Dredd 3D

Dredd 3D
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Pete Travis [IMDB]

Dredd 3D is a remake of an 90's film called Judge Dredd, which actually came from a popular comic book. I know a lot of folks hate remakes, I actually use to be one of them awhile back. Within the last few years I've loosened my grip on the whole backlash against remakes and have come to embrace them. More times than not, remakes never live up to the promise of their predecessors but that still doesn't mean a new director can't certainly try and re-imagine a better incarnation of the original. Is Dredd 3D a winner or a loser in the battle of the remakes? Read on... Find out.

Synopsis: In the future judges are also badass cops who take the courthouse to the streets. Judge Dredd and a rookie find themselves trapped inside the building complex of a notorious crime boss who makes this really potent form of blue meth... wait that's Breaking Bad... she makes a new drug called Slo-Mo.

Dredd 3D is pretty awesome and definitely destroys the original. Honestly, I don't even think the original is that amazing of a film to begin with. Karl Urban is perfectly cast and the decision to keep his helmet on the whole time was ballsy, but extremely effective in my opinion. It gives him a definite comic book superhero feel, but also an absurd Robocop vibe at times. The film has also been drawling a lot of comparisons to The Raid... while I enjoyed The Raid and can obviously see the comparions (trapped in a building with drug lords at the top of it) I think Dredd is absolutely the better film.

Here's a list of things that really worked for me:

• Like I said before, the helmet always being on, but also the look of Dredd and his gun.
• The violence is over the top, and it's extremely gory at times. The action is also great.
• The Slo-Mo and all the scenes when people were on it... especially in 3D, it's really a must.
• Seeing Avon Barksdale from The Wire.
• The evil Queen from Game of Thrones makes a pretty impressive drug lord.

I'm not going to say this is anywhere near perfect, there's a few flaws but mostly it's a really solid action flick that's handled well for it's genre. It's in theaters now, but I don't think it has done too well so who knows for how long.