I am the Law

I am not the most imaginative person. For those who wonder why I went with the most obvious joke for the title, and one you may no doubt have seen a dozen and a half times over by now. So let's continue.

Dredd 3D: Non Spoiler review. See it. R action flick that makes you want to see more.

Spoilers Ahead.

So, this film. You should go see it. Seriously. Don't read this. It has spoilers (Mostly just that kill was awesome). Still here? Fine.

Back story time first. Judge Dredd is a Comic book character from British comic 2000 A.D. He is a law enforcer with the power to sentence criminals on the spot. He is lethal, and has no problem shooting a burning round into your skull making it explode in fire. He is famous for his scowl, dry wit, and never removing his helmet (Stares at Stalone). Probably the most iconic comic book character not owned by DC or Marvel.

Welcome to Mega City-1. A giant city that covers the eastern seaboard of the United States. Unemployment High. Crime High. People barely able to get by. Littering the sky line are Mega Blocks. Tall towers that act as cities unto themselves. One such tower is called Peach Trees, where an psychopathic drug lord named "Ma-Ma" has taken over. And as an example skins three rival drug dealers and tosses them from the 200th floor.

Never read Dredd, never saw the Stalone film, so all of this was new to me. I didn't know a lot of the inside jokes, and had genuine sadness when our rookie Judge Cassandra Anderson handed in her badge to Dredd at the end of the film. (I know better now)

The film is visually distinct. Everything is there for a purpose in this futuristic society, and not just odd angles because...well it's the future. Karl Urban is great as his jaw. (Had to make that joke). The story is simple, which is fine. Judge Dredd and rookie Judge Anderson must get to the top of Peach Trees in order to break the lock down, and bring "Ma-Ma" to justice.

Two concerns for this movie I'll address right here. First, didn't see the 3D, but from looking at the film, and hearing other people it's pretty good. Second, the Slo-Mo. The film has a conceit that there is a drug that makes your mind perceives everything at 1/10th the rate. Now why does this drug exist. Well, partly for the filmmakers to do cool slow motion stuff, other reason is, well it's a pretty awesome drug when you think about it. Ever watch those high speed cameras on Mythbusters or other shows, and just get distracted by a weird beauty of it. Well imagine that. So yeah. The slow motion isn't over used, maybe a handful of sequences, especially in the first part of the movie, and one bit at the end. It's done in context, and mixes in fast action as well. (I remember Max Payne)

So yeah, go see this movie if you like a good R action flick that isn't afraid to show it's blood, and keep the mask on the character.

4 out of 5.