Sunday Morning Review!

I've been reviewing big, classic films on Sundays for a while. My choice this morning wasn't exactly a "classic" but I'm sure its bound to be a certain kind of classic sometime down the road. A cult classic if you will.

I'm of course talking about the ass kickin, blood sprayin, explosive party of stern mandibles that was Dredd. This under the radar hit from last year set fanboys pants aflame like an incendiary round because despite what the trailers made it look like, Dredd turned out to be one of the most honest and satisfying comic book adaptations to ever grace to screen. It's got it's fair share of problems just like any other superhero film but Dredd does a good job of putting those thoughts aside and delivering a high octane experience that fans of the comic can fully appreciate, as well as the new fans who wanted to get a feel for what Judge Dredd was all about. I had a brief love affair with some Judge Dredd books a while back aside from my regular Immortal Iron Fist, Punisher Max and Hulk routine. Going off of what I remember about the character, Dredd got 3 critical things right.

1. Judge Dredd didn't take off his helmet.
2. The atmosphere/tone of Mega-City One was great.
3. The violence was cheesy and over the top.

Those 3 things were backed up by an awesome Karl Urban as Judge Dredd and good supporting characters that included Olivia Thirlby as the psychic Rookie Judge Anderson and Lena Headey as the vicious gang ruler Ma-Ma. It's also supported by an interesting story to let all these characters flourish in the seedy and violent setting. If you've seen The Raid you basically know the story. 2 Judges. Locked the massive apartment building "Peach Tree." Ma-Ma has a price on their heads. Hundreds of floors filled with criminals. Only one way to go but up. This high octane setup is perfect for Judge Dredd. And while the action bogs down in some places, overall its a great exciting as Hell film.

All in all Dredd really did the Judge some justice. It established Mega City One as the throbbing cesspool it is. We weren't treated to exhausting origin stories or setups. We are thrown right into the action as we should be with this license. Judge Dredd is not a man or a face. He is an extension of the Law. He IS the Law. He's always been and always will be an almost satire of police fascism and brutality. He isn't a hero we can relate to or look at for good moral lessons, but rather a stern lower jaw that is needed to stomp out extreme filth.

Dredd was of the most viscerally and visually exciting films of last year. If Dredd was a bullet, it would cut through many sloppy problems and obstacles but at the end it would eventually hit the target dead on. And almost blew it away. I'm excited to see where the license goes from here. I think its time to see the Judge hit the streets in a sequel. I heard the DVD/BluRay sales were impressive to balance out the poor box office performance. Lets hope!

And I wanna see Olivia Thirlby return.... She was a fox... I'd let her play with my mind.