Movie Review: Dredd
Ok, to start with... climb to the top of the highest building you can find. Bring binoculars. At the very top, use the binoculars and look up. If you have excellent vision, maybe, just maybe you can see how over the top Judge Dredd is from there.
This is a movie adaption of one of the classics that put the graphic in graphic novel, and on that note, the movie takes every opportunity. Slow motion gore? People being skinned? Splatter? Overwhelming use of heavy weaponry? Loss of limbs in full detail? Yep, got them all. In spades.
The movie makes better use of slow motion than any movie in the history of ever, for certain values of best. Primarily not just in use for effect, but making the slow motion a part of the narrative.
Karl Urban does a GREAT job playing the character from the graphic novels. If you've read Dredd, you know this involves having two expressions - the normal scowl, and 'displeased', which are very similar to each other. If you hadn't read anything from the series, it would look like pretty bad acting - but no question, he did just what he was going for. Dredd is also an unsympathetic badass in the 80's hero mold. This includes the terrible 80's cheesy dialogue, say it with me, "I am the law." - but unlike most attempts to do 80's-fied action movies, there's no wink, wink, nod, nod, here comes the line, and all delivered totally deadpan.
Olivia Thirlby does a pretty good job being all of the movie's sympathetic anything, shades of grey, and growth. Good decision, as it lets Dredd be Dredd, rather than trying some kind of origin or trying to get anyone to identify with the utterly black and white figurehead for the judges. She's not brilliant or anything, but you can actually like her, and she has her badass moments.
Lena Heady does a good job being creepy and jaded on a whole different level, and carries the 'main bad guy presence' pretty well.
In all, I think the director knew exactly what he was going for, and got it. There's no real subtlety of any sort. It helps if you've read the comics, because that really changes it from 'terrible acting' to 'really nice job playing these one-note characters'. It also feels like a huge nod to action movies of the era the comics were first written in.
If you have any sensitivity to overkill, in violence, gore, or the 80's, avoid the movie. If you like the 2000 AD comics, appreciate 80's B movie action flicks, and want an over the top popcorn spectacle, its worth the money.
B.
This is a movie adaption of one of the classics that put the graphic in graphic novel, and on that note, the movie takes every opportunity. Slow motion gore? People being skinned? Splatter? Overwhelming use of heavy weaponry? Loss of limbs in full detail? Yep, got them all. In spades.
The movie makes better use of slow motion than any movie in the history of ever, for certain values of best. Primarily not just in use for effect, but making the slow motion a part of the narrative.
Karl Urban does a GREAT job playing the character from the graphic novels. If you've read Dredd, you know this involves having two expressions - the normal scowl, and 'displeased', which are very similar to each other. If you hadn't read anything from the series, it would look like pretty bad acting - but no question, he did just what he was going for. Dredd is also an unsympathetic badass in the 80's hero mold. This includes the terrible 80's cheesy dialogue, say it with me, "I am the law." - but unlike most attempts to do 80's-fied action movies, there's no wink, wink, nod, nod, here comes the line, and all delivered totally deadpan.
Olivia Thirlby does a pretty good job being all of the movie's sympathetic anything, shades of grey, and growth. Good decision, as it lets Dredd be Dredd, rather than trying some kind of origin or trying to get anyone to identify with the utterly black and white figurehead for the judges. She's not brilliant or anything, but you can actually like her, and she has her badass moments.
Lena Heady does a good job being creepy and jaded on a whole different level, and carries the 'main bad guy presence' pretty well.
In all, I think the director knew exactly what he was going for, and got it. There's no real subtlety of any sort. It helps if you've read the comics, because that really changes it from 'terrible acting' to 'really nice job playing these one-note characters'. It also feels like a huge nod to action movies of the era the comics were first written in.
If you have any sensitivity to overkill, in violence, gore, or the 80's, avoid the movie. If you like the 2000 AD comics, appreciate 80's B movie action flicks, and want an over the top popcorn spectacle, its worth the money.
B.