As I begin I feel I must confess a dirty little secret, I actually like the original Judge Dredd film, the one with Stallone in it.  but after seeing this movie I realise how far off the Stallone film was.  This new Dredd film feels a lot more dirty and real.  Karl Urban as Dredd is probably the best bit of casting I’ve seen for a long time.  From a rumour I’ve heard Urban sort out the producers and asked to be considered for the role.  With the character never taking his helmet off it took an outstanding actor to bring the character to life but Urban did not bat an eyelid.  He had the voice down, the body language and the on-screen presence to pull us, the audience into it fully.

For those of you who do not know who Judge Dredd is he is a lawman in a post apocalyptic america where to escape the dead earth hundreds of millions of people have squeezed into mega cities.  The one where this is set is Mega City One.  Outside is the Cursed Earth.  With so many people inside these cities the justice system had to change so the Judges were created.  They have the power to not only arrest criminals but to give, and carry out any sentences they deem to be justified.  Including the death penalty.

In this movie Dredd is asked to give a Rookie with psychic abilities an on the job evaluation to see if she is made of the right stuff to be a Judge, but they get trapped in a giant tower block and have to fight their way to the crime lord Ma-Ma.  Played by the fantastic Lena Headly.  She is distributing a new drug called Slo-Mo and Dredd needs to not only stop her but also to survive in a tower block where all of Ma-Ma’s henchmen are out to kill him and the Rookie.  There is more to the plot then that obviously but I don’t like spoiling details.

As you have no doubt guessed there is a lot of violence in this film as Dredd and the Rookie, Anderson make their way to where Ma-Ma is.   Anderson has to come to terms with being a Judge whereas Dredd want’s to bring justice to this tower block.  It is full of action and as I said Karl Urban as Dredd is brilliant.  I would recommend this film to anyone who likes no holds bar action and in 3D it is amazing.  I’ve not been impressed with any of the films that I have seen in 3D until this one.

I am now actually thinking about buying some of the comics that this movie is based on, and I’m not a comic person.  That’s how much I enjoyed it 🙂