I must admit, I've never really been a big fan of ol' Judge Dredd. I mean, I liked his costume, and the guy does look really cool on his bike, and he seems like a mix between Batman and the Punisher, but somehow the bad ass cop from Mega City One just did not appeal to me like Bats.
As far as movies of Judge Dredd goes, the last one starring Sylvester Stallone was fun, but to me also was not an accurate depiction of the comic Dredd. SO when they did a reboot or sorts with the new Dredd movie, I gave it a chance since super hero movies are the rage these days. The review below captures what I feel about the movie, so check it out below:
You can't dread, Dredd
By Gayathri Nair
To watch this remake of Dredd, let me first tell you this; You do
not need to watch the previous Sylvester Stallone version, nor do you
have to know the background of this epic comic book character called
Judge Dredd.
All you need is a passion for action, a high endurance for gore and well, a sense of humor of course.
Unlike the numerous comic book stories turned into movies, there's
always a tendency for the movie to derail from it's main plot to give
the audience some required (or un-required) background of the
characters. This in turn, keeps non-comic book enthusiasts in the know
of what's going on.
That however, is not the case for Dredd.
I came out of the cinema loving this movie. Why? For obvious reasons
that are plain and simple – it had an interesting story, nifty script
writing, which in hand delivered great conversations, fantastic action
sequences, bombastic usage of firearms and the special effects were
top-notch. It would be impossible for this action movie to take any
wrong turns. And I was right.
However speaking in the shoes of a comic book enthusiast and an avid Dredd
follower, you'll quickly recognize several familiarities, such as the
fact that the entire movie is set in the distant future and the city
it's set in is of a fictional one called, Mega City One – a vast,
violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets.
We quickly find out that the justice system in this city has gone rogue.
Cops are basically the people in charge of setting the rules and
sentencing criminals to their fates. So in short, they are the law.
Hence they get to judge, be jury and execute as well.
If you're found attempting to murder a cop (or in this case a judge),
you're sentenced to death. In other words, you get your head blown off
in mere seconds.
There are several other sentencing that is unveiled throughout the movie
which are shown in mind-blowing, gun-fighting action scenes, thus
delivering much guffaws and providing a fulfilling 96 minuet worth of
entertainment.
Amidst all this chaos, enters Judge Dredd, the meanest, toughest and
most robotic cop in the city. He can't even crack a joke, or take a
joke, which ironically makes every scene he appears in just naturally
hilarious.
And speaking of robots, yes, he does play a striking resemblance to our
old friend Mr. Robocop himself. In some parts of the flick, it actually
felt like watching a Robocop movie instead.
For a non-comic book reader, you'll come to learn the unique
architecture of Mega City One. Citizens live in 'slum-towers,' which are
boxed up apartments piled on top of each other and can go as high as
200 floors tall.
Moving along through the story line, we discover who our villains are;
Peach Trees' complex leader, Big Ma-Ma (a former prostitute turn into
drug lord), who is feared by everyone living under her roof.
The vicious Ma-Ma is also gang leader of a troop of criminals
manufacturing a new drug in town called the slo-mo. It really doesn't
take a genius to tell what this drug does to someone.
When one of Ma-Ma's people is arrested and is being led out of the
complex for interrogation, the entire building suddenly goes into
complete lock down. Thus starts a game of cat-and-mouse-chase between
the criminals and Judge Dredd.
On tow with 'The Judge' in this installment is rookie judge, Anderson,
played by Olivia Thirlby, who is also a powerful psychic that reads
minds. Thirlby's portrayal was simply fantastic. Innocent looking but
with powerful fighting chops, she draws in a fan base rather quickly.
All in all, we're certainly in for a great time with the new Dredd.
It's a fully-loaded powerhouse-action-packed movie that delivers the
right amount of ka-pow / ka-boom to settle your lust for high adrenaline
cinematic pleasures.
