Dredd Review

*Theatrical Poster for the motion picture Dredd*

Dredd is a great movie in that it succeeds by doing what most other movies strive to avoid. It is a blatant homage to it's cheesy sci-fi counter parts, and at the same time it is littered with inspirational moments of special effects and mind altering occurrence. To compare Dredd to any of his contemporaries or even the previous Stallone fueled Judge Dredd, even the comic series it's based upon, would be too much a task to take on; it's a beast unto itself and the world it creates for the viewer.

*Warning! There may be spoilers ahead*

Again, Dredd is a rare bird in that it feels like a low budget science fiction movie of the week, however, it plays out like a blockbuster film, while simultaneously existing in that cult world we film buffs all know and love. It's like that movie you remember watching growing up that no one liked yet you thought it was amazing. One of those films that's not perfect, but also done with enough care and heart to warrant countless viewings. Dredd is the sort of fluff that makes fluff okay at times, the sort of mindless violence and dystopian future that isn't as much a turn off as it is an untamed curiosity. You want to see his story through, you want to see more of this world, and you want there to be more films of it's kind; regardless of whatever set backs compromising story and sophistication can cause in favor of style and hyper-violence. Usually I'm not one to side with the latter two movie elements winning the priority battle in cinema; It's all been said before, I know, but I prefer both style and substance. Thankfully Dredd comes as close to having both of these as one can ask for, even with the aforementioned compromises it makes to provide more than enough onscreen bloody violence for it's target audience.

The Cursed Earth is all that's left of the world and a city within it's existence known as Mega-City One remains a tainted and corrupt wasteland of low lives and criminals. The only remaining authority figures to bring forth justice to those who continue to further corrupt society are known as 'Judges' from the hall of Justice, and Judge Dredd along with the Peach Tree Tower Block are the focus of this film. Dredd is given a new mission, to take a rookie psychic(which in the film are known as a 'mutants'), under his tutelage in hopes that she could become a future judge. In deciding their first mission together, Dredd allows this rookie played by Olivia Thirlby to decide which distress call they respond to. Her decision throws them right into the lion's den of the Peach Tree Tower Block, in which Mama, the head gang member of said tower, places the whole Peach Tree establishment under lock down until the two judges are disposed off. While all this is going on, the circulation of Slo-mo, a super addictive inhalant, has hit the streets as the go to fix for scumbags everywhere, and the coincidental existence of Slo-Mo coupled with the lock down by Mama hints at a much bigger story to be told by Peach Tree.

This is about as much story as is needed for the film to progress, as it's whole duration plays out within this one building, almost like an episode from a TV show more so than a full movie. There are several scenes that will stick with you long after the film has ended, mainly one involving giving two victims a dose of Slo-mo before they are tossed off a ledge so they have ample terror time before death. It's a hauntingly effective moment in the film that emphasizes the evil in our antagonists. The world Dredd lives in leaves his character hardened, cynical, and dismissive of optimism; primarily a shell of an enforcer whose soul purpose is to get the job done. While no development or lesson is learned for his character, or Thirlby's, who is much more naive and inexperienced, it's not as disappointing an outcome considering the movie's lure is more heavily directed towards it's world than any believable character development.

While some of the casting leaves a lot to be desired, having bigger names probably would've hurt what the films vision was. Even with the lacking stars though, some characters don't really pass as believable villains, yet, in a place where little good remains, one could argue that 'bad' doesn't need to equal believable to actually pass for bad. However, in a movie, I feel it helps significantly to have a villain that looks the part of a villain. Mama is more a sad story; a woman wronged too many times, than she is someone who could believably mastermind control over a whole tower. Other character's are made almost too easy to sympathize with, and any attempts the film makes to humanize both the good and the bad are short lived, and feel almost thrown in as an after thought to balance out the darker tones overwhelming the film. But again, this movie is perhaps best experienced when it's not thought about so much, seeing as this is clearly not the film's intent more so than the style and the action (one of the few examples I can think of where this actually makes the movie good, more so than bad).

In the end, Dredd is a hard boiled cyber punk action film that knows what to ask of it's audience. It doesn't demand your thoughts as much as it demands you understand it's dark world, and chances are if your into action thrillers or futuristic dystopian lore, you've probably already made your decision about Dredd a long time ago, if not, then all I can say is to take the time to watch this movie. It's an odd hybrid, but it's all the better for being so.

Check out the Trailer for Dredd Below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PifvRiHVSCY

Review Score Card:
Storyline:            Simple premise in a fleshed out world, style over substance.
Characters:         Again, simple, but likable, even if little in the way of depth for any of them.
Pacing:               Indifferent, neither too fast or too slow, the movie is about a singular event,
                           so it never really over stays its welcome.
Interest Level:    Science fiction fluff for those who prefer their sci-fi on the less brainy side;
                           a well done action movie for anyone looking for some poundings.

Overall:              8 out of 10 - Dredd is a great film, it could've been better in many ways
                          but for what it does accomplish, and given the rise of B movies lately
                          it's timing couldn't be more perfect. If corny suits your movie tastes
                          then consider Dredd to be your go-to film, bridging the gap between 
                          cheesy sci-fi cult film and grade A action gut-buster.