The world of a future is a vast irradiated desert with only the Mega Cities offering any respite from the chaos and death. Within the confines of the Mega Cities, crime is on the rise. To expedite the process of controlling the ever growing number of gangs and other criminals, the Hall of Justice has granted total freedom to deliver judgement to a select few, the Judges.
Judge Dredd is one of the longest running comic strips from the UK. Brutal and intense, the series by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra was also a time capsule of the future as envisioned at the time, streets over-run with desperate and needy individuals who were left behind by Margaret Thatcher and Ron Regan's trickle-down politics that protected the rich and deserted the rest. The series reigned supreme on the racks from 1977 onward and remains poignant today. Whereas other hyper comics such as the Punisher focused on the anti-hero, Dredd was unique in that he was an instrument of order in an insane world.
Written by Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine), the script is faithful to the source material down to the dialog and the feel of the comic book. This is something that the previous Judge Dredd film failed at, but I can't imagine that Danny Cannon was concerned with such things in his 1995 movie which was more campy than this one.
Ask the average person who Judge Dredd is and they might scream out a Stallone-like drawl, 'I am the Law!' as the comic strip received very limited distribution in the US. Karl Urban thankfully redeems the character. His performance is a major component to the film's success and cult status. The 3D visuals garnered some attention, but I think the movie was marred by the Stallone film's overshadowing reputation as so many moviegoers expected a sequel to that film with plenty of oddball humor. After the twentieth super-violent death, I wonder if the truth sunk in that this had nothing to do with that popcorn flick.
As a fan of the comic, I was very impressed with the devotion to the source material and the subtle in-jokes such as creator's names being seen on street signs. I was puzzled buy the inclusion of the signature track from 'Snuff Box,' and wonder if I was the only person who noticed that.
Dredd is now streaming on Netflix, so if you are a subscriber and are looking for something new, I highly recommend it. This is an over the top gory gun-fest with some excellent performances and a script that doesn't stretch the concept to fit a studio demand or insert a quirky new idea. In short, this is the Dredd film fans have been waiting for.
Olivia Thirlby as Judge Cassandra Anderson: and Karl Urban as Judge Dredd
Karl Urban as Judge Dredd
Lena Headey as Ma-Ma
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Available from Amazon... and if you are a regular reader at least one of these should be on your shelf.
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Judge Dredd: Case Files 01
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 2
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 03
Judge Dredd: Complete Case Files 04
Print and trim to make your own Dredd Cubee
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