| Dredd (2012) | |
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Rating: 7.1/10 (294,369 votes) Director: Pete Travis Writer: John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra, Alex Garland Stars: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey Runtime: 95 min Rated: R Genre: Action, Crime, Sci-Fi Released: 21 Sep 2012 |
| Plot: In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO. | |
Back in 1995, an attempt was made to bring the iconic character from 2000AD, Judge Dredd, to the big screen. Casting a big name, and packing a decent budget, the film tried desperately to convey the eccentricities and bizarre nature of Mega-City One and the Cursed Earth in the running time. However, despite the best intentions of the production team, the end result was a bit of a mess. Stallone, being a big name, couldn’t be confined to wear a helmet for the whole film, and so despite never seeing Dredd’s face in comic form in the decades since his inception, we had him remove helmet early on. Too many storylines were jammed in, and the film was given comic-relief in the guise of the unfunny (but not yet as annoying as he is now) Rob Schneider. The film was a bit of a flop, both critically and financially. So, the rumoured sequels never happened.
For quite some time now a reboot has been on the cards, but the concern was how to keep it low budget to not be a risk, and yet still please the fans of the comic, and also create a strong starter film for those who don’t know the character. Well, with Dredd (3D or not), they have succeeded.
Set in a violent and dark future, where the world is decimated aside from a few scattered mega-cities, law enforcement is made by The Judges. Granted full authority of judge, jury and executioner, they maintain control in a world where huge city-blocks house 200 floors of potential criminals. The most feared of the judges is Dredd (Karl Urban), and he is tasked with taking down the criminal empire of Ma-Ma (Lena Hedey), taking a cadet with psionic abilities, Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) along with him. Ma-Ma locks down the 200 story city block she controls, trapping Dredd and Anderson inside, who must fight their way through her empire and end her reign.
Visually Mega-City isn’t as similar to the comic as the version depicted in the previous film, but here it works to ground the story in reality. Much like Nolan did with his design for Gotham, here we have a dark future that looks believable. The huge mega-block which Ma-Ma controls is a veritable fortress from top to bottom, and other similar buildings are scattered in amongst the remains of the old city. The inhabitants, however, are as freakish as you would expect.
The script by Garland is simple in design, but allows for the characters of Dredd and Anderson to really be explored. Nods to character histories from the comic are present, but do not alienate any newcomers to the world of the Judges. We are introduced quite quickly to Dredd, and know he is a tough Judge. Anderson is new to the Justice Department, so she is our connection point to enter this world. As the film pans out it is easy to connect with the pair as they are faced with challenge after challenge. This is all the more impressive given that we never see more than the lower face of Dredd. Urban acts his socks off, which when you can’t use the eyes to convey emotion or intent, this is quite a feat. Again, this is where Anderson is our connection, given that she does not wear a helmet as it would block her abilities. It is her eyes, and her emotions that link us in.
The film is beautifully styled. When the drug, slo-mo, is used, the camera slows down, and the colours intensify, emulating the effects of the substance, and allowing some beautiful moments among the violence. The rest of the film is intensely shot, making the most of similar looking corridors, and balcony landing fights.
It could be easy to criticize the story for being a rip off of The Raid: Redemption, which saw release earlier this year. However, this would be unfair, and incorrect to do so, given that Dredd had finished filming by March 2011, which was when The Raid began filming. If there are similarities, then they are either co-incidental, or The Raid stole the idea from Dredd.
The film is, essentially, video-game in nature. The characters fight through level after level of bad guy, dodging traps, before confronting the boss fights at the end. But the basic plot is not important. This was all about setting the scene, introducing the world, and letting us know who Dredd is. That is where the film more than succeeds, and it leaves you wanting to see where they can go in a further film.
Dredd is a thrill ride for general film-goers who like their action, and at just over 90 minutes doesn’t outstay its welcome. For fans of the 2000AD legend, it is just what they have wanted – and the many varied nods and references to the comic that are scattered around the film will ensure many repeated viewings to find all the Easter eggs. In this day and age of 12A/PG13 rated action, it is pleasing that some comic book films are not aiming towards a young audience. When they can deliver like this on a relatively small budget, then that is just a bonus. Dredd is one of the best comic adaptations of recent years.
