Stars Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, Wood Harris, Warrick Grier Directed by Pete Travis I'll admit to being excited when word of a new Judge Dredd movie surfaced, mores when Alex Garland was to write it and that it would also feature Psi Judge Anderson (and I'm an Anderson fan). The arrival of the movie on our screens, however, is an example of poor timing, since it's opened against the Indonesian film, The Raid. Both movies have similar plots with certain crossover moments (The Raid was in production just months ahead of Dredd, so similarity is purely coincidental), but let's not dwell on that little sniggle. This is a wholly different cinematic take on the character and it is one that obliterates the Stallone version (tho not in style). Karl Urban give really good jaw and pulls off the lines beautifully, delivering a Judge that is tough, fearless and almost true to the comic counterpart. Or at least a lot damn closer than Stallone did. The straight plot here give the character room to be just who he is supposed to be. During an evaluation, Dredd and rookie Anderson, take a call looking into a triple homicide at the Peach Tree mega-block and they stumble into what becomes a assault/gauntlet scenario as the two judges ascend to 200 storey mega block to get to the main baddie at the top, Ma-Ma, played with restrained manic by Lena Headey. It does make her a little one-note, but there a darkness there, and it does chill from time to time. Balancing out the single-mindedness of both Ma-Ma and Dredd is Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), the young emotional rookie learning the ropes. Thirlby conveys her character's emotions well, being the obviously insecure and unsure rookie putting on a facade at the beginning and the one by the end. Anderson is our window into this brutal and violent world. Make no mistake, this is a violent film - practically hyperviolent in one bravura sequence highlighting the 3D effect gloriously that even has the blood splattering out of the edges of the screen. The gimmick of a drug in the movie, slo-mo, which slows down the perception of a user, enhances the 3D experience as well as various particles and smoke float about the scene, adding to the depth of the image. Overall, it's really no more than a simple adventure that would have been ripped straight from the pages of 2000AD. As an action film, it is decently above average and works even better in 3D (highly recommend watching in this format), and it does well enough in establishing Dredd and Anderson as well as the system within the world. Because of the limited budget, the action is localised to just the mega block and we barely get a glimpse of Mega City One or the Cursed Earth beyond it. The slightly more grounded take on this particular world is effective, making Dredd's outfit more that of riot gear that the more comic-book take that was employed in the previous incarnation. Fans of the comic will find lots of easter eggs around. If the plans for a trilogy pan out (especially if it goes where the plans suggested), it's a good introduction with Dredd and Anderson being front and centre. Of course, I'm really hoping for more.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
December 2017
|