Review of Dredd (2012) by Eli T — 25 Dec 2013

Dredd's appeal lies in its vision, which is simple and clear-eyed: Make a badass action film, have it teeter between seriousness and satire, and conjure up some of the best special effects in cinema.

It's not meant to be an oscar-winner, but what it is meant to be is an intense, adrenaline pumping thrill, splashed with bloody reds and stark, icy blues. The film looks beautiful. Slow-mo (a drug which has become a pandemic in Mega City One) may just be a plot device shoehorned in to show incredible, glittering shots of bullets puncturing flesh, but if it doesn't astonish.

Cinematography could hardly be better - a barrage of jaw-dropping shots are presented along with the carnage. Karl Urban is surprisingly effective as Dredd, and Olivia Thirlby provides a nice distraction as a character with a bit of humanity to her.

Ultimately, the plot is not really the point, although it's easy to follow and fairly well-written. Dredd is the highest quality B-movie that can be made, melding good acting with fantastic set pieces and jaw-dropping sound design.

It's home theater richness at its finest, and the most effective, straightforward action movie I've seen.