In case you haven’t noticed,
Hollywood has been absolutely inundated with sequels and remakes over the past
few years, and audiences are starting to rebel against the demonstrated lack of
unoriginality, thereby making Dredd
one hell of a gamble. As far as Sylvester
Stallone movies go, 1995’s Judge Dredd
wasn’t exactly a mammoth blockbuster, so filmmaker’s wouldn’t have to worry
about backlash from loyal fans of the original, but that doesn’t mean
Lionsgate’s marketing plan was any less flawed.
Thanks to the Lord of the Rings
trilogy and films like Star Trek,
Karl Urban has developed a significant fan-base over the years, but rather than
try and leverage any of that star power, promotions instead focused on selling
the titular character, a law enforcer who remains largely unknown outside very
limited comic book fandoms. If there was
one ray of hope for this newest entry in the science fiction genre, it stemmed
from the apparent necessity to see the film in the 3D…based on the trailers and
billing, it looked like there would be plenty of explosions and bullets to keep
the teenage demographic happy. While I
wasn’t expecting Dredd to break the
box office, the high critical praise the film was receiving seemed to indicate
that I would enjoy this revisit to a largely forgotten franchise.
Thanks to ruthless action, an energetic soundtrack, and a truly badass leading character, Dredd is hands-down one of the best action films I have seen in a very long time. As judge, jury, and executioner, Karl Urban sets the new standard for not-to-be-messed-with, gruffly and brutally punishing anyone unfortunate to cross his path, all while delivering both funny and threatening one-liners. The plot is very streamlined, but when both the hero and villain are so engaging and the dystopia they inhabit is so stylishly executed, you have no problem sitting-back and watching Dredd dispatch countless henchmen; all while forgiving the overall lack of depth and character development. And, central to the story is a drug designated as “Slo-Mo” because is slows the user’s perception to time, and the 3D visuals used to showcase this effect are awe-inducing. In the end, Dredd represents a fun, no-holds-barred action flick that shouldn’t be missed by anyone, regardless of whether or not you are familiar with the obscure leading character.
Overall
Recommendation: Very High
Thanks to ruthless action, an energetic soundtrack, and a truly badass leading character, Dredd is hands-down one of the best action films I have seen in a very long time. As judge, jury, and executioner, Karl Urban sets the new standard for not-to-be-messed-with, gruffly and brutally punishing anyone unfortunate to cross his path, all while delivering both funny and threatening one-liners. The plot is very streamlined, but when both the hero and villain are so engaging and the dystopia they inhabit is so stylishly executed, you have no problem sitting-back and watching Dredd dispatch countless henchmen; all while forgiving the overall lack of depth and character development. And, central to the story is a drug designated as “Slo-Mo” because is slows the user’s perception to time, and the 3D visuals used to showcase this effect are awe-inducing. In the end, Dredd represents a fun, no-holds-barred action flick that shouldn’t be missed by anyone, regardless of whether or not you are familiar with the obscure leading character.
