I will start by being honest. If you love Judge Dredd and the 2000AD comics, violent action movies, dark futuristic dystopian cinema then you will love this film. If you’re after realism, emotional characters or colourful, fluffy comic book movies then jog on.
However if you’re a bloke who wants to show off your 3D TV and Blu Ray set up, then this film is essential. Buy it now!
Dredd is set in the future where Earth has been ravaged by nuclear war and all that’s left is the vast wasteland called the Cursed Earth’ and three Mega-Cities. We are introduced to Mega-City One, which stretches across most of the east coast of America. This Mega-City is a hive of criminal activity and the only authoritative force are the Judges, with the power to be judge, jury and executioner.
A new drug called slo-mo’ has hit the city, and the effects make the user feel like they’re experiencing time at one per cent its normal rate: which looks incredibly cool. This film is fast paced and we hit the ground running with Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) in pursuit of three criminals who are suspected of homicide. This film pulls no punches as we are introduced to a grotty yet realistic future city where human life has little value and often ends gorily.
Having exacted justice, Dredd is called in to the justice department and instructed to take psychic rookie Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) on her training day. They head to the 200 storey mega tower Peach Trees to respond to a triple homicide. After a drug bust they attempt to take dealer Kay (Wood Harris seriously, who calls their son Wood’?) to be questioned, when drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) locks down the tower and instructs all the residence to kill the Judges. With no support they are forced to fight their way to the top through various thrilling action set pieces, in order to take down Ma-Ma and escape.
Peach Trees is basically a self-contained city with 750,000 residents, a hospital, schools, shops and of course a gang called the MaMa clan, ruthlessly run by former prostitute turned drug lord Madeline Madrigal, played by the excellent Lena Headey. She gives a great performance as an intelligent leader who is so cold and calculated that it sometimes seems that she doesn’t give a damn.
Now the first thing that struck me is that this film is grounded and this futuristic city of decay looks realistic. Great sci-fi is very much grounded in our current world and you only have to catch the news headlines to hear horrific stories of murder, poverty and social injustice. Just head into any inner city, look around and you can see that these mega structures could really happen and the poverty, drug use and general hopelessness of the residential levels on show in this film reminded me of the favelas of City of God (2002).
It also helps that the use of 3D is totally immersive and helps suck you into this world. This is the best use of 3D I have seen since Avatar (2009) and Jackass 3D (2010) and I absolutely loved the slo-mo bits, which is a great plot device adding to the visuals and the violence: as if we need an excuse for slow-motion gun fights. However the 3D in the exterior shots don’t work that well, which isn’t an issue as around 97% of the film takes place inside.
I got into Judge Dredd and 2000AD after reading the comic adaptation of the problematic/stupid 1995 movie and am a fan of many other comics. That said, I can say with some knowledgeable authority that this is up there with Sin City (2005) as one of the best and truthful comic book adaptations. What I loved about this film is that despite all the carnage and violent events, this is just another day for Dredd. I also love the fact that he doesn’t take his helmet off, so kudos to Karl Urban for portraying so much with his chin.
The script was written by long-time fan Alex Garland, who also came up with The Beach and scripts for 28 Days Later (2002) and the underrated Sunshine (2007), so he’s no stranger to sci-fi or future apocalypse.
Despite my praise for this film it can be generic and predictable at times. As an audience we are introduced into this world through Anderson, but you rarely feel any empathy for any of the characters as Dredd and Anderson fight their way through countless faceless villains. Anderson’s psychic abilities do however add value to some of the thugs they have killed and some humorous moments, but I felt that this film could have used a bit more of the humour and satire that appears in the comics. However Karl Urban is fantastic as Dredd and a far cry from the mumbling version played by Stallone in 1995.
It’s also easy to compare this to the excellent The Raid (2011), which features a SWAT team who struggle to make it to the top of an apartment building, but this film is very different and direct comparisons would be unfair. Just watch and enjoy both.
