As for science fiction, Dredd is quite successful. It presents the world -- a post-apocalyptic world that is trying to survive, a walled mega-city that spans from as far as Boston to Washington DC -- that is filled with crime and infected with chaos and the only enforcement of order are the judges. The judges are bad-ass policemen who are highly trained, well-equipped, and serve as judge, jury, and executioner for the hundreds and thousands of crimes that are committed on a daily basis. The few judges there are can only serve to do as much as they can as the whole city is rife with dissidence. While there is no real example of what life is like for the everyday person and how the city operates and sustains itself, it is grimy and gritty and unpolished. It serves a fantastic visual backdrop of a future in the throes of chaos.

Enter Judge Dredd, an almost machine-like, helmeted juggernaut who is ruthless as he is unwavering in his devotion to the city and to the tenets of order. We have no backstory for Dredd and he never takes off his helmet throughout the entire movie. He is not glib nor is he particularly cheeky. He is all business and is devoid of charm or personality. What he doesn't have in character, he makes up for in being able to serve huge amounts of whoop-ass. He is quick on his feet and efficient. This is a person you don't want chasing after you.


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He is ordered to accompany and evaluate a rookie judge by the name of Anderson (played by Olivia Thirlby, Juno and No Strings Attached), who happens to be a mutant with powerful psychic abilities. As Dredd and Anderson investigate a triple homicide in the Peach Trees megablock, a 200-floor residential monolith that is best described as high-rise slum district, they discover the narcotics operations of Ma-ma (played by Lena Headey, Game of Thrones), a violent and merciless former prostitute turned drug lord. Anderson's evaluation becomes a deadly battle of survival as she and Dredd are trapped and hunted down by a whole megablock that's out to get them.

In terms of action, Dredd is filled with it. It's graphic and brutal. It's in your face and loaded with testosterone that all action-buffs would be very happy with. The element of danger is constant and Headey is frightening as the heartless Ma-ma. Headey is unpredictable and emotionless, almost inhuman in her severity. And what makes her even more frightening is that she's smart. She thinks ahead. She's a villain you'd be afraid of.

Judge Dredd is played by Karl Urban, but due to the sparse dialogue and the constant helmet, you only really see his mouth; he could be played by anybody. Covered head-to-foot in Kevlar-esque body suit, Judge Dredd is removed from any semblance of humanity. Dredd moves efficiently and quickly, like a robot. There is no false bravado. He comes in and he judges and he kills. This is not a hero. And that might be the film's failing. Unable to relate or to connect with the main character, you are just witness to this dazzling display of violence. Is it possible to root for a machine? The only bits of flesh of Urban that can be see is his mouth and that is in a perpetual scowl or snarl. Sure, he's bad-ass but he's not a person. He's a personification of extreme justice.

On the flip-side, and the film's saving grace, is the beguiling Olivia Thirlby. As a psychic, she is constantly aware of other people's thoughts and emotions. She has a little bit more of a backstory and she is haunted, for sure, by something terrible in her past and this gives her pathos that you can connect with. Lucky for Thirlby, the judge helmets interfere with her psionic abilities and so we see her face throughout the film. Thirlby is amazing, drawing you in with her determination to be a judge, to be equal to Dredd's fearlessness and yet, still affected by the thoughts and emotions of the people around her. She's the real draw to this film because she's the human element that we root for.


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So it was very polarizing, for me, seated in the cinema and enjoying the no-holds-barred blood and gore and violence, rooting for Anderson, and in a sick and twisted way, cheering for Ma-ma. The sound engineering and mixing was phenomenal and this film should be seen in a Dolby theater because the sound effects and mixing is expertly done.

But when I don't care whether the main character lives or dies, the character who the title of the film is named after, there's something wrong there. That's the only reason why I can't give myself completely to this film. And maybe that's what the creative team wanted. This is a presentation of a world gone wrong, of a world where justice has to be swift and cold and measured without pity or remorse. I don't know if I want to live in a world like this. And if Judge Dredd is the representation of what is needed, I don't know if I like him too. Thank God there's Anderson then.


Juice Recommends:

If you want a love story with emotional twists and roller-coaster turns, then Ruby Sparks is the movie for you.

Or, if you want more action and blood, check out Sipat Lawin's Battalia Royale!