(DVD Review) DREDD (2012)

Dredd is so tough that the DVD might destroy your player. Seriously.

Judge Dredd, for those that are not familiar with the character, originated in a 1970’s British comic series titled 2000 AD. The series was about an American law enforcement officer named Joseph Dredd that, along with other “Judges”, patrol the streets of Mega-City One (an overcrowded and violent view of a dystopian future) serving as not only police, but as judge, jury and sometimes executioner for those that break the law.

This character is what is considered an Anti-Hero. Yet when they first attempted a movie based off of this they created a bit of a “buddy cop” drama/comedy starring Sylvester Stalone and Rob Schneider called Judge Dredd (1995). It performed well at the Box Office but was panned by critics everywhere (and most viewers). Long have I waited for a more serious and darker toned version to be released and I was more than satisfied when I finally got to watch Dredd on DVD this weekend.

Storyline: Hundreds of millions of people make up the inhabitants of Mega-City One. Because of overpopulation, Judges hand out sentencing on site when criminals are caught. Of the Judges, no one does the job better than Dredd (Urban). He is teamed up with a new partner, Anderson (Thirlby), and is on a standard training exercise to investigate a new drug that has hit the streets called SLO-MO. When their searches take them to a 200 story slum that is operated by the SLO-MO creator named Ma-Ma (Headey) they are sealed inside and Ma-Ma’s thugs pursue them. The Judges must find a way to regain order and survive 200 stories of assaults and chaos.

Worth the rent? Is Judge Dredd the LAW? I loved it. Don’t get me wrong, this is a “hard R” rating. There is an absurd amount of violence and bloodshed, but anyone that knows anything about the character or the comics is going to be expecting that. Carl Urban, who I never would have pictured as Judge Joseph Dredd, masterfully controls the screen with a low toned presence that I absolutely loved. Never showing much emotion, doing the job, and being completely ruthless in his efforts to bring in those that chose to break the law that he has sworn to uphold. You couldn’t ask for someone to pull off a better performance for this type of film.

Also worth mentioning is Olivia Thirlby (Judge Anderson) and Lena Headey (Ma-Ma). Both are fantastic in their roles. Headey, who I have never seen in a villainous role, plays the character of Ma-Ma with equal parts insanity and conviction. All in all, this movie is worth renting this weekend…as long as you aren’t too squeamish.