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This movie works very well as a straight action movie. Dredd is a tough badass, and totally redeems the awful Stallone performance. He is paired with the rookie Cassandra Anderson, and in many ways Anderson is the true star of the movie, as she is given some actual character development whilst Dredd is just a faceless tough guy (just as in the comics). The Slo-Mo sequences are arguably the movie's most memorable scenes (and probably the only thing this movie will be remembered for 5 years from now). I'd never thought a movie could make gore look beautiful. We see a person's face explode in a bloody mess in slow motion with vivid colors, and it's glorious. My disappointment with this film is that it's a very formulaic action movie that you've probably seen plenty of times: two cops are trapped in a building full of bad guys and they have to shoot and shoot and shoot until there are no more bad guys, at which point the movie quickly ends. If you've seen Die Hard and Under Siege, you've seen Dredd. It's rather humorless and has very little satire, whereas the comic book beats you over the head with its satire and wants to make you laugh. You don't see much of Dredd behaving in a way that is distinctly Dredd. You could replace Dredd with almost any other action movie hero and the film would more or less work. Thank God we at least have Psi Judge Anderson, whose telepathy provides the only significant sci-fi weirdness in the movie. The visual aesthetic might also displease fans. Whereas Mega-City 1 in the comics is a fantastic sci-fi landscape of bizarre architecture, weird fashions, robot servants, suicide booths, and cybernetics enthusiasts, the MC1 of this movie looks too much like the present day. The skyline of MC1 is striking-regularly spaced tower blocks rising out of a sea of smaller buildings-but go down to street level and it's Johannesburg with no futuristic elements. Alex Garland has given us a good action movie, but it's still not the definitive Dredd movie fans have been waiting for. 3/5 Baron Bifford fucked around with this message at 05:40 on Jul 31, 2013 |
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Dec 6, 2012 17:37
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Entirely boring movie, did no justice to an already bad movie, so we haven't gain or lost anything-except our $10. If you've seen The Raid, then you've effectively seen this movie, skip it. 1/5
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Dec 14, 2012 18:37
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I was genuinely impressed. This movie did Dredd justice. It's not innovative per se, but is a rock solid mostly flawless rendition of the Dredd character and his world. The movie is very focused in its scope and scale - it also comes across plausible. The visuals were great when I saw it in 3D as well, and are there for storytelling reasons to boot - the idea being that the film's drug lets the people in the horrible mega city find moments of beauty in the midst of ugliness. Dredd comes off like a fireman, in a way - just doing his very dangerous and taxing job and doing it well - about how he should be as per how he is in the comic. It is a shame this movie didn't do well in theaters. It deserves recognition and praise for being a rock solid action film and for finally doing Dredd justice on the big screen. 4.5/5
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Dec 19, 2012 10:46
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I don't know the Dredd comics, nor do I remember the Stallone film, but I enjoyed the hell out of this movie. Dredd comes off like a total badass thanks to Karl Urban. Everything from his walk to the slow shots of him delivering "justice", is awesome. He is tough but not invulnerable. He is pragmatic. Within the context of the movie world's wacky justice system, he's actually quite fair. His growl is nicer on the ears than Christian Bale's and actually makes me think a Karl Urban batman would be just fine. Having Lena Headey play the antagonist is a real treat as well. Dredd avoids the action film clichés I hate most, and I suppose this is why I like it so drat much. It's gritty, bad guys are dispatched quickly, there's no clumsy romantic sideplots, when the protagonists get shot they actually go down, and my favorite: no absurdly drawn-out boss battle. Also, 2/3 main characters are women and they aren't rescued at any point, there's only one nude scene and it's very brief, and Dredd's lady sidekick wears the same uniform as he does. Goddamn I never thought a Judge Dredd movie, with "3D" in the title no less, would break ground on this front. Well done. 4/5 hillaryous clinton fucked around with this message at 05:36 on Jan 2, 2013 |
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Jan 2, 2013 05:27
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I really expected this movie to suck. As it turns out its not half bad. A solid action movie but don't expect it to be more than that. Lots of violence and a high body count, as someone else said the females are strong characters and not really sexualized. Karl Urban does some pretty awesome mouth-acting as Dredd. Also the drug effect is pretty cool. That shot of the water droplets flying through the air - I was like yeah, I'd do that drug. 3.5/5 sleeptides fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Jan 2, 2013 |
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Jan 2, 2013 20:07
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I liked the part where he shot those guys. I didn't like the obvious nerd bait "helmets disrupt my psychic powers" ( ) rookie. She was terrible. She's not nearly as terrible an actor as Karl Urban though and I'm really glad I didn't have to see his face. Also it didn't really have a plot, just a bunch of action scenes and whatever comic book nerds thinks passes as social commentary.At the end the bomb stopped receiving the signal from the dead man's switch, and through his reckless pursuit of justice, Dredd destroys society. Oh sorry, I meant that nerd bait passed her exam and they both learned an important lesson that day. She learned how to be a STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER, and he learned that compassion can be cute in girls. Though I liked the part where he shot those guys. 2/5
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Jan 4, 2013 08:24
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Picking up Dredd 3D on Blu-ray today, after seeing it in theaters I knew I needed to get this on release day. I was expecting to enjoy this movie, but the movie surpassed all of my expectations. Even with a fraction of the budget and talent of The Dark Knight Rises, Dredd ended up being the more enjoyable action movie of 2012. It's refreshingly simplistic with great cinematography, and doesn't get mired in ridiculous back-stories or complex plots. 5/5
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Jan 8, 2013 17:11
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This entire film plays out like a pilot for a new TV series coming soon to HBO, or Cinemax, or Showtime. I feel upset that it isn't. I would have loved that series. I can't really say more than what's been said. This is a simple film that delivers on violence in some fantastic ways, turning blood and gore into something to behold thanks to slow motion (and not like in 300, here they have a valid excuse). Watch it if you're a fan of violence. Watch it if you're a fan of rear end in a top hat cop/rookie partner films. Watch it if you love the comic. Watch it if you've seen Sly's film and need to be reminded of what Dredds really about. Just watch it! 5/5 for what it is.
