Dredd (2012)

Late-posted because, though I didn't find it 'meh', the graphic violence did leave me a bit speechless.

[I'm such a sissy.]

Preamble aside, this movie is a far departure from Sylvester Stallone-starrer Judge Dredd from 1995, which (if I remembered correctly) was more camp than anything, and raised the ire of fans worldwide because he removed his helmet.

[And possibly also, Rob Schneider.]

Unlike other reboots, this movie doesn't waste time on origin-story or introductions, and we only see Karl Urban (in poor lighting) put on his helmet and be done with. The storyline itself is also pretty simplistic, but it sets the background for Dredd and his rookie (assigned to Dredd for final assessment), as they take down villains and rack up the body count on both sides.

It is a wee bit gratuituous for my taste, but damn if it isn't lovely to behold. The movie does this through (the aptly-named) Slow-Mo, a drug which slows the user's perception of time to 1% of the brain's normal processing speed. One particular scene that stands out is a Slow-Mo user, seeing the carnage unfold around him as Dredd and Cassandra (his rookie, who is also psychic, by the way) kick down the door and riddle everyone else with bullets.

I think the only thing that sticks in my mind after all this time is the glorious violence. The visuals are what makes the movie stand out, so do check it out if you don't mind gore too much.


For me, my enjoyment was marred by the violence. I guess I'm just conditioned to summer-movie material, where there are no blood and guts, and a literal back-breaking scene that didn't look like backs had really been broken.

No wonder this movie wasn't released in the summer.