DREDD reviews. (SPOILERS!)

[M.I.K.]

That's the stupidest idea I've heard all week.








"That'ssssss all folksssssss!" would be far more appropriate.

[The Adventurer]

Just got back. Nearly two years of excitement build up, culminating to... it was pretty good I guess?

Stylistically I liked it. It really nailed the bleakness of Dredd and Mega City One. Great sound, solid acting. Great costuming. But I felt the 'Slow-Mo' scenes never really rose above being a 3D show-off gimmick, and the scenes that used it felt overly stretched out. Even beyond the necessity of demonstrating the effects of the drug.

I'm trying to articulate what exactly bothered me about the finished product. Have you ever watched an anime OVA that was high on one-sided action, thin on characterization, and a half hour too long? That's sort of the feeling I got watching Dredd 3D. The bad guys never felt like a threat, Ma-Ma herself lacked specific motivation or personality outside of the obvious and being a mirror-image of Dredd and Justice Department tactics. Pacing wise, it really feels like the movie only has two acts. The very brief opening outside, and an overly long 2nd act that takes an hour to reach a very short final confrontation.

Don't get me wrong, the movie has some really good moments. Urban's Dredd is nearly perfect (though I totally buy Dredd chucking a badguy off a 200th story balcony to get a radio device out of range of a rigged explosive. I'm not sure I buy him getting the person high first. I mean, the guy isn't above ironic punishments in the comic, but usually they're by the perp's own hand or foolishness), Thilby's Anderson made for a good rookie character, and her powers are used well. Her character definitely feels like she grows organically over the course of the adventure. And the movie does a good job of injecting a good dose of Judge Dredd pathos into the final product (Hottie House, Fatties, Iso-Cube, 6 different types of ammunition, etc...)

Overall its probably a solid first act to a potentially bigger sophomore showing that will probably never happen if the Box Office take doesn't start to improve. Don't get me wrong, its a solid action movie that is almost a call-back/love letter to 80s style exploitation action movies. And I won't say I was expecting 'more' because I knew exactly what the scale of the movie was going in, and in fact was relishing it's smaller scope. But there was just something off that itched at me the whole time I was watching it that kept it from being a Great experience. And merely a good one.

[The Adventurer]

If there was one missed end of movie opportunity, it was that Dredd should have remounted his bike and said "Control. Dredd. Resumming patrol." and then drove off. Like this was an ordinary day for him.

[chuckwallah]

I seem to have ruffled some feathers with my opinions so here are my responses to some of the squawks.

Dredds dialogue – ever heard of 'toungue in cheek'?

Anderson – I didn't say she was a creep, I said she was a mutant creep which is what the film said she was (I presume you are aware that Dredd calls everybody that isn't 100% kosher a creep?) I thought it was a very decent interpretation of Anderson, but the film definitely placed her in the position of barely tolerated outcast and I have no idea why they decided to do that.

Lawmasters – I don't think it's possible to judge the 'performance' of a vehicle shown in a film, only its look. As far as I am concerned the Stallone Lawmaster looked like it was straight from the comic. The bike in this film may have been an outstanding performer in real life but it just didn't have the overblown personality of a Lawmaster.

Plot holes – I'll mention just one, two judges standing outside the Peach Trees block like dummies waiting for something to happen and then giving way to a new group of judges without once contacting control for an update. Dredd would send this pair for the long walk no question.

3D – if anyone can tell me where there is a showing in 2D anywhere near where I live I will be very surprised. The answer is in the title "Dredd 3D". It's not just the extra cost and the having to wear sunglasses that I object to, many people just can't watch 3D, my wife got a severe headache.

Megablocks – IMHO they were too small, matter of opinion I think, or perhaps just a difference of favourite artist.

VW's – It wasn't just that there were old fashioned vehicles inhabiting the screen, it was the absence of any futuristic vehicles whatsoever. Everything on the roads looked like it was from the 70's.

[The Adventurer]

VW's – It wasn't just that there were old fashioned vehicles inhabiting the screen, it was the absence of any futuristic vehicles whatsoever. Everything on the roads looked like it was from the 70's.

Dredd's monologue clearly states that we're seeing the remains of the old world in the shell of the new world. So I sort of got the impression that the atomic wars were only recently over, and the more advanced world of tomorrow was only just starting to emerge (Mega-Blocks being the most overt advancement). If we were to ever get a sequel (with more budget), I'd suspect we'd start to see a more futuristic world start to take over. Over-all I thought it struck at okay balance.

[M.I.K.]

If there was one missed end of movie opportunity, it was that Dredd should have remounted his bike and said "Control. Dredd. Resumming patrol." and then drove off. Like this was an ordinary day for him.

You didn't get that from "Drug bust"?

[I, Cosh]

Just got back. Nearly two years of excitement build up, culminating to... it was pretty good I guess?

Just back from seeing it tonight myself and you've pretty much perfectly encapsulated my own thoughts.

I enjoyed watching it and there's nothing really bad about it but it didn't enthrall me and a 90 minute action movie which drags in places and contains no memorable action scenes isn't doing its job.

[The Adventurer]

You didn't get that from "Drug bust"?

Good point. I did.

[JOE SOAP]

Megablocks – IMHO they were too small, matter of opinion I think, or perhaps just a difference of favourite artist.

How much bigger than the normal buidings of today?

[blackmocco]

I just want to say I love this forum. Haven't had much to say in regards to the movie on here. Been too busy selling it and defending it elsewhere but this is how a forum is supposed to run. Intelligent people discussing different viewpoints and opinions without anyone getting bent out of shape. Sorry of that sounds obvious. You're all a good shower.

Joe, I really enjoyed your take on the final scenes. For me the moment Dredd reconsiders Anderson's assessment is when she lets him have it after releasing Ma-Ma's technician. He doesn't argue against her insubordination and as she leaves to "finish this" he lingers for a split-second before following her. Great little moment and a testament to Urban that under the mask he can convey it.

[The Sherman Kid]

Just got back. Nearly two years of excitement build up, culminating to... it was pretty good I guess?

Just back from seeing it tonight myself and you've pretty much perfectly encapsulated my own thoughts.

I enjoyed watching it and there's nothing really bad about it but it didn't enthrall me and a 90 minute action movie which drags in places and contains no memorable action scenes isn't doing its job.

I highly recommend you and the Adventurer go and see it again.I actually enjoyed the film a lot more the second time round (and onwards).Having read Dredd for 35 years you naturally take a lot of baggage and expectation in with you, once they are checked to one side, I really appreciated the film more.There are some very good performances there ,with more subtleties than I picked up on first time round (not just the Easter Egggs).

Besides ,that is without question Dredd on the big screen ,how great is that?


PS Chuckwallah - That wasn't a plot hole -Lex was a more senior judge (20 years on the street) so they wouldn't question his authority in front of him by calling control would they?

[JOE SOAP]

Thanks BM. There's a lot of nice subtle stuff in there.




Here's 10 pages of positive buzz from bewildered people that showed up on a straight google search:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=489365&page=10


People seem to really like this film, makes you wonder what the fuck is going on...

[blackmocco]

Thanks BM. There's a lot of nice subtle stuff in there.




Here's 10 pages of positive buzz from bewildered people that showed up on a straight google search:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=489365&page=10


People seem to really like this film, makes you wonder what the fuck is going on...

Don't know what to say. The GF started working on Bob's Burgers this week and she said their crew was raving about Dredd...

[JOE SOAP]

Bring back the days when films stayed in cinemas for months!

[JOE SOAP]

A Canadian perspective:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJEk3aXLjk8&feature=youtu.be&a