Dredd (3D)

[Rob, no not that one.]

I just got back from the cinema after watching Dredd(3D) and wanted to share my thoughts with the spoilerite nation.

As a lifelong Judge Dredd fan I have been waiting a long time for a Dredd film worthy of the name and I am pleased to say this is it. A stripped back no nonsense action movie we follow future law enforcer Judge Dredd (Karl Urban in growling Clint Eastwood mode) over 24 hours as he breaks in idealistic rookie Anderson (Olivia Thirlby doing most of the actual acting). A routine murder investigation soon turns into a battle for survival against ruthless drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Heady in full evil bitch mode) and that's about it for plot. Bad guys are dispatched with brutal efficiency, character development is kept to a minimum and the 90 minute run time just flies by. It's clear that the film makers have a great affection for the source material with shout outs to the comics scattered through out giving the impression of a film made by fans for fans.

Before you write me off as a total fan boy I do have a couple of reservations. First The films limited budget means the action is largely confined to Peach Trees mega-block and while the stetting is well realized I would have liked to see more of the rest of the world. Secondly the level of violence is extreme, there are literally dozens of killing on camera many shot in lingering slow motion it's been rated 18 here in the U.K. and will certainly be pushing the upper limits of an R rating when it comes out in the U.S. so you have been warned.

Overall I would recommend it for action movie fans and lovers of faithful adaptations of classic comics, 4 stars.

[GeorgeDubya]

Lena Heady in full evil bitch mode

That's a lot of evil bitch.

I've been thinking about going and seeing this, and that just further convinced me to go enjoy it.

[Revenant Sorrow]

There are many films where i feel like I'm the only one that enjoyed the original. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that it was the best film out there but the little story was cool. Since I don't read comics any toes that are being stepped on pass me by with out a care. I am interested to see the new movie my only question is do they have a robot that's twice the size of a human? Not enough movies have big poorly animated robots but if anyone could have one I do believe it to be Dredd.

[GeorgeDubya]

The original was a fun movie to watch. I mean seriously, watch this without chuckling, I dare you. http://youtu.be/2aaubVlhNK4

[Revenant Sorrow]

I hear that and picture rob snyder doing his mocking "MR. I am the law" line. Which is the part that actually made me laugh.

[Rob, no not that one.]

Fair enough I realize Stallone's movie is not without it's charms and is a guilty pleasure for a lot of people but I wouldn't want you to see this movie thinking it was just an update of that one. The two are so different there's really no comparison between them, it's like comparing the 60's Batman and Saw.

[Revenant Sorrow]

I tend to watch most movies with that blank slate mentality. I would go into dredd hoping for something new and awesome. If there were any ties to the first move then yeah that would be cool but with any movie that takes place years after the original I don't expect the tie ins. That being said if 60's batman has some saw aspects in it then I think we would all have a slightly different memory of Adam West (that's 60's batman right?). Not that that's a bad thing cause all I remember of his is that he wore that grey and blue suit and they had the 'bifffff' and 'poww' effects on screen which were amusing. Also that he's apparently lost his gourd on Family Guy but don't tell him that or he'll spend the episode looking for it.

[Alisha Mynx]

Fair enough I realize Stallone's movie is not without it's charms and is a guilty pleasure for a lot of people but I wouldn't want you to see this movie thinking it was just an update of that one.

My eye starts to twitch when people say it is a reboot of that one.  It has thankfully been limited to just a few teenage girls who never seem to know what they are talking about, but it still bothers me a lot more than I'd like.

That said, I'm looking forward to this movie.  I'm not a huge fan of the original stuff, but I did like what I've read enough that I've been hoping for a movie closer to the source material to come along.

[CatHalo]

Dredd 3D is awesome, and is NOT a reboot of the Stallone movie. It is, in fact, what that movie should have been in the first place. Relentless. Violent. Uncompromising. Awesome.
I have reviews for each of them on my FaceBook page. Feel free to check them out, and leave your thoughts.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cat-Halo-Movies/252936541426409