Dredd

DREDD

R-rated sci-fi action at its finest

 

2012: Lionsgate


2012, Sci-Fi/Action, Rated R

Distributed by Lionsgate

 

          I don't think anyone could have predicted this: Dredd is the best R-rated action film of the year. There is no comparison to the amount of brutal and stylish violence that is displayed on screen during this new sci-fi actioner. The film builds its own ultra compelling, crime-ridden, post-apocalyptic world full of interesting characters and futuristic technology. The film's attitude serves it so well: Judgement is coming so you'd better be ready. Strap in and hold on tight, Dredd is absolutely thrilling.

          Let me explain my initial skepticism about the remade, comic book adaptation that is Dredd. Karl Urban is the star. This guy hasn't carried a good action film on his own. He has tried and failed miserably. Pathfinder saw him as a central action hero in another comic book adaptation and that film was awful. It wasn't his fault, though, because Urban is a good actor when he wants to be (see his side roles in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Star Trek remake) but his starring roles have not made him a bona-fied action hero yet. Hopefully Dredd can push him in that direction. He does a fabulous job as the one-note, badass law-enforcer named Judge Dredd. He lives in a city surrounded by deadly radiation jampacked with 800 million people. There is a lot of crime and the only force fighting that crime is the Hall of Justice. Judges are like futuristic policemen who do everything on the job: they act as judge, jury, and executioner for each case they handle. They carry out "on site executions" like it's no big deal because the dystopian society that now exists doesn't have time or resources to do it the old way.

          Anyway, a new drug pops up and is slowly getting the whole city hooked. It's called "Slow-Mo" and makes it seem as though time is happening at 1% its normal speed. Dredd is on patrol with a rookie Judge (played by Olivia Thirlby) and they stumble into a tower in which the drug is being produced and controlled by one woman. She's called Ma-Ma (played by Lena Heady) and she is one evil, totally infectious, very powerful villain. She finds out two judges are sniffing around her operations and shuts the whole building down, locking them inside. The two Judges then have to fight their way to the top (200 floors up!) with no backup and hundreds of baddies after them. It's explosive action and cheeky dialogue from then on.

          Dredd takes full advantage of superb special effects, 3D, and gruesome violence. This film is not for the faint of heart. When characters take the Slow-Mo drug, the screen gets this sparkling, ultra-slow-motion fix to it that is just dazzling. Most stylish gimmicks like this can feel like hollow eye candy, but not the visuals in Dredd. I was always glued to the screen during a Slow-Mo scene. It's so cool because each time something new and different will happen to the person on the drug. Usually is involves violence. One scene has a whole room full of users as Dredd and the rookie bust in and shoot pretty much everyone. The whole scene is in slow motion and you see bullets going through people's faces. It's violently gorgeous on a visual effects standpoint. There are violent images in this that are truly unrivaled in other R-rated films. It's not going to win any Oscars, but Dredd succeeds in all areas that it attempts to impress.

          There's a lot of deadpan humor to be found here as well. The filmmakers know that people aren't going to take this movie too seriously so they play around with the dialogue and the action. Dredd doesn't say much but when he does it's either hilarious or extremely menacing. Karl Urban really pulls this one off with flying colors. The scribe too, Alex Garland (28 Days Later), wrote a great script. Another excellent aspect of the film is that Dredd never takes off his helmet. That was an issue fans of the comics had with the original. This time around they did it right. Performances were also top-notch. Lena Heady as Ma-Ma was perfectly creepy and menacing and Olivia Thirlby as the rookie Judge with psychic abilities were both great. The rookie's psychic powers come into play during an interrogation scene that is just plain awesome: like nothing you've ever seen.

          All in all I'd say drop what you're doing and go see Dredd if you like action films, especially if you like overly-violent R-rated action films. All the characters are compelling and the special effects are totally mind-blowing. There's been a lull in good movies since August ended and this is your first real reason to visit the theater post-summer-blockbuster slump.

 

          Side note: September is always a slow time at the movies. The films that come out usually aren't good enough for end-of-the-year Oscar rounds or mainstream enough for the busy summer schedule. The past two weeks have been a good example of that. That's why I haven't been reviewing as much. But this weekend sees the releases of multiple exciting new films. Come back very soon for reviews of The Master, End of Watch, House at the End of the Street, and Trouble with the Curve. It's gonna be a busy weekend...go see Dredd, though, because it's awesome.