Born from a British comic strip, 2000 AD, “Dredd 3D” brings a possible extreme future for our planet. Writer Alex Garland (“28 Days Later”) and director Pete Travis (“Vantage Point”) bring the comic to life with a modern spin.
Set in what remains of America, a wasteland now known as Cursed Earth, “Dredd 3D” follows the chaotic life of Mega-City One, a violent metropolis containing 800 million people and the only inhabitable place in the country. The city is plagued with an overwhelming amount of crime and extensive drug use. The only saving grace the city has is the law enforcement known as Judges, who act as enforcers but also wield the power to execute when protocol sees fit.
The movie revolves around two main characters, hard-as-steel Judge Dredd (Karl Urban, “Star Trek”) for whom the movie is named and traineeJudge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby, “Juno”), who also happens to be a powerful psychic. The most pivotal moments are set in one place: the 200-story drug riddled slum tower known as Peach Tree. There is only one rule in Peach Tree: don’t get in the way of the film’s primary antagonist, Madeline Madrigal (Lena Headey, “300”).
At times it seemed that Urban’s lines were clichéd and predictable, and that he played the tough guy act a bit to strong. It was difficult to relate to his character, primarily because the audience never saw his face and there were few moments where he showed any personality. The viewer almost got the impression that he was inhuman, that these judges were more like programmed robots than people making fair decisions. Thirlby played a complete opposite character. From the beginning we see her past, her empathy for the inhabitants of Peach Tree and her shock at Dredd’s indifference to bloodshed, making her performance much more compelling.
Though essentially set in one place, the film makes use of extensive and effective visual effects, bringing Peach Tree to life. Much of the film is presented from a third person perspective, however “Dredd 3D” gives movie goers the feeling that they are the one behind the gun, similar to the first person perspective of video games. This camera technique adds a unique visual quality to the film.
Although the movie does have a compelling story line that slowly unfolds, it takes advantage of it’s R rating with plenty of raw action: copious shooting, explosions and people dying in brutal ways are around every corner.
An interesting evolution going on throughout all the chaos is Judge Anderson’s change from nervous and unsure rookie, to calling the shots with total confidence. Her relationship with Dredd becomes much more partner-like than trainer-trainee. As the plot unfolds, Judge Dredd must learn not only to pass his knowledge on to his rookie, but also to trust in her decisions, a feeling he is unfamiliar and uncomfortable with. This plot arc represents some of the best writing in the film and some of the more sympathetic scenes.
By the end of the movie, viewers can feel the danger of living in Mega-City One, the fear of local drug lords and the absolute power of the Judges. “Dredd 3D” is a bit more “shoot ‘em up” then expected, but still has enough substance to keep viewers entertained.
