DREDD reviews. (SPOILERS!)

[pauljholden]

I hate all of you.

Dredd - "It's all the deep end."

I read the leaked movie script, and that line was the one that I quoted to people when I said it really felt like Dredd.


-pj

[Steve Green]

Imagine a lot more of that and you're getting there...

[SmallBlueThing]

Like PJ, i hate you all.

No i dont- im insanely jealous of you all for having that experience. Although it may not be one idve enjoyed- i have serious reservations about whether id cope with meeting john and carlos at the same time- im so glad you all had such a fantastic time. Everytime i meet boarders in the flesh, im blown away by how cool and excellent everybody is, so im sure this was something special, given the circumstances. Im on my phone and so havent had the opportunity to look at the photos yet. Will do that later- but you're all a bunch of lucky, lucky bastards.

SBT

[radiator]

Dredd: "I was wondering when you'd remember you left your helmet back at the Hall of Justice".
Anderson: "Wearing a helmet inteferes with my psychic ability."
Dredd (deadpan): "Not as much as a bullet in the head would."

Dredd: "You ready, Rookie?"
Anderson (confident this time): "Yeah."
Pause
Dredd: "You look ready."

Dredd being based in 'Sector 13'.

On top of the film being FANTASTIC I met Karl Urban, Alex Garland, John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra and so many lovely boarders. It's great to be able to put faces to the names I see every day on this forum. I had such a great time.

Thanks to everyone involved for a brilliant, unforgettable night.

Was saying to someone (Kev Levell IIRC) how surreal it all was - it was so bizarre that our little grimy corner of the internet somehow became the centre of the universe for a night.

i have serious reservations about whether id cope with meeting john and carlos at the same time

Try briefly overhearing Alex chatting to Carlos about his love of Strontium Dog, among other things - think he was as starstruck as the rest of us in that moment!

[Teivion]

As far as a review-

From the moment the engine noise from Dredd's Lawmaster echoes through the underpass- and around the cinema- you know its a winner.
Karl's Dredd is spot on for a young Dredd, gruff voice, lean, tough and violent.
The first bout of gore was, to me, the worst, probably because it was a little too grim/ real, and I think the level of gore in the film may be the tipping point for a full blown US success.
People have moaned about the lack of futuristic vehicles etc, but apart from the opening sequence, there is little else that reminds you of this in the rest of the film. The block setting really does help ground the events into the future , without flying vehicles and hover boards.
On that note one thing that really does need praise is the set work and SFX.
From the stills we saw on the website etc, I was worried they all looked a little 'empty'- but the VFX for set extensions are perfect, there really is very little- if any- VFX which you notice. When the block goes into lockdown and the blast doors shut I didnt see any dodgy compositing etc, it really does feel like they filmed it in a giant Block.
Its also nice to see digital work that hasnt got everything thrown in to distract the viewer- you really can watch the action and absorb it, without seeing five things in one shot ( like George Lucas seems to want to do every frame)

Anderson is brilliant. In my opinion she carried the film- Dredd is Dredd, but Anderson's humanity and inner conflictions really bought home the world of Dredd and being a Judge, especially in the ending of the scene when they take shelter in the mothers appartment.
She really does go from being a scared rabbit to full on Judge by the end.
And just what was she scanning from Dredd in her first scene ?

There are some very, very strong one liners that just scream Dredd, Alex's script is spot on for this,  - "Wait..." being a prime example, as well as Dredd's comeback to Anderson when she explains her lack of Helmet. The scripts pace is also great, and its really nice to see a film whose 'quiet' moments aren't a shabby excuse to build up for another set piece.

There are also LOADS of little easter eggs references throughout the film and as CF has said- the pause button is going to break on many DVD players when the film is released with people spotting them- sometimes you could hear the audience react when they came on screen.

Comparisons to the Raid are going to happen but in truth, having seen both, each film treats the plot very differently, The Raid made far more of the different floors for instance, so the comparison to me was only one on paper, rather than film.

yes, I am still buzzing, but its a film I want to see again, and a film I will happily PAY to see again, so that, to me, is a result.

[Michaelvk]

..but you're all a bunch of lucky, lucky bastards.

SBT

I dunno.. They only hung me the right way up last week..

[WoD]

My thoughts on the film from last night;

The acting is great throughout...Urban is great, Anderson is great, Ma is great.

Plot is good, pacing is good, the way the film is shot is good...there's nothing bad in the movie at all (IMHO) - all wraps up to make a great film.

I didn't get any sense of 'b'-movie at all, and the feel of MC1 to me was that of a city that developed out of necessity and is struggling to keep the lid on some semblance of control via the Judges.  It's still a city in its infancy and has the potential to grow from there - the more 'futuristic' stuff can come later...the time isn't right for it yet...they need to survive now then thrive later.

It deserves to do well and I hope that it does!

[radiator]

Absolutely, I'm still dragging a load of mates to see it next week.

The vehicles are nowhere near as jarring as youd think, and that pesky van is literally blink and you'll miss it.

Likewise the helmet. It occasionally looks a little large, but it just as often looks 'kin badass.

The slow motion is beautifully done and if anything UNDERused (in fact, if you've seen all the trailers and clips you've already seen most of it).

And there's the other problem - because I HAVE watched all the clips etc I felt like I'd already seen half the film. Entirely my own stupid fault of course, and I'm generally better at avoiding spoilers for most things nowadays, but with Dredd there was never any question of that!

[Goaty]

Sorry my review will be delay as off to Bamburgh for wedding weekend!

I thought those other Judges really do well!

[Goaty]

One thing, as was talks to others last night, in the school room, I notice there is FIVE stars on US flag, as there is Mega City 1, Mega City 2 and Texas City. Whose is other two? Something Alex kept for the sequels?

[radiator]

Uranium City and Las Vegas?

[radiator]

Oh, and who could forget:

The delightful scene where Dredd fires the incendiary round across the chasm, setting a load of goons on fire, then calmly watches them burn, the flames reflecting in his visor.

[Michaelvk]

Oh, and who could forget:

The delightful scene where Dredd fires the incendiary round across the chasm, setting a load of goons on fire, then calmly watches them burn, the flames reflecting in his visor.

We referenced Israeli white phosphorus attacks for that.

[COMMANDO FORCES]

Tactically I was mightily impressed with the way both Karl and Olivia handled their weapons and when they did their room entries, with covering arcs of fire and methodically downed all the targets, I was in heaven.
You could see from this that the pair of them had worked bloody hard and listened to their instructors on how to move as a team for room clearance!

[strontium71]

That vagrant should have moved though