Those reading this review and considering buying this for their collection, please do, as this film didn’t set the box office on fire but has set up a world I want to see more of as a planned trilogy, casting Dredd into the Cursed Earth in the sequel and the arrival of Judge Death in the conclusion. Just read that comic!
Technical specifics now: the picture quality is amazing on the 42 inch TV I watched this on and it’s hard to tell what are practical effects compared to CGI. The 7.1 sound mix is also great and along with the 3D adds to a completely immersive experience. However, sometimes the picture is so crisp that the blood looks too red, but then again this is fine as it’s a comic book adaptation (although the comics are mostly in black and white). The disc also gives you the option to watch the film in 2D.
The cinematography is rightly claustrophobic but also shows you how insignificant this Mega-Tower and its residents are compared to the rest of the city. The use of fake news footage and security camera shots adds to the realism. The soundtrack is atmospheric and futuristic: building when you want it too, reflective in times of grief and then breeds hope.
There is a wealth of special features which are short, sweet and to the point. First off there’s, Dredd: 2000AD and the Original’, which is a generic making of ’ where Karl Urban and various 2000AD staff talk about the character and the comic origins. Creator John Wagner speaks about how he was fascinates about the future and wanted a Dirty Harry type of anti-hero, while the staff quite truthfully say that reading the comics was like watching an 18 film as a child.
Slo-mo’ is, unsurprisingly, a look at the amazing slow motion scenes where they state that its use can make anything look beautiful, and in a world of chaos and ugliness’. They talk about filming at 4,000 frames a second, which makes things look graceful and beautiful: where even gore looks pretty. They’re not wrong.
Welcome to Peach Trees’ has Karl Urban talking about Mega Blocks, each being a self-contained city where you could live and die in a block and not even have to leave. It’s a sinister view of the future, aside from being highly polished. The art department say that Peach Trees is a character and they researched similar buildings around the world. More CGI was used than I thought, but it looks great!
The 3rd dimension’ is all about the film’s excellent use of 3D. Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle references its use in family films like Tron Legacy (2010) and Avatar (2009) and how it would be interesting to bring it into something else. He’s interested in depth not just as a gimmick, but to use it immersively and help the audience envelop into the world. Interestingly he was horrified with the big 3D cameras used in other films, so they built some speciality hand-held cameras which helped in several close ups.
In Dredd’s Gear’, Karl Urban says that when you put the costume on you become the character’ and the suit is modelled on modern riot gear. The costume designer says that there is a manifestation of society in decay which is reflected in the suit. They talk about how important the helmet is to show the face of justice and interestingly to fans, in the comics Dredd’s face was censored when he took it off in an early issue. We also have a look at the Judge’s gun and how they show mag changes to make it work.
Dredd’ is all about the titular character as described by John Wagner. He is hard-core, the alternate lawman with no alter ego like Clark Kent: what you see is what you get. He’s a badass and the good guy, your greatest hero and your worst nightmare rolled into one. To him the law is everything. We also hear Wagner and various other crew praising Karl Urban’s performance.
There are interviews with Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, Wood Harris, director Pete Travis, script writer Alex Garland and creator John Wagner (characters), various producers and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle. These are interesting but were edited into the other extras. Informative, but not essential unless you are fascinateded in how films are made (like me).
As with most films I’ve reviewed, there are no trailers or TV spots (which are included on the American release along with a prequel comic). And it would have been nice to include the Comic-Con motion poster, footage reel and initial reception from the crowd.
Overall Verdict: For the use of 3D, the action and gore, fun and overall comic book faithfulness, I’m giving this film 4 out of 5. Not that I need to justify myself, but you know how Avatar (2009) is a 3 star film that was a 5 star experience in 3D at the cinema? However this is one of the best and most thrilling action films I’ve seen in a while and a dark, gritty and thoroughly entertaining slice of post-apocalyptic sci-fi gold.
Special Features:
Dredd: 2000 AD and the Original
Slo-mo
Welcome to Peach Trees
The 3rd dimension
Dredd’s Gear
Dredd
Interviews
Reviewer: George Elcombe