Unique Style Overcomes Stiffness in ‘Dredd 3D’

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Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Judge Dredd is a comic book character, right? In a comic book movie, right? Okay, that might mean – as in this case it does – that there will be some static dialogue and the old good-versus-evil sameness. But the new film “Dredd 3D,” featuring Karl Urban in the title role, forges beyond the ordinary by generating some arresting visual sensations.

This film has it’s own sense of style, an uncommon cinematic feel that is engaging without being overdone. By creating a future world of bleak, drug induced misery, a law enforcement that also acts as judge and jury has its own debatable issues. So to render an almost ballet-like interplay with some of the ultra violence and strange behavior in the picture is an inspiration from the filmmakers. There is the overdone violence and dreck associated with it in “Dredd 3D,” but the eye candy gives up a flavor that sets it apart from the rest of the comic book gang.

Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the law in a collapsed, post-nuclear society. The United States have been reorganized into mega-cities, this particular one that he patrols encompasses the entire former east coast, combining territories that used to be New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C. The government is totalitarian – justice is meted out immediately through the ‘Judges,’ police officers who also immediately sentence the perpetrators they capture on the street.

Here Come Da Judge: Karl Urban as the Title Character in ‘Dredd 3D’ Photo credit: Lionsgate

One high rise building encampment (huge buildings that hold populations in the tens of thousands) is manufacturing a new drug flavor called SLO-MO, the effect of which tells the brain that everything is moving at turtle place, like a frame-by-frame replay. Judge Dredd and his rookie partner Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) are called to the building, completely ruled by the evil Ma-Ma (Lena Headey). Dredd and Anderson leverage the situation by capturing Kay (Wood Harris), Ma-Ma’s right hand man, but there is a compound-wide bounty and order for anyone there to kill the Judges. Just another day in an ongoing war.

“Dredd 3D” is a good example on how the collaboration between director Pete Travis and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (“Slumdog Millionaire”) can compose a visual that can rise above the expected elements of this comic book adaptation. This is an astounding film to look at in parts, due mostly to the actualizing of the drug SLO-MO. Like the fascination of watching a bullet that had been super slowed down to go through an apple, when any type of life scenario is given that treatment, even the saddest future world can achieve a sense of wonder.

The visual balance becomes important because the story is ultra violent, and depends on weaponry that is always in overkill mode. It is so striking that when a multiple gunfire scenario happens in real life – think the Colorado movie theater incident – it’s a horror society lives with and ponders for days. In the movies it has become as common as going out for milk. As general film admirers, or fans of that particular genre of action/adventure, do we begin to become anesthetized to a consequence when there is depiction after depiction of extreme weapon use in the movies?

The actors in the film are somewhat overshadowed by the scope of their surroundings. The character of Judge Dredd as a soulless “justice” machine automatically mechanizes the performance, and Karl Urban embraces that mechanization. His stoic, one note Dredd gets a bit too much like “Batman-lite,” especially with the voice. Olivia Thirlby as Dredd’s partner Anderson does generate some heat with her psychic powers, but if in such a society she really can read minds, it’s best to set up a nice safe therapeutic practice rather than deal in law enforcement.

Partners in ‘Justice’: Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) and the Judge in ‘Dredd 3D’ Photo credit: Lionsgate

The maligned technology of 3D does get a boost in the film. The visual power lends itself magnificently to wearing the black glasses, especially in the slow motion moments. There is a scene where Ma-Ma is simply taking a bath while on the drug, and there are arresting images of cascading water. If an entire 3D film was made under the influence of the SLO-MO mantra, smoke shops would be selling inventory for weeks.

In an interview with HollywoodChicago.com, Karl Urban mentioned that the sadness of humanity’s reflection in a society as depicted in “Dredd 3D,” sets the film apart emotionally than other comic book scenarios. Equally distressing, ergo, is that the fantasy escapism that movies provide have become increasingly populated with such sadness.

By PATRICK McDONALD Senior Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com