Review of Dredd (2012) by Darkcola — 31 Dec 2012

I have had the displeasure of living through bad adaptations since the late 70's. I have almost never seen a comics adaptation that was worth watching on the silver screen because good characters die there along with a bevy of bad useless cameos and the attempt to take 20-60 years worth of story arcs and put them in three acts in under 2 hours- usually including an origin story.

However, the dream of- simply take the established comic character and make the movie one adventure in the life of said character- has come to fruition in this movie. The acting is superb and unsettling with the askance visage of the villain. Dredd is played to his comic book perfection, or perhaps I would say some better than the stereotype version of himself he had become in later issues/graphic novels. Anderson is played in a very different way than her comic book counterpart and it isn't as a sex bomb psychic, but a fragile-seeming fractured innocent whose strength becomes clearly displayed in climactic ferocity towards the film's end.

The movie is full of violence, seemingly random and punishing. However, I dare say it decries violence completely. It truly shows in this apocalyptic setting how the innocent are in the crossfire and do suffer, and exhibits a painful helplessness of the civilians trapped in mega-tower societies. There are enough sub plots and subtle character dynamics/interactions that make this a joy to watch a few times over- plot and character development through subtle glances, grimaces, or psychic flashes. If that is not enough, then the visuals- some of the most colorful and pleasantly shocking slo-motion sequences I've encountered in either movie form or video game form.

Long story short- it is true to the comic, it is visually stunning- giving a very realistic presentation of the environment of megacity one after an apocalypse, provides admirable uncompromising heroes and detestable villains and a fun and entertaining dynamic between the insufferable Dredd and his new rookie.

Please- go see and support this movie, hopefully they'll do another one, or at least take another comic and do it --- Justice.