OK, so we went to see Dredd the movie. First, we went on bargain tickets that were from the boy's birthday presents, so we didn't pay full price (or anything really). It's a Rated R movie, and it definitely earned that R. It had gore, slow motion gunshot wounds, drugs and sex. It's Mega-City One, it should have all those things and more.
As a movie, it's not bad, as Dredd it's not bad. I wish it weren't a 3D movie, the 45 million dollar budget could have gone a lot farther in making Mega-City One more like the comics, because it just felt, like a big city with some arcologies thrown in to the mix.
The story was Judge Dredd, except I wasn't a big fan of throwing FOUR corrupt Judges into the story for a reboot movie, it's almost like having Judge Dredd take off his helmet. In reality it was a short movie, with a good portion being taken up in "Slo-Mo" scenes. Judge Dredd generally felt like Dredd should feel, using the different Munitions of the Lawgiver. Karl Urban does an excellent job making Dredd feel like Dredd.
Judge Anderson, well she's a movie version, there's no actual reference to PSI division or any other division.
for that matter. The actress does a good job with her, on her Full Eagle day. Slo-Mo was depicted as allowing the brain to enter slow motion in its perception of its surroundings, it would have been nice to see some of the perps on Slo-Mo act a bit more dangerous, if they're perceiving the world moving slower, then reactions should have been 3/4 faster, a couple of near misses based upon their speed would have made Dredd even more heroic.
Oh, and I hated the Lawmasters. They looked CHEAP.
I will own this movie one day and I'd give it a solid 4 Stars.
Movie synopsis from wikipedia:
The future United States is an irradiated waste land known as the Cursed Earth. On the east coast of North America lies Mega-City One, a vast, violent metropolis containing 800 million residents where 17,000 crimes are reported daily and "Slo-Mo", an addictive new drug that slows the user's perception of time to 1% of normal, has been introduced. The only force of order are the Judges, who act as judge, jury, and executioner. Judge Dredd is tasked by the Chief Judge with evaluating rookie Judge Anderson, a psychic who has failed the tests to become a full Judge. Elsewhere, in the 200-story slum tower block Peach Trees, drug lord Madeline Madrigal, known as Ma-Ma, infuses three men with Slo-Mo and throws their skinned bodies from the top of the tower. Dredd and Anderson respond and learn of a drug den, which they assault. They arrest Kay, one of Ma-Ma's henchmen, after Anderson psychically detects his involvement in the murders. To prevent Kay being removed from the building and interrogated about her operation, Ma-Ma's forces seize the tower's security control room and seal the building using its blast shields under the pretense of a security test, preventing the Judges from leaving or summoning help.
Ma-Ma orders Dredd's and Anderson's deaths. Several groups of armed men unsuccessfully try to kill the pair as the Judges proceed through the building with Kay to find safety. After arriving at one floor, the Judges are assaulted by Ma-Ma and her men using gatling guns that cut through the building's concrete walls and residents. The gunfire damages one of the tower's outer walls, allowing the Judges to call for backup. Ma-Ma sends her right-hand man Caleb to confirm the Judges' deaths. Dredd throws Caleb from the tower in full view of Ma-Ma.
Suspicious of Ma-Ma's motives for obliterating an entire floor, Dredd beats Kay for information. Anderson intervenes and uses her abilities to read Kay's mind. She learns Peach Trees is the center of Slo-Mo production and distribution. Anderson suggests they hide while awaiting assistance but Dredd insists on moving up the tower in pursuit of Ma-Ma. Judges Volt and Guthrie respond to Dredd's call, but are unable to access the tower when Ma-Ma's computer expert persuades the pair that call is part of the security drill. While Dredd and Anderson are confronted by armed children, Kay escapes, takes Anderson hostage and brings her to Ma-Ma's base on the 200th floor.
While Dredd works his way toward Ma-Ma, she bribes the corrupt Judges Lex, Kaplan, Chan, and Alvarez to kill Dredd. After meeting Chan, Dredd notices that he does not ask about Anderson's status, instigating a fight in which Chan is killed. Kay dies when he attempts to execute Anderson with her own weapon, triggering an explosive failsafe when it does not recognize its wielder. Anderson escapes and meets Kaplan, whom she kills after reading her mind. Elsewhere, Dredd kills Alvarez but runs out of ammunition and is shot by Lex. Anderson arrives and kills Lex as he prepares to finish Dredd. The pair obtain the code to Ma-Ma's apartment via her hacker and confront her. Anderson is wounded by one of Ma-Ma's men. Ma-Ma informs Dredd that a device on her wrist will detonate explosives on the top floors upon her death and destroy the building. Dredd, believing the signal will not reach the top floor's explosives through the tower's concrete floors and walls from below, forces Ma-Ma to ingest Slo-Mo and throws her from the building to her death. In the aftermath. Anderson accepts she has failed her evaluation by being disarmed, and leaves. The Chief Judge asks Dredd about Anderson's performance. He responds that she has passed.
No comments:
Post a Comment