No Stallone + No spandex = Pretty damn fun!

Decided to hit the theater the other nite to see Dredd before it was gone. I went in with an idea it would blow and came out a bit surprised. Now this is mot a great movie, there are some flaws. it is however, a fun movie. It ranks up there with Starship Troopers, anything Riddick related and most Jason Statham movies. It  will be a guilty pleasure for me in the times ahead.

If you have no idea who Judge Dredd is, well don't be ashamed, most don't. It is easiest to think of him as a future and grimmer Dirty Harry. He is a mobile courtroom,as are all the Judges, and dispenses verdicts with a scowl and gun.

This is set post-apoc Earth, when the world is toast and only mega cities remain. There are billions of people living in towers, called blocks that rise 200 plus floors. These cities sprawl both horizontal and vertical. There  are tons of problems, violence, mutants, drugs, crime, poverty, and a legal system that is harsh  and great to watch at work!

The movie plot is fairly simple; a gang of thugs is pushing a fancy new drug, there is a trio of deaths in a city block, Judge Dredd and the rookie (and psychic) Andeson take the call, then all hell breaks loose! The gang shuts the building, or block, down and they come after the Judges in force.

MY GOD!! How and why was this made?!?!

The Good............

• They keep it simple very few sets were used, which would seem boring to some, but not me. I loved the look of the block. It was dreary and claustrophobic.
• The violence is top notch! There is a lot of guns, bullets and bodies. A fantastic body count in this film!
• Gritty and dirty is a great description of a lot of the film and it worked. There wasn't very much that was shiny and pretty, which there shouldn't be in a dystopian future.
• Karl Urban channelled a great Clint Eastwood for Dredd. Which is how I always want him to sound like. 
• NO CODPIECE!
• The helmet stayed on throughout! 
• the famous line delivered once and with some substance behind it.
• The movie felt like a great RPG adventure or a stellar video game
• It was rated R and thank the gods for that!
• A very rhythmic and awesome soundtrack

The Bad.....

• It was only being shown in 3D. 
• The SloMo drug and its bullet-time effect.
• The real special effects weren't great.
• The Lawmaster motorcycles looked too weird.
• Nobody else is or has seen this film.
• Just one sequence too many for Anderson and her psy powers, just one. 

If you are a Judge Dredd fan maybe you were disappointed. Myself I was surprised and that is what I like taking from a movie. Can I recommend it to others? Well if you like any of the earlier films listed or others such movies as: Slither, Tremors, Krull or Flash Gordon, then you can watch and enjoy something (if not all) of Dredd. If any of the listed movies have made you wince then Dredd is not for you and that makes you a wanker!