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Film Review: Dredd (2012)
Sep. 16th, 2012 08:54 pmRather better than I'd feared it might be, and, according to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
darth_hamster, far better than she'd expected.
I normally try to avoid 3D because I find it's usually a gimmicky distraction, but as Dredd seems almost impossible to find other than in 3D we decided to put up with it. I was pleasantly surprised: 3D is actually used well for a change - about the first time I've seen it used decently since Avatar.
Alex Garland and Pete Travis have done a remarkably good job in striking a balance between keeping Dredd grounded enough to feel realistic while still making it clear that this is a futuristic dystopia. We still have the Cursed Earth, psychic mutants and 200-floor arcology Blocks, but clothing, vehicles and weapons (other than the Judges' Lawgiver) are strictly contemporary. Mega-City 1 is depicted as far more open than in the comic strip - more of an endless, scaled-up LA - but that actually adds to the realism; you get the feeling this is a vast, grim conurbation covering several states rather than just a very big city. At times Dredd feels reminiscent in its grittiness of District 9; at other times, an updated version of the balletic gore of 300 (it should be noted that Dredd is an extremely violent movie.)
Karl Urban nails Joe Dredd, impressively acting through his stubbly chin which, quite rightly for the part (we are still staring hard at you, Stallone), is all we see of his face. If his portrayal is rather one-note, that's because Dredd is a one-note character, but that note is played and held perfectly. Olivia Thirlby is good as Anderson, a rookie Judge tougher and more resourceful than she thinks she is, while Lena Headey is as excellent as usual, portraying a crime boss who is exactly as tough and resourceful as she thinks she is.
Dredd seems to have garnered good reviews, getting a remarkable 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Hopefully it will do as well internationally as it seems to have done here, because it's crying out for a sequel.
darth_hamster, far better than she'd expected. I normally try to avoid 3D because I find it's usually a gimmicky distraction, but as Dredd seems almost impossible to find other than in 3D we decided to put up with it. I was pleasantly surprised: 3D is actually used well for a change - about the first time I've seen it used decently since Avatar.
Alex Garland and Pete Travis have done a remarkably good job in striking a balance between keeping Dredd grounded enough to feel realistic while still making it clear that this is a futuristic dystopia. We still have the Cursed Earth, psychic mutants and 200-floor arcology Blocks, but clothing, vehicles and weapons (other than the Judges' Lawgiver) are strictly contemporary. Mega-City 1 is depicted as far more open than in the comic strip - more of an endless, scaled-up LA - but that actually adds to the realism; you get the feeling this is a vast, grim conurbation covering several states rather than just a very big city. At times Dredd feels reminiscent in its grittiness of District 9; at other times, an updated version of the balletic gore of 300 (it should be noted that Dredd is an extremely violent movie.)
Karl Urban nails Joe Dredd, impressively acting through his stubbly chin which, quite rightly for the part (we are still staring hard at you, Stallone), is all we see of his face. If his portrayal is rather one-note, that's because Dredd is a one-note character, but that note is played and held perfectly. Olivia Thirlby is good as Anderson, a rookie Judge tougher and more resourceful than she thinks she is, while Lena Headey is as excellent as usual, portraying a crime boss who is exactly as tough and resourceful as she thinks she is.
Dredd seems to have garnered good reviews, getting a remarkable 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Hopefully it will do as well internationally as it seems to have done here, because it's crying out for a sequel.
