Review #646: Dredd.
Cast
Karl Urban (Judge Dredd), Olivia Thirlby (Judge Anderson), Lena Headey (Ma-Ma), Wood Harris (Kay), and Domhnall Gleeson (Expert) Directed by Pete Travis.
Review
The original Judge Dredd (#332) film was awful. All the film tries to do is really distance itself from that movie and make its own identity, and it succeeds. The film has a variety of characters, though most either get only a few lines or are just there for a few moments, but the main four (with one supporting character) are the focus, and they all do a wonderful job. Karl Urban has the task of conveying a character and their emotion (or lack of, but still) with half of his face covered by a helmet, which is thankfully never taken off. And he succeeds. Urban is so awesome to watch, he looks just like a menacing judge figure. Thirlby is a pretty good lead as well, she manages to pair up well with Urban, and even her scenes with Harris are chillingly good. Headey plays a pretty decent villain, her voice is effective enough to play such a hardened character, the whole cast is wired and fun to watch. The movie plays out almost like a horror film, especially with the violence, but given that this is a movie about judges that protect against hardened criminals, the violence makes sense. The effects are beautiful at times to watch, especially the Slo-Mo parts, which make the film go slower but better looking. Overall, this is a brutal but pretty awesome movie that manages to be a good action film. And I imagine it's also a good adaptation of the comic strip as well, so go figure.
Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.
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