'The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lies Mega City One - a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called "Judges" who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge - a dangerous drug epidemic that has users of "Slo-Mo" experiencing reality at a fraction of its normal speed.' The story is pretty cool and once Dredd and his trainee Judge, Anderson are locked in a 200 story slum the story really kicks off. The premise has been compared to that of The Raid Redemption, a film I have yet to see, so I will have to wait to find out if the comparisons are correct. It is also great to see that this is not an origin story and yet we still get to know who the character is by the time the credits role. So you can do it Hollywood, it's been proven!
The film looks great and the acting is perfect. It is obvious that Karl Urban put a lot of dedication into his character and after hearing various interviews with him it sounds as if Dredd 3D was definitely his and the director Pete Travis's baby. Now their baby is all grown up and kicking all kinds of ass in a film that is deserving of its 18 certificate. This is definitely a comic book movie for adults as blood is spilt in all kinds of cool ways. That being said isn't a complete gore fest and is a lot more dark and gritty then most comic book movies but a little bit more light hearted then the recent Batman films. Karl Urban plays Dredd brilliantly even though it's his awesome chin that does most of the work.
Dredd is an anti-hero and this is not shyed away from in the film. Dredd is hard faced and emotionless but this is all part of his character, his 'sidekick' Anderson on the other hand is not so much. She brings more connection to Dredd as she is more human. That being said she is actually a psychic mutant. Olivia Thrilby does a great job of keeping this film from becoming too stupid and she also kicks a lot of ass too. That's the great thing about this film is that the women are not the damsels in distress or the love interests, they can handle themselves just fine. Or they can be down right evil like the main villain Ma Ma, played by Lena Heady, yes the horrible Cersei from Game Of Thrones. Who is just as evil in this film, or at least it's said she is, i would have possibly liked to see her have some more bad ass moments as she was a terrific villain. The coolest thing about this movie though, was the use of the drug slo-mo, which was mainly an excuse to have some extremely awesome 3D moments but damn it worked so well! Yes you read right, the 3D was awesome! When 3D is done right it can really work and it did here. For once the 3D added to the experience rather then taking away and I suggest everybody see it in this format as it probably won't be as cool without it. It had a kinda of Matrix feel in places whilst seeing people getting shot in the head in slow motion, in 3D! Like I said at the start, it is badass!
The film was shot in South Africa on practical sets which really pay off. When there is CGI it is always good with only a few shots looking less then that . But all together the film looks great and I can't wait to see more of Mega City One if a sequel gets a green light. If this does happen I hope they keep Paul Leonard-Morgan as the composer, because his soundtrack is all kinds of techno awesome!
After seeing this, all I want to do is see more of Judge Dredd! The film is great and very violent so it might not be to everyones taste, but if you like that kind of thing then definitely give it a go! And if you can watch it in 3D, which for me was the only format I could, then I strongly advise it as it is the best use of the third dimension this year! I'm giving Dredd 3D a rating of 4/5.
What did you think of Dredd 3D, hit or miss? Please comment below!
Thanks for reading!
