Dredd 3D

 

As comic book heroes go, Judge Dredd is not exactly a witty conversationalist, like Iron Man or Spider-Man.  He's the kind of guy whose main method when it comes to dealing with villains is to kick a door open, and shoot everyone in the room.  Hey, you can't argue that the guy doesn't get results.  We're not really supposed to know anything about him, as he hides behind his helmet (that only shows his chin) and heavy armored suit at all times.  In fact, at times, he kind of looks like a walking chin with a gun.  Since he's not exactly the most personality-filled hero, it's hard to adapt him into an interesting movie.  Fortunately, Dredd 3D solves this issue by putting him in the middle of a frantic action-filled plot where he doesn't have time to do anything EXCEPT shoot first and ask questions later.

This is not the first time Judge Dredd has found his way to the silver screen.  You may remember that back in the summer of 1995, there was a big budget misfire starring Sylvester Stallone that quickly came and left theaters.  And if you don't remember it, don't go out of your way to remind yourself.  Dredd 3D is a much leaner and well-executed affair.  It doesn't bother with bloated special effects or massive set pieces.  It simply places its square-jawed, gravel-voiced hero in the middle of a situation where he has to fight for his life all the way up to the end credits.  Karl Urban is the man behind the helmet this time around, and while his performance as Dredd seems to be more than a little bit inspired by Christian Bale's interpretation of Batman (complete with the silly, overly forced growl of a voice), he gets the job done as he protects the post-apocalyptic Mega City One as a one-man army/judge, jury, and executioner.

Dredd has been given a sidekick on his latest adventure, and fortunately, the filmmakers did not get a hold of Rob Schneider, as in the '95 film.  This time, his sidekick is a rookie Judge named Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), who holds unique psychic powers due to the fact that she is a "mutant" from the war that has turned most of Dredd's Earth into a scorched wasteland.  Anderson is easily the most human character in the movie, despite her powers.  She has a sympathetic backstory (she lost her parents long ago), and shows more emotion (even to some criminals) than her battle-hardened mentor.  She's a great addition to the film, as she gives the movie some occasional moments of heart and soul to go along with the non-stop graphic carnage.  Thirlby also manages to deliver the best performance in the film.  Should Dredd warrant a sequel, I hope to see her return, and get a chance to flesh out her character a bit more.

Onto the plot - Dredd and Anderson are called into a futuristic building that acts as a slum and low level housing for the poor.  They arrive at the building for what they thing will be a normal drug bust, only to find out that a prostitute-turned-drug lord named Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) and her gang has total control over the building, and its inhabitants.  When Ma-Ma learns that there are Judges in the building, she seals it off, and turns the entire building into a death trap for Dredd, as well as some of the inhabitants who don't exactly follow her orders.  It's a simple, but effective, premise for an action movie.  Director Pete Travis (Vantage Point) uses his setting well.  Since the Judges are essentially trapped in a highrise building that serves as a neighborhood and residential center, they come across different areas of the building that are controlled by gangs or junkies, and have to fight their way through in order to get to Ma-Ma on the top floor.

As the title suggests, the movie is in 3D, mainly so that the various blood splatters and other bodily fluids (yes, this movie is a hard-R) can fly right off the screen.  It's a neat effect, but in a way, I wish the movie had used it to its advantage even more.  There are some neat effects involving SLO-MO, a drug manufactured by Ma-Ma which makes the user feel like time has slowed down around them.  All in all, however, the effects mainly come across as a gimmick.  But if I really have to pinpoint what held the movie back a little for me, it's that Ma-Ma is kind of a dullard as a villain.  She gets one memorable scene about halfway through the film, where she opens fires on the Judges, and winds up killing many innocents in the process.  It's a chilling scene to be sure, and it's too bad she never gets as effective of a moment again.  Even her final confrontation with Dredd is a total joke, and seems to be over just as it starts.

 

Dredd 3D is not a great movie, but its well-paced, tightly executed, and kind of tense in some moments.  At the very least, it knows how to use its main character, and slips him into a plot where he does what the fans of the comics expect him to do.  As someone with very limited knowledge of the comics and character, I found the movie to be effective, if not very light, entertainment.  It won't win any awards and I doubt I'll remember much about it months from now, but I'm glad I saw it.

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