Will this make you forget the Stallone classic?
The Story:
In the future, what's left of America is protected by The Judges: Judge/Jury and Executioner, all rolled into one. The best of the best? Judge Dredd (Karl Urban), hands down. He's so good, he's given the task of training a rookie (Olivia Thirlby) who didn't pass the aptitude test, but is a psychic, a skill that could be used to help the Judges turn the stemming tide of violence, drugs and rampant. The problem is, most rookies don't survive their first day, and when these two judges stumble into a high-rise that happens to house one of the worst crime-lords in the area, even Dredd himself may not make it out alive.
Hats off, figuratively, to Karl Urban for tackling Dredd. First, the guy wears his helmet through the whole film. I don't think we ever actually saw his face without the helmet. In the age of comic book movies where the hero has to lose the mask for over half the movie so we can see who they are... Urban bucks the trend and just growls under the helmet the entire film.
For the film though, it works, and works perfectly.
Dredd growls and snarls throughout, and every once in awhile throws out a verbal zinger that just sounds awesome coming from the gruff lawman.
The action is violent, and over-the-top. In other words: Awesome!
The futuristic look of the movie and sets is also very well done.
I have no background at all with the comic, so I cannot judge on whether the adaptation is faithful or not.
I would have to say that compared to the adaptation that Stallone did, which admittedly I have not seen since 1995 or 1996. If I remember correctly, it was campy fun, but nothing like this.
Sadly, it appears that Dredd underwhelmed at the box office. That's a shame, because this is a good reboot for the series, and I would happily sign on to the see the further adventures of this Dredd.
Final Grade: B+
Would I add it to my "I Own This Movie" catalog: Yes!
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