Dredd 3D

When I saw the trailer of Dredd 3D a few weeks back, I was actually taken back 17 years to that Stallone starrer called Judge Dredd based on the same character. A character that was actually created 18 years before Stallone decided to make a movie on it. It was part of a magazine called 2000 AD and coincidentally its longest running character as well.

This one is directed by Pete Travis (Vantage Point) with the assistance of a significant amount of Special Effects and current day technology. Travis takes the story of Judge Dredd to the level that it probably should have deserved the first time around. But then, the technology one had access to was as archaic as the 19th century at that point of time.

Now don’t get too far ahead of yourself. The technology doesn’t do much to change an otherwise plain storyline. But there is an change this time. It is not an exact replica of the flick from 17 years back. This time around, we have something that was distinctly missing the last time.

This time, we have Madeline Madrigal (Lena Headley) – appropriately called Ma-Ma. A hooker from a few years back who now has control of a full fledged 200 storey complex called Peach Trees. She has slowly but surely removed all the other clans from the place. And now, more than 75000 people are under her control. And she is mean as mean can be or do.

And she is also producing the latest drug known to mankind – Slo-Mo – because it makes the world go around at less than one tenth its normal speed. Although there is a fundamental disconnect I have with the concept I will save that debate for later. Ma-Ma now intends to ensure that the rest of Mega City 1 i.e. about 800 million people have access to Slo-Mo.

But, she has our protagonist to deal with. A street Judge. Someone who in this day and age – mid 22nd Century – is allowed to dispense justice on the fly. So s/he can walk into a crime scene for e.g. a homicide scene, catch hold of the killer and blow his brains out. Simple right? And very effective. Dredd takes over a homicide case where 3 men are skinned and thrown off the 200th storey of Peach Trees.

He arrests one of Ma-Ma’s henchmen – Kay (Wood Harris). Ma-Ma does what she is best at. Locks down Peach Trees and tries to do away with Judge Dredd. By the time she realizes that she has bitten off more than she can chew, it is a bit too late. Dredd has already started wreaking havoc – single handedly.

Superb special effects is the hallmark of this version of Judge Dredd. The first scene with the credits itself comes straight at your face. But I did think that the use of slow motion (the drug and the way it was shot) was a bit over the top. Not much of a story line per se but made in an extremely slick and compact manner with little or nothing that was unnecessary.

For that reason alone, I thought it was a good watch. Unfortunately, the SFX demands that the movie is seen on the big screen. It will not create an impact at all if you watch it on TV. And the 0915 hrs show @ PVR Mulund @ 80 bucks was like totally worth it. If you are an action fan, then this is a great movie. If not, avoid like the plague. 6 on 10.

Watch the trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3033834521/