I will admit that I was sold on the new Dredd movie, based on the character that has been a staple of the comic book 2000 AD since 1977, sin...
I will admit that I was sold on the new Dredd movie, based on the character that has been a staple of the comic book 2000 AD since 1977, since seeing the first image of actor Karl Urban in the iconic red and black helmet. Yeah, I know all you need to pull off the look of the character is a chin that seems to be hewn from granite, and while we haven't seen any footage, I'm confident Urban can do justice to Joe Dredd. Now a new image, coming from the movies International distributor, cements my excitement for the movie. Granted there has been some redesigns to the costume to make it a bit more realistic, but it looks to me like the character has been plucked from the printed page.
Also, an official synopsis for the movie has been released courtesy of the the movie's Facebook page. These are all details we've heard before, but this brings them altogether and gives us a real look at what to expect from the film:
The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lies Mega City One- a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called “Judges” who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd (Karl Urban) is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge – a dangerous drug epidemic that has users of “Slo-Mo” experiencing reality at a fraction of its normal speed.
During a routine day on the job, Dredd is assigned to train and evaluate Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), a rookie with powerful psychic abilities thanks to a genetic mutation. A heinous crime calls them to a neighborhood where fellow Judges rarely dare to venture- a 200 story vertical slum controlled by prostitute turned drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) and her ruthless clan. When they capture one of the clan’s inner circle, Ma-Ma overtakes the compound’s control center and wages a dirty, vicious war against the Judges that proves she will stop at nothing to protect her empire. With the body count climbing and no way out, Dredd and Anderson must confront the odds and engage in the relentless battle for their survival.
The endlessly inventive mind of writer Alex Garland and director Pete Travis bring DREDD to life as a futuristic neo-noir action film. Filmed in 3D with stunning slow motion photography sequences, the film returns the celebrated character to the dark, visceral incarnation from John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra's revered comic strip.
I get a vibe very similar to The Raid from this, and while I don't think it will scale the dizzying heights of that movie, the setting of the apartment block should limit the sprawling mythology of the comic book, eliminating the need to add superfluous elements from the book to make it feel like a Judge Dredd movie, one of the many things which I think hurt Sylvester Stallone's attempt at the character back in 1995.
Also, an official synopsis for the movie has been released courtesy of the the movie's Facebook page. These are all details we've heard before, but this brings them altogether and gives us a real look at what to expect from the film:
The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lies Mega City One- a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called “Judges” who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd (Karl Urban) is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge – a dangerous drug epidemic that has users of “Slo-Mo” experiencing reality at a fraction of its normal speed.
During a routine day on the job, Dredd is assigned to train and evaluate Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), a rookie with powerful psychic abilities thanks to a genetic mutation. A heinous crime calls them to a neighborhood where fellow Judges rarely dare to venture- a 200 story vertical slum controlled by prostitute turned drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) and her ruthless clan. When they capture one of the clan’s inner circle, Ma-Ma overtakes the compound’s control center and wages a dirty, vicious war against the Judges that proves she will stop at nothing to protect her empire. With the body count climbing and no way out, Dredd and Anderson must confront the odds and engage in the relentless battle for their survival.
The endlessly inventive mind of writer Alex Garland and director Pete Travis bring DREDD to life as a futuristic neo-noir action film. Filmed in 3D with stunning slow motion photography sequences, the film returns the celebrated character to the dark, visceral incarnation from John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra's revered comic strip.
I get a vibe very similar to The Raid from this, and while I don't think it will scale the dizzying heights of that movie, the setting of the apartment block should limit the sprawling mythology of the comic book, eliminating the need to add superfluous elements from the book to make it feel like a Judge Dredd movie, one of the many things which I think hurt Sylvester Stallone's attempt at the character back in 1995.
