2012 was a great year for comic book films. "The Avengers" kicked off the summer with a bang, "The Dark Knight Rises" ended the best comic trilogy to date, and "The Amazing Spider-Man" rebooted a franchise with gusto. Then there was "Dredd", a middling film with grand intentions, that simply fell short of the mark. Karl Urban sneers his way through a role which he did fine at, but would have shined in a much better film. Olivia Thirlby serves as Dredd's trainee, a psychic orphan on her first call, and steals much of the film. While Lena Heady, whom I love in "300" and "The Sarah Connor Chronicles", plays the laughable head villain Ma-Ma. I was upset to learn that Alex Garland, who wrote 28 Days Later, wrote the script, because with proper direction this could have been a film that weighed the morality against the violence. Though it has plenty of over-the-top violence (the kind I tend to like), shoot-outs, and good performances from a strong supporting cast, "Dredd" has plenty of faults that keep it an over-stylized mess.
Grade: C
3D: Don't
Easter Egg: My company made me leave before the end of the credits... I don't know.
Starring: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Len Headey
Director: Pete Travis
Writer(s): Alex Garland - Characters: Carlos Exquerra & John Wagner
RT: 95 min
Rating: R for strong bloody violence, language, drug use and some sexual content
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