Just saw “Dredd” over the week, with Karl Urban, Olivia Thirby, and Lena Headey.
It was surprisingly good.
First off, it’s a reboot, not a remake of the ’95 Sly Stallone version of Judge Dredd—which wasn’t half bad, but… lacking something. It might have been the writers, could’ve been the director, or something just missing from the tone of the flick. It had some moments, but it wasn’t the best story derived from the source material. I held off seeing 2012 Dredd just because I felt it was going to be done, well, half-assed. There are a lot of these reboots/remakes out there, way over my limit and testing my patience when I know there are better stories to be told, but the industry just can’t be bothered.
It was a Wednesday night, I was bored, it was there. I watched. I liked. I liked very much.
Urban is as cold as you can get in this thing. A lawman first, he’s tasked with mentoring and giving a passing grade to a rookie judge/telepath named Anderson (Olivia Thirby). There aren’t any eye rolling one liners in this thing, although Dredd does let loose with some stoic observations throughout the movie–which were good for a smirk and chuckle at times. The pair of judges get called in to an apartment tower city thingy to investigate a couple of homicides. They soon come up against a particularly nasty gang of drug addicts, who seal off the building, warn all non-combatants to seal the building, and then declare hunting season on the law… and anyone with a gun can bag the judges.
Well!
The story is straight-forward, balls to the wall action, and while watching I’d got the feeling that I’d seen the movie before. In another form. “The Raid–Redemption” is a movie that takes place in a Malaysian apartment building, where a team of Swat cops become cornered by a crime lord and his gang of killers who reside there. I did a little checking on the net and discovered that the makers of “Dredd” were actually asked if their story was stolen by “The Raid.” Their answer? No… the similarities are merely coincidental, and that the movie makers actually admitted this was, well, I thought it was cool. It happens.
Now, the question remains if there’ll be a sequel to Dredd… Karl Urban has gone on record saying that he’s game for one, and he says that fans of the movie should start voicing their desire for a sequel online. Checking on IMB.com, there’s actually a Twitter thread–https://twitter.com/DreddSequel which also leads to a Facebook page—in case you feel you want to throw in a vote. The movie flopped at the box office, but I’m reading that it had a new life in Blue Ray, so the idea isn’t so far fetched. It’s happened before.
It could happen again…
UPDATES:
131 Days book 3 reached 69K this week. A few things popped up that slowed me down, but it’s getting done. Sorta at a quandary as I’m wondering if I should split chapters up with numbers or the name of the character focused on. Or…. both. I’ve stopped working on the werewolf story for now, just to get book 3 done a little faster. And the multiple story threads and where they all fit in the timeline were giving me a reason to drink (which, while drinking doesn’t hurt, it sure as hell doesn’t help either).
Will continue the werewolf story afterwards, and then get moving on He-Dog 2.
Crime Fiction recommendation: Eric Beetner and/or Eric Beetner with KB Kohl.Just recently read “The Devil doesn’t Want Me,” “Too Many Blows to the Head” and”Borrowed Trouble.”
Great stories, characters, and brutal action. Very much enjoyed and highly recommend if you’re into the genre.