To be honest, when the movie began, the first thought that came to my mind was 'why am i watching this movie?' and i feared it would be like Spirit (2008) or Jonah Hex (2010). It was choppy and messy in terms of the filming, and the soundtrack was just not comfortable to sit through and watch the earlier scenes. Then i thought whether i had wasted my money, and time, on this movie. Even the narrative at the beginning reminded me of Megamind (2010), which was good in the animation movie, but not quite convincing for this action, dark movie. I breathed, trying to calm myself down and be patient.
Then, fortunately, the plot thickened and the direction of this movie turned away from my disappointment; drew me into the locked down Peach Trees building and went into high gear.
In this time of setting, in Mega City One, the 'Judge' is known to its people with combined powers of the judge, jury and executioner. Dredd is one of those Judges- and possibly the top of the league, and is faced with a task to coach rookie Anderson, who has psychic abilities. On this fateful first day, the pair is led into the Peach Trees, replying to a call of the death of three men. Their investigation, duty to uphold the law, drives them to discovering drug lord Ma-Ma, who controls this 200 storey building. Not wanting to be held by the law, Ma-Ma (somehow, i felt this villain lack depth and did not really create fear like other villains in other movies; she was just a ruthless leader) devices a vicious plan to outdo the Judges- by locking them in, with no way out and no one in. This was the point that i really got to the edge of my seat.
Despite its violence, the scene of the machine gun-laser-like shooting was brilliant, and the graphic was like for a game. There was not as many shootings as i had expected- sometimes, less means more. In another scene of the mind reading challenge reminded me of Jean Grey and Prof X, but in a more gruesome and vulgar manner. It was smart to have someone with psychic ability in the movie. An issue that were brought into the movie was corruption- not so original but it helped to move the movie to the next level.
The movie developed to a peak-high level and i felt the climax was shorter than what i anticipated for. Nevertheless, i was pleased at the end of the movie.
I could see why this movie is rated 18. First, the violence, blood can make you flinch. Then, there are scenes involving the influence of drugs called Slo-Mo, showing people who take them get high and the world around them sparkle, literally. Because it was 18, and because of these, i cannot but include them as points not deductions to the movie. The people behind this movie were bold and brave enough to include them.
Speaking in terms of originality, i found the combined powers of judge, jury and executioner a breath of fresh air, and the scenes involving the Judges to pronounce their sentence to the defendant were, in an odd way, entertaining. Don't expect drama or intelligent twists, this movie is not for either. It has a story to tell, a simple one but told effectively, with sufficient violence to keep adrenaline high and pumping.
Dredd is a guilty pleasure as charged.
Year: 2012
My rating: 7.6/10
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
