Hacker Cinema
Dredd
2012 · Film · 96 min
Directed by Pete Travis
In the future, America is a dystopian wasteland. The latest scourge is Ma-Ma, a prostitute-turned-drug pusher with a dangerous new drug and aims to take over the city. The only possibility of stopping her is an elite group of urban police called Judges, who combine the duties of judge, jury and executioner to deliver a brutal brand of swift justice. But even the top-ranking Judge, Dredd, discovers that taking down Ma-Ma isn’t as easy as it seems in this explosive adaptation of the hugely popular comic series.
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I prefer the later version with Karl Urban - and to me it was expressive too.
Here’s a fun interview that includes a related question:
> Did having the helmet affect your acting at all? How did you maneuver around wearing that for the entire movie, and could you see through it?
> Oh yea [I could see through it], it took a bit to figure it out, it really did, and it was a challenge, you know, the challenge was how to communicate with an audience. And not only because my eyes weren’t visible, but because of the fact that the character of Dredd operates within a very narrow bandwidth, he is a man who has been trained to keep his emotions in check, so consequently it was very important for me to identify how I could humanize the character as much as possible. The sense of humor became very important, that dry, laconic sense of humor, and finding out where’s this character’s compassion? Where does his empathy lie?
NOTE: minor generic plot references follow.
https://reelreactions.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/reel-reactions-exclusive-interview-with-karl-urban/
Some of my favorites (no particular order):
- The Martian
- Arrival
- Snowpiercer
- Annihilation (a bit scary in some parts, but not really horror overall)
- The Congress
- Ex Machina
- Her
- Children of Men
- Blade Runner & the new Blade Runner
- Gattaca
- District 9
- Edge of Tomorrow
- Elysium
- Terminator 1 & 2
- Upgrade
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- Mad Max (new one) and Fury Road
On the cheesier side:
- Demolition Man
- Judge Dredd (both the original and the new one)
- Terminator 3 and beyond
- Matrix movies
Grand vistas but slow and sometimes boring, and often haughty / overbearing:
- The new Dune movies
- 2001: A Space Odyssey and its sequel (some other number, like 2010 or something, can't remember)
- Interstellar
- Inception
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Of all of those, my top 3 would be the first three (Martian, Arrival, Snowpiercer).
The Crow
The Machine (if you like Ex Machina, try it)
Alien
Prometheus
Fight Club
Secretary
Casablanca
Kill Bill
The Emperor's New Groove
Star Wars Episode IV - The original goodness, not the CGI horror-show.
Star Wars: Rogue One
American Beauty
Dredd.
Hellboy (directors).
Blade Runner (theatrical).
Chocolat.
Noise (Australian film, 2007. Love that one).
I try not to watch films too many times in quick succession. The repetition dulls the experience for me.
The 2010s in sci-fi gaves us:
- Dredd
- Melancholia (may not qualify for some sci-fi fans, I suppose, and I can understand why—it's so very allegorical)
- High Life
- Under the Skin
- Annihilation
- Ex Machina
- Edge of Tomorrow
- Looper
- Blade Runner 2049
- Sorry to Bother You
- Arrival
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- The Last Jedi (I know lots of people hated it—I think it's the only more-or-less good Star Wars movie since the original trilogy, and was shocked at the broadly-negative reaction, having come out of the theater thinking "finally, we got a good one, even if it did play the ending way too safe; everyone's going to be so happy!". We're not gonna change each other's minds in HN comments. Agree to disagree.)
And that's just the ones I've seen and thought were somewhere between good and great. And that I could remember or quickly find a reminder of with a quick search. I hear very good things about the new Planet of the Apes series (like, "each entry is better than the last" good) but have only seen the first one. Lots of people liked Rogue One, Snowpiercer, Ad Astra, and Interstellar (I didn't, or at least didn't think they were notably good, but hey, lots of people did). Godzilla, Pacific Rim, and Kong were OK romps. Heard good things about Upgrade and Attack the Block, but haven't seen them. The Martian was OK (some loved it). Inception was alright (again, lots of others like it way more than I do).
How many really good sci-fi movies did the 70s produce? The 80s? I think we're doing fine.
> Realistic if your approach to the problem is one of barbarism.
To be fair, the history of humanity is overwhelmingly marred by barbarism. When it comes to establishing and maintaining governance, humanity appears to have a penchant for isolating and punishing groups that fall outside of the in-crowd.
For instance, look at heavily policed neighborhoods populated mostly by low income families. Are those neighborhoods really so different from the megastructure block housing units in the movie Dredd? The only thing that really changed from here to there is the population density.
