Distributor: Lionsgate
Opening Weekend Box Office:
#6 with 6,300,000
Domestic Box Office
Gross to-date: $10,865,000
Gross Revenue: $20,965,000
Production Budget:
$50 million
Director: Pete Travis
Though he is very popular within
the realm of British science fiction, the truth is that, as a character, Judge
Dredd remains largely unknown to domestic audiences outside of a minor
association as one of Sylvester Stallone’s marginally popular cinematic roles,
so maybe the time was ripe for the franchise to revisit theaters. Having never seen the 1995 original, this
remake wasn’t exactly high on my list of must-sees, but my interest was piqued
when I noticed the insanely positive reception that Dredd received during a premiere screening at the 2012 San Diego
Comic-Con International…this is the group that would be at the front of the
line to spew hatred over low quality, so their approval certainly carries
weight. Time and again, we have seen the
inherent potential for box-office gold when it comes to bringing comic book
characters to the big screen, but the fact of the matter is that Judge Dredd
isn’t anywhere near the same league as Spider-Man or Batman, so Lionsgate was
going to have to prove to audiences that this newest sci-fi adventure was worth
their attention. Sadly, it didn’t seem
like the marketing strategists recognized this responsibility, because outside
of a few minimal trailers, little emphasis was given to the presence of any
star-power or even a definitive release date…seriously, did anyone recognize
that is was Karl Urban behind that battle helmet? If anything, Dredd was going to represents little more than an impulse buy for
the average moviegoer, and with three other new releases gearing to split
audiences, such a standing would spell doom, regardless of high quality or 3D
appeal.
Set in the aftermath of nuclear and
chemical warfare, Dredd introduces
audiences to a future dystopia known as Mega-City One, an overpopulated and
crime-ridden wasteland that is only kept from complete anarchy thanks to a law
enforcement force known as the Judges.
Granted complete freedom from due process, Judges act as judge, jury,
and executioner; the top member of the force is Judge Dredd (Karl Urban), a
loner with a no-nonsense sense of order who is tasked with evaluating rookie
Judge Anderson (Olivia Thriby), a new recruit who has considerable psychic
abilities. On their first day of
evaluation, Dredd and Anderson respond to a triple homicide at the 200-story slum
tower known as Peach Trees; this dangerous ghetto which turns out to be center
of operations for drug lord Madeline “Ma-Ma” Madigral (Lena Headey), a ruthless
murder who traffics in “Slo-Mo,” an addictive narcotic that slows the user’s
perception of time to 1% of normal.
After Dredd and Anderson apprehend Kay (Wood Harris), one of Ma-Ma’s
henchmen, and prepare to bring him in for interrogation, Ma-Ma seizes control
of the tower’s security control and seals the building’s blast doors. Cut-off from all outside contact (including the
ability to call for back-up), Dredd and Anderson must fight their way out of
the tower, a challenge that gets considerably more difficult after Ma-Ma offers
all of her forces and any willing mercenaries a reward for the death of the law
enforcers.
Sure, there is some validity in the
perception that the above plot synopsis is overly streamlined and a little too
simplistic, but in the hands of a character as undeniably cool as Karl Urban’s
Judge Dredd, it is really difficult to complain. As far as badass action heroes go, the
titular character of Dredd makes the
members of The Expendables look like Girl Scouts…he brutally destroys criminals
with downright awesome gadgets and weapons, and he does it with such attitude
and style that even the most snobbish of action junkies will find themselves
giddy; trust me, his primary weapon would be AWESOME in a videogame. Granted, you don’t see Karl Urban’s face
throughout the entire running time, but you can still feel his interpretation and
influence on the character; and if that impressively subtle performance isn’t
enough to hold your attention, don’t worry, the supporting characters are more
than enough to keep you engaged. As far
a cinematic drug lords go, Lena Headey’s Ma-Ma is so unhinged that you cannot
help but feel a little anxious anytime she is around, making her the perfectly
chaotic parallel to the order upheld by the Judges. And even though the action and characters
within Dredd are more than enough to
garner a high rating, the style and design of the film are what propel this
surprising remake into must-see status.
Over the course of all of my
reviews, I have lost count of how many times I have paid extra for a pair of 3D
glasses and been bitterly disappointed in the pay-off, but such was not the
case with Dredd; add-in an energetic
soundtrack, and this newest sci-fi action adventure turns into one of the most unceasingly
entertaining experiences offered at a theater in some time. Early in the narrative, Ma-Ma orders the
death of some of her men, dosing them with Slo-Mo and throwing them off the top
floor of the building; the camera switches to first-person perspective and the
3D effect is jaw-dropping; anytime Slo-Mo is used, whether Dredd is breaching a
room or throwing a grenade, your visual synapses are going to go into
overload. And, if you don’t find yourself
at least a little bit pumped when Dredd starts kicking ass and the industrial electronic
soundtrack kicks in, I fear that you must possess a dreadfully bland taste in
movies. Sure, Dredd could have benefitted from some deeper dialogue or more
hashed-out character development, but as far as an introduction to the
characters and their cinematic world goes, this film is fun, charming, and sure
to leave audiences clambering for more.
Whether or not you are a fan of Stallone’s original interpretation of
the character or just someone looking for some explosions and violence at the
theater, you owe it to yourself to see Dredd.
In terms of disparity between film
quality and overall box office performance, Dredd
may be one of the most blatant disappointments to hit theaters in months…good
lord, someone in Lionsgate’s marketing department had to have lost their job
over this disaster. Dredd cost the studio $50 million to produce, and yet, it opened
with just over $6 million in its first weekend, enough for a pitiful sixth
place opening against other new releases like End of Watch and Trouble with
the Curve. With an equally weak
foreign presence, Dredd has only
recovered around $21 million, which is really disappointing when you consider
just how entertaining the film is in its entirety; but as I indicated in the “Short
and Sweet” review, failures in marketing made this end-result a near-certainty. Now, producer Alex Garland has said that he
envisions Dredd as the first chapter
of a trilogy, but sequels would only be potentially allowed with a North
American gross in excess of $50 million…ouch.
In the end, I hope positive word of mouth will help drive higher numbers
for Dredd, because I want to see
these characters again…for the love of God, you have to go to theater to help
save this movie!
Overall Recommendation: Very High
