1h 35m
Director: Pete Travis

If you're a fan of the 2000 AD comic then this is the perfect film for you. What you get is a nicely contained and complete story with a Judge Dredd who feels very much like the character you expect. He never takes his helmet off, he grunts his way through the dialogue and he's tough as nails.

Karl Urban seemed to really understand the assignment in this one and is perfectly cast for this role.

Mega-City One like Gotham City in the Batman series is a character in itself and it feels real and lived in here.

Judge Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) is partnered with Judge Dredd. She is a psychic but still a newbie to active duty and Dredd holds her hand throughout the narrative.

They investigate the 'Peach Trees' tower block and get locked inside which cuts them off from the outside world. The entire tower is a slum controlled by Ma Ma (Lena Headey) who deals a drug called Slo-Mo, which slows down the experience of the user leading to some surprisingly interesting cinematic moments.

Even though the Judges are initially over-powered we get to see them use both psychic abilities and Dredd's badass brute force to turn the tables on Ma Ma.

It's not often that you find a film that seems to be universally loved but I've honestly yet to hear anyone say a bad thing about it. I suppose if you don't like your sci-fi then it might not be for you!

Assessment: NOT DREKK!

Note to Hollywood: if you want to print money then just do faithful adaptations from the comics / graphic novels - you have an audience built-in, the media is tested so you know which stories are the most popular and it's even a storyboard FFS!



Trailer: