided misfire that missed the point entirely and apart from a few nice visuals just got it plain wrong. It is best forgotten.
For those who do not know, Dredd is set in a dystopian future America. After a nuclear war much of the world is uninhabitable and the populations are crammed into Mega Cities. The government, police and judicial systems have all been rolled into one ... The Judges, who carry out both arrests and sentencing whilst on the beat. They are a harsh response to a harsh world. Dredd is the most famous of these lawmen but he is not a super-hero..more of an anti-hero..he represents a face-less unflinching devotion to 'the law', he is uncompromising and incorruptible. We do not always cheer for him though and are often invited to question the system he represents.
This time he is in the hands of people who love the character. Alex Garland (The Beach, 28 Days Later) penned the script with guidance from Dredd creator John Wagner and Joe Dredd himself is played by the solid Karl Urban who graciously understood and indeed insisted that his full face would not be shown (sorry ladies).
What we get in this movie is a day in the life of Dredd but as seen through the eyes of rookie Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) whom he is reluctantly tasked with assessing. She is the emotional core of the film and in some ways it is her story. It's a lean well paced tale that has a simple plot. An investigation by the two Judges into a multiple homicide leads to them getting trapped behind enemy lines with very few options. Although the Dredd universe of the comics can be downright whacky with a vast array of bizarre characters, this film for the most part shy's away from this angle, it would have been too much too soon for most casual viewers. Instead we get subtle nodes and hidden references for the fans, city blocks named after 2000ad artists for example and lots more than I spotted I'm sure. The violence is unapologetic and visceral and the drab interiors of the mega-block where most of the film is set is counter-balanced nicely with stunning, technicolor, drug induced slow-motion sequences. The villain is played by Game of Thrones Lena Headey and she plays the menacing drug-baroness Ma-ma Madrigal with a viciousness that would shock Cersei Lannister.
This movie feels like it could be the first of many but unfortunately it probably won't. Despite a massively favourable critical response it is just not doing the business it needs. The 18's (R-rating) certificate although admirable is not doing it any favours sales wise and many people seem to be frustrated at the lack of 2D showings. The 3D is fantastic but some people either can't or would rather not sit through a 3D show. It is a pity that something so good and that was made on a relative shoe-string ($45 million) has little or no chance of even breaking even. This is a fun, thrill ride for grown-ups and how many of those do we get?
Please go see it ..bring someone who knows nothing about it...and then go again ...I did!
For those who do not know, Dredd is set in a dystopian future America. After a nuclear war much of the world is uninhabitable and the populations are crammed into Mega Cities. The government, police and judicial systems have all been rolled into one ... The Judges, who carry out both arrests and sentencing whilst on the beat. They are a harsh response to a harsh world. Dredd is the most famous of these lawmen but he is not a super-hero..more of an anti-hero..he represents a face-less unflinching devotion to 'the law', he is uncompromising and incorruptible. We do not always cheer for him though and are often invited to question the system he represents.
This time he is in the hands of people who love the character. Alex Garland (The Beach, 28 Days Later) penned the script with guidance from Dredd creator John Wagner and Joe Dredd himself is played by the solid Karl Urban who graciously understood and indeed insisted that his full face would not be shown (sorry ladies).
What we get in this movie is a day in the life of Dredd but as seen through the eyes of rookie Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) whom he is reluctantly tasked with assessing. She is the emotional core of the film and in some ways it is her story. It's a lean well paced tale that has a simple plot. An investigation by the two Judges into a multiple homicide leads to them getting trapped behind enemy lines with very few options. Although the Dredd universe of the comics can be downright whacky with a vast array of bizarre characters, this film for the most part shy's away from this angle, it would have been too much too soon for most casual viewers. Instead we get subtle nodes and hidden references for the fans, city blocks named after 2000ad artists for example and lots more than I spotted I'm sure. The violence is unapologetic and visceral and the drab interiors of the mega-block where most of the film is set is counter-balanced nicely with stunning, technicolor, drug induced slow-motion sequences. The villain is played by Game of Thrones Lena Headey and she plays the menacing drug-baroness Ma-ma Madrigal with a viciousness that would shock Cersei Lannister.
This movie feels like it could be the first of many but unfortunately it probably won't. Despite a massively favourable critical response it is just not doing the business it needs. The 18's (R-rating) certificate although admirable is not doing it any favours sales wise and many people seem to be frustrated at the lack of 2D showings. The 3D is fantastic but some people either can't or would rather not sit through a 3D show. It is a pity that something so good and that was made on a relative shoe-string ($45 million) has little or no chance of even breaking even. This is a fun, thrill ride for grown-ups and how many of those do we get?
Please go see it ..bring someone who knows nothing about it...and then go again ...I did!