Dredd 3D - A flawed masterpiece

I haven't read the original Dredd graphic novel and I haven't seen the Sylvester Stallone film, probably a wise move given it's 15% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  But I was so excited by the build up to this film.  Sold as a futuristic Neo-noir action film, Dredd lives up to the hype, and then some.  

Ok, so there's not much of a story, and very little depth but I'm not sure there needed to be.  The story is sparse, as is the emotion. Judge Dredd is not the kind of person you imagine could break the rules or even crack a smile.  Karl Urban was brilliant as Dredd, though I do believe his chin should win an Oscar as it definitely had the most to do.  Slightly unfortunate though that the similarity between Urban's chin and another actor's, meant that my husband spent the entire film thinking it was Hugh Jackman under the helmet.     

The film looked good and the 3D was stunning in all the right places.  I am a big fan of shiny, stylish films.  I like the details, the slow motion effects, the blood spattering all over the place. I love special effects and sexy graphics, glittering backdrops and theatrical music.  I love the drama of it all.  I particularly liked the use of the 3D slow motion when highlighting the effects of the drug Slo-Mo and the inclusion of my girl crush La Roux 'In for the Kill' on the soundtrack was just the icing on the cake. You can listen to it here LA ROUX 

Deemed ultra-violent by some people, I completely disagree.  The violence wasn't particularly shocking because it suited the film and the Mega City One setting.  The film was bereft of emotion and because you didn't see how a death affected other characters, the scenes of murder and mayhem became almost beautiful.  I'm not a big fan of violent movies and never before have I thought that throwing someone from a height and watching their head break in slow motion was anything other than gratuitous violence.  But it was brilliantly done.  It was as if someone had actually just lifted the graphic novel out of it's pages and put it on the screen. The focus was on the stunning artwork, great design and the razor-sharp dark edges of the setting.  Despite my not knowing the original character, I could tell that the film has stayed true to it's historical format.

Despite it's flaws I loved this film. I thought the acting was strong, the effects were s-excellent and the 3D was relevant and actually added to the experience, where usually it detracts.  I also LOVE that the violence wasn't cut, edited, changed or amended to fit with the censors (Taken 2 anyone?).  

Karen

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