Apparently I am among the few who actually love the 1995 version of "Judge Dredd" with Sylvester Stallone. I liked the comic book design and feel, the costumes and the story. I would however have preferred if they had toned down the humor a bit and had let Dredd keep his helmet on thru the entire movie. With all this in mind I was a bit worried about watching the new Dredd 2012 in the cinema.
It turned out that I didn't have to worry much. Mega-City One has become a much more dark and realistic world. Also it has become a truly ultra violent experience. I'm actually not a fan of this realistic tendency also found in Nolan's "Batman" movies all of which I despise. For some reason however it works a lot better with Dredd. Dredd has never been a man of many words. He usually fixes the situation with his Lawmaker gun and then hands out the hard sentence which is very often Death.
I AM THE LAW!!!
Karl Urban is just as perfect as Dredd as I personally thought Stallone was and Olivia Thirlby also does a very fine job as the rookie judge who has psychic powers and she also has a lot more feelings than the stone hard Judge Dredd. I've come to love Lena Headey as Queen Cersei in "A Game Of Thrones" and I am pleased to see her in a great performance here as gang boss Ma-Ma.
The 3D effects didn't really do much for me nor did the slow motion sequences illustrating the effects of the new drug Slo-Mo which is a main part of the story. I think the 3D and slow motion effects in "Resident Evil - Retribution 3D" are a hell of a lot more impressive. But luckily not everything is about effects. The new Dredd movie is mostly about ultra violence.
Almost all of the movie takes place in a locked-down building block named Peach Trees run by Ma-Ma's Slo-Mo gang. Let's just say that the fire is free and the killings can begin! It's a thrill to watch and it's extremely entertaining. It's certainly one of the best action movies in a while. And don't worry, it's got a bit of humour too.
Rating:
Movie Title: Dredd (3D)
Director: Pete Travis
This Release: 2012
Movie Genre: Action
RunTime: 95
Actors: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey
Movie Format: Cinema
Content Type: Movie Review
Language:
Updated: 2012-10-03 16:06
Created: 2012-10-03 10:53