Last night I watched ‘Dredd’ for the first time, a film that
my housemate saw when it first came out in the cinema and has raved about
since. With all of the praise he had
given it, and remembering what the last film based on Judge Dredd was like, I
went into this film with a little trepidation.
Despite this I was hoping for the best.
Boy did this film deliver!
Set in the massive surroundings of Mega City One ‘Dredd’
follows a day in the life of Judge Dredd as he is assigned to assess rookie
Judge Anderson. Having technically
failed her entrance exams but offered a place as a Judge due to her
extra-ordinary psychic abilities Dredd is initially harsh and distrustful of
his rookie partner.
Respond to what they believe to be a routine murder
investigation the two Judges’ find themselves drawn into a web of murder,
torture and drugs as they become sealed inside the Peach Trees mega block, a
two hundred story building home to thousands.
Central hub of the Ma-Ma gang and the manufacture and distribution
centre of the drug Sol-Mo the inhabitants are told to kill the two Judges or
remain sealed inside the building forever.
Judge Dredd and Anderson are forced to fight their way through
the levels of Peach Trees and a small army of gang members in order to find
Ma-Ma and end her reign of terror.
‘Dredd’ is a beautifully made film, with a great combination of science fiction and the modern world that creates a unique and very believable future. Some characters look like they belong in science fiction, others look like someone you would pass on the street but both styles work together brilliantly.
Despite the simplicity of the plot of the film, trapped in a
building forced to fight their way to the top, the story never lags and has
plenty of time for some stunning action sequences as well as interesting
character moments.
The action in the film doesn’t bother pulling any punches
and whilst not the goriest action film I’ve ever seen doesn’t shy away from
showing the brutal effects of violence. The
heroes are not afraid go gun down the villains, but as police officers they
offer them every chance they have to surrender peacefully, only taking lethal
action when forced to.
All of the main cast members have been brilliantly cast,
with Karl Urban playing a much more believable Dredd than Stallone ever
did. His Dredd feels like a regular
human being, a man dedicated to his job and hardened by years on the streets. Yes, he’s a comic book character, but he’s
not a super hero. He’s a cop. Urban gets this message across brilliantly.
Olivia Thirlby plays Judge Anderson, another of the main characters from the 2000AD comics and is an important part of the Judge Dredd mythos. Thirlby plays the character well, making her the light to Dredd’s dark. She also shows a great deal of character progression too, going from a fresh faced rookie judge to a battle hardened warrior by the end of the film.
Lena Heady plays the main villain Ma-Ma, a brand new character
for the film, does so will relish. Heady
plays such a horrid looking and vile woman that it’s hard to remember that she’s
an attractive woman beneath the scars and rotten teeth she wears in this
film. A devious, some times almost
psychotic, villain that proves to be a great threat for our heroes, throwing
hundreds of her people against them and not being afraid of collateral damage.
‘Dredd’ is one of those great comic book movies that have
started to become a staple of the genre in this age. Unfortunately unlike such films as The
Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises, all of which came
out the same year as Dredd, it was a commercial failure. Perhaps there isn’t as large a fan base out
there for Judge Dredd, maybe the general public were put off by how violent it
looked or maybe there were just not enough people aware of it. In any case it is an absolute crime that we
will not be treated to another film. We
can only hope that the DVD and Blu-Ray sales are sufficient enough to warrant a
second film. So go out and buy a copy
now, and encourage your friends to do so.
And if you’re going to buy it get it from HMV!
Amy.
Loved the film. It's true to the character of Dredd. I was hoping it did great in Europe for a second one to be made. I know it didn't do well here in the states just because the Stallone version was so horrible no one cared to see a true version of the comic. I hope a second one is done. They said they wanted to use the Origins and Cursed Earth story lines for the next two. They also was going to explore Dredd and show him as a fascist.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a great deal of experience of reading the original comics, I've only read a couple over the years, so am by no means an expert. I did feel, however, that this film was a much better depiction of what was in the books, especially in tone and presentation. Luckily too it seems that Dredd is dominating the DVD charts at the moment too, hopefully it will keep it up and we get treated to another film.
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