Dredd- The Non-Dreadful Comic Book Movie

Based on the popular British comics 2000 AD and Judge Dredd, this new comic book adaptation is like Dark Knight to Batman and Robin. 1995's Sylvester Stallone vehicle Judge Dredd, tried to humanize Dredd, and was Hollywood-ized. This version gets the character of the comics right. He's a bad-ass, strict, buy-the-books, asshole cop who doesn't give a shit about who you are, he just kills you. Dredd is a "Judge", the law enforcement of the future. After a nuclear holocaust, all Americans are sectored off in Mega-City 1, surrounded by a desert, this huge dystopian society stretches from Boston to Washington, DC. The crime rate is so large, the Judges can only take on 6% of it. The Judges take on the duty of judge, jury, and executioner. They are mean, fascist individuals, but that is needed in a society where drug dealers and sadistic murderers rule the night. Let's get to it.

Dredd 3D:
The plot of this film is very similar to Die Hard, and especially the action film The Raid. But, this film and The Raid were in production at the same time, so it's not a rip-off. Dredd and new recruit Anderson must stop a brutal crime syndicate inside a Mega-Block (a 300-story apartment complex) called Peach Trees. The crime syndicate deals SLO-MO, a drug that affects the mind's interpretation of speed. The gang is led by the unstable Ma-Ma, an ex-prostitute who "feminized" her abusive pimp, and took over his empire. Dredd and Anderson are locked down inside the Mega-Block alone, and a hit is put on them by Ma-Ma, who has control over many of the residents, so Dredd and Anderson must fight their way out. The film was produced on a low budget, so we see little of Mega-City 1, and was made outside of Hollywood, so it breaks many typical conventions. The cast are all fantastic. Karl Urban (Chronicles of Riddick, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Red, Bourne Supremacy) plays Dredd as a mean, cold-hearted, facist, balls-to-the-walls cop who doesn't take shit from anybody. He never removes his helmet (like in the comics), and never shows remorse for his killings, as they are in the name of the future's laws. He aces the role, and helps it rise above the typical action hero role. Olivia Thirlby plays Cassandra Anderson, a psychic who is less cold-hearted than Dredd, and almost starts a "good cop-bad cop" routine. Lena Heady (Game of Thrones) plays Ma-Ma, the brutal, unstable, psychotic leader of the Ma-Ma Clan of Peach Trees, and the head distributor of SLO-MO. The action in the film is spectacular. The filmmakers use the 3D effects an slow-motion scenes to emphasize the violence and carnage on-screen. (And take note: the film is extremely gruesome and violent.) The special effects are pretty good for such a low-budget film. I thought that after Dark Knight Rises that no other dark superhero film would meet it's standards. Dredd almost does that. The producers have stated if the film grosses enough money, they will make a bigger-budget sequel. I'm happy with that because, to be honest, I want more Judge Dredd. 4/5 stars.

(Editorial note, January 12 2013: Unfortunately, the producers said that the film had to have made a decent amount of money at the US box office in order for them to make a sequel. The unfortunate part is, for reasons I can't understand why, the filmed bombed at the US box office, despite the popularity of the comics and the critical praise. That means, unless DVD and Blu-ray sales change their minds, the producers will not make a sequel, meaning no more of the cool world we were hinted at. This film is great on it's own, but I am saddened to hear the news. I don't understand why it wasn't a hit: it was a dark comic book movie with some brains and brawn, it had gruesomely violent and fun action scenes, some pretty good special effects, and great acting, and it garnered praise from critics and audiences. People just don't know what's good for them. Busy preordering their Twilight tickets I suppose. Dumbasses.)