Movie Review: ‘Dredd’

September 27, 2012 at 8:06 am | Posted in Movies, Reviews | Leave a comment
Tags: dredd, karl urban

Dredd is nearing it’s second weekend in the box offices and with such a poor opening weekend, people may be wondering whether it’s worth seeing or not. The short answer is: maybe.

For comparison, Dredd is very different from the old Sylvester Stallone Judge Dredd. Dredd stars Karl Urban who many may recognize from his role as Bones in the Star Trek reboot. While the role of Judge Dredd doesn’t offer much in the way of acting, Karl Urban plays the stoic badass very well. The world Dredd inhabits is also surprisingly similar to real life, which is a stark contrast from the Stallone film. The old film was much more futuristic and even a bit cartoony. In this one, it definitely has a Batman Begins vibe. There aren’t any colorful villains. The future also looks a lot like our own society with just a touch here and there of something a little more advanced. When compared to Batman Begins, Dredd doesn’t quite reach same level, but it’s close.

One drawback is the main villain. She was pretty weak. There just wasn’t much to make her memorable. We did see a lot more of her goons, but none of them were any better. And as mentioned above, the world portrayed in the movie was a little light on the futuristic feel. There wasn’t a whole lot of cool things to drool over. Plus the majority of the movie was indoors which limited the scenery. Quite a lot was done to emphasize a drug called slo-mo which alters a person’s perception in a way that time seems to slow down. Some of those scenes were kind of neat, but others lasted just a little too long. Regardless, it did give the film a bit of a Blade Runner feel.

With all of that said, if you had any inclination to go see the movie…do it. Honestly, this really is a movie worth seeing at least once. And if you’re only going to see it once, you might as well get the most out of it and see it in the theater. While there might not be a whole lot of flair to the film, it is well done. Most of the attention is focused on Dredd and a rookie cop he takes out into the field to see if she can cut it. The rookie is played by Olivia Thirlby and she does an excellent job. Unlike Dredd, her character has more room for acting, and the psychic role she plays adds a nice dimension to the story. Together, her and Dredd square off against a small army, and the film really does make you care about whether they’ll survive or not.

Sadly I don’t think we’ll get a sequel, not unless by some miracle it has an awesome second weekend. But hey, now is the perfect time to scope it out at matinee price. With the small crowds, you can practically get a theater all to yourself. You certainly don’t have to be a fan of the comics to enjoy it. I’ve actually never read a Judge Dredd comic. So if you’re on the fence, I recommend you take the leap. A four out of five bikinis ain’t bad.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.