¨Inhabitants of Peach Trees, this is Judge
Dredd. In case you have forgotten, this block operates under the same rules as
the rest of the city. Ma-Ma is not the law... I am the law. ¨
Judge Dredd is certainly the law in this new
attempt at bringing the comic book hero to the big screen. Where the film
starring Sylvester Stallone failed miserably in 1995, here it gets everything
right from the very beginning. This is the film Dredd fans were waiting for,
and they won`t be disappointed with Karl Urban`s portrayal of him, who loses
himself completely in the character. I really had no high expectations for this
movie since I`m not a big fan of Dredd or the comics, and I hated the 1995
version as well so I wasn’t really looking forward to this. I usually don´t
like films that are entirely focused on the action and have very little
character development, but here the action hooked me completely thanks to some
incredible visual effects and a cool premise. A premise that we`ve seen before
(especially for those of us who have seen The Raid Redemption which
surprisingly has a very similar storyline to this one although screenwriter
Alex Garland {The Beach, Sunshine, 28 Days Later} had written this way back in
2007) but works anyway thanks to some excellent visuals. Dredd 3D isn`t as good
as The Raid Redemption because there is no martial arts here, but it´s still a
lot of fun and well worth your time. I really enjoyed this film, the 3D effects
are really great (coming from someone who doesn’t really enjoy 3D films either)
thanks to some slow motion action sequences that are completely justified in
the movie. The film works really because Judge Dredd doesn’t need any character
development, the less we know about him and his past the better because he
simply represents the law. More than a character, Dredd is a symbol for
justice, and that is exactly what we get.
The film directed by Peter Travis (Vantage
Point and Endgame) is set in an apocalyptic dark future where America is mostly
a waste land due to radiation. Everyone is concentrated in what are called Mega
Cities. Mega City One extends from Boston to Washington DC, a highly populated and
cemented area where the crime rate is so high that the judges can attend only
6% of the calls. Judges are the police force and also have the power to act as jury
and executioners. They are feared by the general public, and among them Judge
Dredd (Karl Urban) is perhaps the most respected of all. On an ordinary day he`s
assigned to partner with rookie Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) and evaluate her in
order to see if she can be assigned judge. Despite failing her exams, Chief
Judge (Rakie Ayola) wants to give Anderson another shot due to her special
psychic abilities which might come in handy in the force. Therefore Dredd and
Anderson on duty respond to a call in Peach Trees, a 200 story vertical slum
where few judges ever dare enter. Once they enter the complex, they discover
that it`s controlled by a drug lord named Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) who is expanding
her business through a new drug called SLO-MO that allows your brain to
experience reality at 1% speed. Once the two judges enter the building, they are
locked in by Ma-Ma who commands the inhabitants of Peach Trees to eliminate
them before they interfere in her business. The odds are against the judges,
who must face the hundreds of criminals inside the slum on their own.
As I mentioned before, it`s good that Judge
Dredd has no character arc whatsoever, because he is more of a symbol. Karl
Urban plays him masterfully by making the viewers forget they are watching a
performance. He wears the mask that covers most of his face for the entire
film. All we can see of Urban´s face is his mouth and chin. He really is Dredd
and makes us forget there is actually an actor behind that mask. Dredd is
practically emotionless, his only emotion seems to be anger, and Urban
understands that his performance must be as selfless as possible. Who gets to
show more emotions is Olivia Thirlby who gives a strong performance as the
rookie. We care for her character who unlike Dredd has a lot of emotions and
can be sympathetic. She can also be tough, but for the most part she wants to
make a change for the better in people`s lives. Her character gives the movie a
soul. Even ruthless Ma-Ma doesn’t seem to show much emotions, so the whole
thing kind of centers around Thirlby`s performance. The film wouldn`t be as good
without her. Several things about her character are kind of left untold,
hinting as to a possibility that there might be a sequel. I really enjoyed this
film, and thought the slow motion effects were done really well. Dredd 3D is a
very entertaining film.
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