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Jan 9, 2013 03:17
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I walked into this with very low expectations, and was very happy with what I witnessed. I was a huge fan of the Dredd comics and read them throughout the 80's. This film takes what was so good about the comics (gritty, dark, sexy, some humor) and places it into a film that is not only beautiful to watch, but actually delivers. Is it the most deep film of the year? No. It isn't suppose to be anything else beyond a futuristic cop movie. I think there were a few instances where they could have explained the "Judge Dredd" world a bit more, but it gets its point across and does it with style. Really enjoyed it. 5/5
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Jan 13, 2013 04:34
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Holy crap this movie was bad. Earlier this year, I witnessed the train wreck that was the Total Recall remake (gently caress you Kate Beckinsale, just die already like your supposed to. . .) and so I went into this movie with extremely low expectations. Despite setting the bar extremely low, this movie was still shocking. I will try not to spoil too much but the plot is just two judges enter a building controlled by a drug lord and have to fight their way through hordes of generic bad guys to kill their leader. Honestly, in this age, how the hell did they think such an overly simple plot was going to work??? The dialogue only makes this movie worse, every single time they opened their mouth something stupid came out. In addition to horrible dialogue, Karl Urban constantly uses the "I am  sorry I simply cant take a bad guy (er, bad girl) named Ma Ma seriously. Mega City looked like modern day LA. . . All the vehicles in Mega City looked like they were taken straight from LA during the 90s and that is not a look you want for a movie set 100 years in the future. Ma Ma produces a fictional drug name "slow-mo" - guess which extremely new revolutionary special effect is used over, and over, and over again throughout this movie. Look at this guy smoke  in super slow motion! Look at this bitch splash water in super slow motion! Look at tiny pieces of glass falling in super slow motion! Wow! Are you loving serious? And the big finish at the end of the movie (in revolutionary new super slow motion of course) was the most fake looking poo poo I've ever seen. As for the cast, Karl Urban is a pretty lovely actor, maybe not really terrible, I at least thought he was acceptable in Star Trek. That stupid bitch from Juno just proves again that she cant loving act and is destined to always take only the worst movie roles.1/5 (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Jan 14, 2013 21:00
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i too hate women and movies based on short story format comics. 1/5
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Jan 15, 2013 12:01
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Pros: -Impressive visuals -Action/Gunplay was believable -A female villian that wasn't hyper-sexualized -A female sidekick that was actually tough, but not comically so -The story kept things simple, and stuck to it -Henchman back-story, maybe a first? -No contrived/forced romance angle like every other male/female cop movie -Main protagonists are actually vunerable Cons: -Lacking a bit of the satire from the comic -Little to no background on Judges for non-fans -Instance or two of rookie not using her abilities, to heighten tension -2012 Fashions appear to have serious staying power Overall I really enjoyed it. Urban was pretty good in the role, didn't make me cringe due to lines or delivery, and gave the character the right mix of "Grizzled Super-Vetran" ("I am the Law") and "Flawed Human" ("That's not good!"). Judge Anderson (the rookie) had to do all the Character Development as Dredd is, well... Dredd, and wasn't written in a way like most rookies (useless at the beginning, Rambo at the end). I think it was refreshing that the story took such a simple plot element (a Drug bust) and stuck with it until the end. There was no super conspiracy, and no crazy future-tech-sorcery. It was actually pretty cool that the ending stuck to this simple formula, and the climax didn't rely on any twists or overly complicated plans to resolve the situation. Another refreshing simplicity was the gunplay in the film. The heroes don't come out on top because they have some unbelievable gun-fu, or use their bullets in ridiculous ways (shooting handy gas lines, or chandeliers) but employ realistic and believable tactics. The fact that they are mindful of their ammunition situation was another refreshing thing to see in an action movie. Finally, the main characters actually did things to make their situation better, or even the odds, avoiding enemies, using common distraction/incapacitation devices, and setting up situations where they could take out multiple targets while limiting risk to themselves ("incendiary"). Another surprising thing about Dredd was the social commentary being kept under control. A lot of near-future/dystopian society flicks constantly rub your nose in it. Dredd more or less hinted at it (drones watching civilians, Individuals embodying the entire legal system, only responding to 6% of reported crimes, Resyc crews), giving me a good idea what life is like in Mega City 1. If you're looking for a deep, thoughtful action flick, keep looking. If you want a tight, well made action flick that doesn't try to be anything other than an action flick, this is right up your alley. 4/5
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Jan 17, 2013 15:31
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All I can really say is that this film was awesome and totally deserves at least a DVD purchase, prefably blu-ray 3D. 5/5
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Jan 20, 2013 21:40
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Having been a fan of Dredd since I was kid, I was very disappointed by the Stallone film, which bore almost no relation to the Dredd of the comics at all. This, however, sets the world to rights again. An excellent action movie in its own right, it captures the character of Dredd excellently. It's grim, brutal, dirty and violent from start to finish, with an undercurrent of black humour. Anderson is great as the rookie coming to terms with the reality of being a Judge in Megacity 1. It may not appeal so much to those who aren't familiar with Dredd's world, but fans will love it. (Also, watch out for all the subtle references to other 2000AD strips in the background : Sternhammer, Chopper, Owen Krysler and others). 5/5
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Jan 26, 2013 20:40
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Great film, but I bet if you didn't see it in 3D you were less impressed. This is the perfect 3D showcase, I saw it at home with a sound system that's better than anything you find in a cinema and the result was memorable and brilliant. Dredd is the ultimate badass, a real man just shaped by his experience into a killing machine. The original comic apparently had a lot of the 'hate women' stuff, but the movie was light on it. Dredd actually helps his female sidekick more than once and at the end helps her out again. Think modern Robocop. You have to see it in 3D though, or you might be one of those unfortunate people crying about slow-motion footage when the rest of us are oohing and ahhing behind our active-shutter glasses. 4/5
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Jun 27, 2013 14:09
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A really well made and enjoyable action movie. Some of the set pieces are spectacular and everything is beautifully shot, which only adds to the impact. The cinematography is first class and it feels like care was taken with every frame to craft something perfect. The plot is simple and won't tax your brain but sometimes that's exactly what you want. For an action movie there's not many others I could place above it and for that reason it gets a 5/5
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Jun 29, 2013 23:06
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Since Robocop I've been yearning for a blood-splattered, gritty cop film set in a dystopian future where the lead role is portrayed by a chin! At last, I have found that movie 5/5, motherfuckers!
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Aug 16, 2013 01:53
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Just like the drug Slo-Mo, Dredd follows a leisurely pace without actually feeling slow. This allows the viewer to keep up with the plot and witness every gory detail. Too often, action movies are written as one continuous stream of explosions, gunfights, and narrow escapes. Not so with Dredd - every action the main characters take feels deliberate and decently well-thought-out. Restrained even. The relationship between Dredd and Anderson is satisfying and well-developed considering the limited dialogue, and there is thematic depth if you're into that. See this movie if you are a fan of good action movies - it's one of the best, in my opinion. 5/5 S w a y z e fucked around with this message at 09:55 on Sep 19, 2013 |
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Sep 19, 2013 09:05
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Saw this in 3D and thought it was brilliant. The visuals of 'Slo-Mo' in 3D are awesome, particularly from the perspective of someone falling from atop a giant skyscraper. I think they've done a great job of creating a realistic Mega-city One, as if they brought Mega-city out of the comics and transposed it against the real world; the end result being a city which looks both familiar and futuristic at the same time. The plot moves linearly and there aren't many twists or turns involved (not that those are necessary to make it a 'smart' movie). As the title makes clear, this is about Dredd, and Dredd is largely about beating, shooting and arresting the poo poo out of criminals high and low. It's not as simple as that sounds though as care and screen time have been given to layer the 'perps' within their environment, and Mega-city One really feels like the main adversary to me in the film, not the baddies. Anyway, great effects, well-paced plot, and believable characters. Worth getting in 3D just for the Slo-Mo scenes. 5/5
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Dec 15, 2013 00:44
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I wish I had seen this on the theatres instead of ignoring it. I didn't consider that Karl Urban could have been a good Dredd, but I ended up liking this cinematic universe better than the comics somehow, despite (or maybe) because of it being significantly more low-key. I wish we had a sequel but, alas, we won't. This is one of my favorite "I need to pass an awkward amount of time" movies to watch. I can turn any point of it and not be bored, even if I already know what's coming. Haven't seen in 3D and although everyone sing praises for its use of 3D I didn't feel the need to in order to enjoy it. 4.5/5.
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Oct 31, 2019 11:53
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