REVIEW: Dredd

I'm going to start this review by saying that I know absolutely nothing about Judge Dredd. I've never read any of the comics and I haven't subjected myself to the 1995 trainwreck starring Sylvester Stallone (yet). All I really know about Judge Dredd is that he is apparently never shown without his helmet. This detail is recreated faithfully in 2012's Dredd; Karl Urban definitely deserves a fair amount of kudos for his performance, considering that the upper half of his face is literally never on screen throughout the duration. Urban's gravely-voiced opening narration informs us that, in an atomic wasteland of a future (because really, is there any other kind of future?), most of the East Coast of the US has been merged into the megalithic metropolis, Mega-City One. Crime has ravaged the streets and the only justice is provided by the Judges, an elite force of super-cops who act as judge, jury, and (if necessary) executioner.

As I mentioned, Dredd was released in September of 2012 under the title Dredd 3D. If you weren't aware that this movie was shot in 3D, you certainly will be by the time it's over; essentially every action sequence contains some display of fantastical violence that I'm certain looked rather spectacular on the big screen in a theater full of excited moviegoers. That said, when one watches it at home, in 2D, the effect is nonexistent at the best of times, slightly obnoxious at the worst. All of the fanciful, slow-motion shots of the carnage come to us care of the futuristic street drug, aptly named Slo-Mo. The general idea is that, when it is inhaled, it tricks the user's brain into believing that the world is moving in slow-motion. As dystopian future super narcotics go, this one is definitely one of the coolest.

The drug is peddled through the criminal underworld by one Madeline "Ma-Ma" Madrigal, portrayed by Lena Headey (a perfect fit for the role of a threatening, underhanded woman in power, I'm sure any Game of Thrones fans would agree). She operates out of Peach Trees, a massive, 200-floor super-tenement; after murdering a group of competing drug dealers in the public atrium, Judge Dredd (Urban) is called in to investigate. With him is a Judge-in-training, the psychic Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby). Once the cops are inside the giant slum tower, the mastermind drug dealer traps them inside and, through the use of a PA system, commands all of the residents to kill the intruders. If that sounds anything like The Raid: Redemption (another action film released in 2012, albeit months before Dredd hit theaters), that's because the first half of the movie is basically a futuristic version of The Raid, just not quite as good.

For all the complaining I've done so far, you might be under the impression that I disliked this film. You'd be wrong; do note how I said "first half". Up until the 45 minute mark, Dredd is somewhat unremarkable for anyone who's seen The Raid. It simply hits all the same beats, right down to the "heroes hide in an occupied apartment" and "villain watches heroes' progress through wall of monitors" scenes. That said, the second half of the film truly makes up for the simply decent first half. The plot begins to blossom into its own unique thing and we're treated to a lot more interesting character moments from both Dredd and Anderson; basically, the second half of this movie is good enough that it makes me sad that the first half wasn't equally as good.

Despite my gripes with the story, this is, for the most part, a very good-looking film. Obvious 3D money shots aside, the cinematography is really great and the look of Dredd's world is truly intriguing to look at. It's a landscape that mirrors our protagonist; we know very little about it outside of what we're told, so it ends up a really mysterious, interesting kind of thing. Like the titular Judge himself, we look at the bleak, grimy interiors and exteriors of Mega-City One and wonder how it ended up like it did. It's an immersive film, drawing the viewer in and keeping them interested. The action is quite engaging, though I feel as though I must protest the use of CGI blood. It just looks horrible; maybe it worked better in 3D, but in 2D it just looks like bright-red Nickelodeon slime. It's jarring when the characters and their surroundings are so dingy while the gore that explodes out of them may as well have been made using assets lifted from Team Fortress 2.

There are some really good performances on display here, despite the main cast not being particularly large. Karl Urban's Judge Dredd is great fun to watch, managing to be both the coolest and cheesiest thing in the movie at the same time. He's a grizzled badass with a permanent scowl on his face and one of cinema's coolest guns on his hip; he carries out his duty without prejudice or exception. Aside from what we see, we know absolutely nothing about him. While Dredd isn't the most emotionally diverse character, Urban manages to convey his thoughts and feelings without the use of his eyes for the entire film. He stands in the middle of the madness around him like a pillar of stone, which really makes you wonder just what happened to this man that turned him into this force of nature. Olivia Thirlby's Anderson compliments him nicely, playing the optimistic, untrained rookie to Urban's jaded veteran. As a psychic, her character provides an interesting spin on the idea of a Judge; they're meant to uphold the law no matter what, remaining resolute and unbent, yet she is able to see into people to their core. Their on-screen chemistry is definitely one of the highlights of this movie. Lena Headey is great as always, though I really do wish I saw more of her. She had the potential to be a legitimately terrifying villain; while she comes close, I feel as though she didn't quite reach her full potential.

For all its flaws, Dredd was a fun time. The first half will be familiar territory to anyone who's seen The Raid: Redemption, but I feel as though the rest of the film more than makes up for it. It's a shame that we won't likely get a sequel, considering how much I enjoyed this and wish to see more of this world. That said, we might as well enjoy what we've got, seeing as how what we've got is quite good.