On a bleak, futuristic Earth wasted by wars and divided into overcrowded urban centers known as Mega-Cities, order is maintained by a fascistic, all-powerful law-enforcement force known as Judges. Mythical Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the helmeted lawman in charge of Mega-City One, which encompasses the territory between Boston and Washington, D.C. When he's told to train and evaluate mutant rookie Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), Dredd discovers that she possesses the genetic ability to read minds. Cassandra's psychic aptitude comes in handy when they respond to a violent, triple-homicide call and encounter scar-faced Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), a former prostitute-turned-drug empress, who dispenses Slo-Mo, a potent, aptly-named narcotic that allows users to experience reality at a fraction of its normal speed. When they arrest their perp, Kay (Wood Harris), the judges discover that they are locked into a massive, 200-story vertical tenement called Peach Trees—on orders from Ma-Ma. Based on a cult comic strip, filmmaker Pete Travis's Dredd bears little resemblance to Danny Cannon's 1995 cartoon-like take (which starred Sylvester Stallone in the title role), instead presenting a grim tale full of graphic, gory, gruesome violence—and little else. Optional, at best. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a "Day of Chaos" visual effects featurette (16 min.), a "Mega-City Masters: 35 Years of Judge Dredd" retrospective featurette (15 min.), the production segments "Dredd's Gear" (3 min.) and "Welcome to Peach Trees" (3 min.), a motion comic prequel (3 min.), a character featurette (2 min.), a segment on the 3D effects used in the film (2 min.), trailers, and bonus digital and UltraViolet copies of the film. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the 3D version of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a hyper-violent remake.] (S. Granger)
Dredd
Lionsgate, 103 min., R, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.99, Jan. 8 Volume 28, Issue 1
Dredd
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: