Dredd ~ I wasn't sure I was going to get to see this flick. It painfully underperformed at the box office, and I wasn't sure it would last more than a week. Considering that most people only know the Judge Dredd character from that terrible Sylvester Stallone movie from 1995, it doesn't seem that off of a chance that folks would give this new one a pass. Thankfully however,
Dredd has little to do with the Sly film except for the source material. I'm not a big Judge Dredd fan myself, but I have read a handful of the Judge's tales and know that very little of that movie was accurate.
I was excited about this new version after hearing interviews with its title star Karl Urban (known for his brilliant Bones in the latest
Star Trek), director Peter Travis, and writer/producer Alex Garland. It seemed as though they both knew and loved the character, and were going to do Dredd right. The Judge was in the hands of true fans. I couldn't wait, as far as I'm concerned, characters handled by those who love them are usually done well.
Two weeks out from release I was surprised to find the flick still playing and checked it out. The surprises kept coming. This was not a great film, but it was a damned good Judge Dredd film. I thought about it. I got everything I could possibly want in a Judge Dredd movie. I had no complaints. Besides that, the casting was terrific, the 3D was amongst the best I've seen, and the soundtrack by Paul Leonard-Morgan was purchased from iTunes when I got home. What more can I say?
Dredd is not a perfect movie, but I do think it's the perfect Judge Dredd movie. Urban was on target, we got a story that fit both the standard action thriller genre (R-rated, mind you) and the future dystopian fantasy of Dredd's world. Unlike most superhero movies, it was story-centric, not origin-centric, that's a big plus for me. See it if you're a fan, catch it in 3D if you can. Well worth seeing.
Okay, you've convinced me. I'll go see the movie:)
ReplyDeleteSadly, this film reminded me of the John Carter flick that was released back in the spring. However, I think this project's take was actually so close to the source material, it lacked someone outside the "box" creative team to give this film more modern day (marketing) pizazz. What were they thinking?
ReplyDeleteBack in the 90's when Judge Dredd was cool and gritty, this film would have rocked. But as for today, I'm not so sure. Most of the Sci-Fi action films that are made have borrowed heavily from the Mega City mythos I remeber.
Personally, I can't wait for the Dredd DVD release. Which, fortunately, should be well before Christmas if the film's present box office take is any indication of its likely end of its theatrical run.
I wonder how the film fared in the UK?