I thought that the movie Dredd gave a pretty believable portrayal of what a post-homelessness world might look like. Gigantic, self-contained slums that can basically be locked down like prisons.
Edge of Tomorrow is another very good sci-fi non franchise film. Also Dredd 2012 which is a comic book film, with an awesome design, but it's fully standalone.
Marvel films have cheap, lazy cinematography, for the most part, so they leave a lot on the table in the name of (I assume) saving money. Every Frame a Painting mentions this in a few videos, especially their poor use of music and failure to do anything with mood-of-setting and, relatedly, camera work and editing (match it to the mood of the scene, contrast it to mood of the scene—little of that kind of thing at all, it's just very flat).
> (I realise TG: Maverick isn't going to be everybody's taste but it's the best film I've seen at the cinema in a long time, and the first time I've walked out of a movie feeling absolutely wowed since, perhaps, The Matrix came out in 1999.)
- Everything Everywhere All at Once
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- Blade Runner 2049
- RRR if pure, audacious, crazy popcorn-munching spectacle and a movie that's constantly saying "yes, and..." does it for you.
- Dune (the new one). Watch it on the biggest screen and best sound system you can get access to. Actually, that kinda goes for all of these.
A big step down from those in quality and they're not going to give you that "wow" effect, but still action films that are better than nearly all Marvel movies:
- Any Mission Impossible movie except maybe 2.
- The John Wick movies.
- Dredd.
- The Raid 1 & 2 (which Dredd rips off pretty blatantly, but it's decent, too)
I've heard very good things about the later Planet of the Apes (remake series) movies but have only seen the first one, personally.
Painful to limit myself to action movies. There are so many good films.
If you like those I bet you'll like the "recent" judge dredd movie with karl urban.
The best superhero movie, Dredd, is British.
> Greeters in stores?
Quintessentially walmart. Can't say I've seen any other store do that.
> It's interesting how one generation's vision of utopia often becomes the dystopia of the following generation. In his time, Le Corbusier was heralded as the genius of modern architecture. Today, his buildings seem vaguely dystopian (to me, at least) and remind me of the recent 2012 Dredd movie.
That structure in Dredd reminded me of Corbs Ville Contemporaine (aka 'A City of Three Million Inhabitants') design. Interestingly, the objective was to bring back a green landscape without sacrificing urban density. Almost everywhere there isn't a structure there would have been park. Manufacturing, Business, Recreation, and Habitation each occupied it's own zone. One of Corbusier's plans could fit 800-1200 residents/hectare.
It's an interesting observation on our vision of a utopia; Paul Rudolph enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity in the 60's & 70's, now many of his structures (in the U.S.) have been dismantled. Luckily some past endeavors age well, e.g. Neave Brown was awarded the Gold Medal by RIBA for Robin Hood Gardens several years ago, Trellick Tower is still standing, etc.
It's interesting how one generation's vision of utopia often becomes the dystopia of the following generation. In his time, Le Corbusier was heralded as the genius of modern architecture. Today, his buildings seem vaguely dystopian (to me, at least) and remind me of the recent 2012 Dredd movie.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=dredd+movie+building&t=osx&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images
Fuller probably envisioned the shape of his buildings as futuristic and naturalistic, but to me, they look like nuclear power plants. Icons (as in a simplified, recognizable image) end up playing an unexpected role.
From the countries I've visited, I'd say Berlin (especially Prenzlauerberg) and Tokyo had the most pleasant version of urban design. With Berlin, most apartments have balconies, streets are wide enough to let shops expand onto the sidewalks, and public transit works extremely well. Tokyo mixes commerce with residential in a way that American cities get completely wrong.
There is also a city in Poland, Łódź, which also has a geometrically appealing layout: it's essentially a single long street with two concentrations at either end. The city itself is still recovering from the 90s and is fairly run-down outside of the center, but the conceptual simplicity has an appeal that's hard to describe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piotrkowska_Street
Dredd, while an excellent movie in general, really was a very good example of 3D cinema. I attribute it to the way the slo-mo effect reset the 3D perception in my mind.
I remember going to see one of the Abrams Star Trek movies in 3D and at the start on some technicolour planet someone throws a spear at the screen and I’d say most of the audience tried to physically dodge it. Thereafter I forgot about the 3D effect and my brain adjusted.
In Dredd, every time there is a scene where someone inhales the slow-mo drug the brightness of the scene increases dramatically. It restarted that part of the brain that made me want to dodge that spear.
And yet the 3D upconversion of Terminator 2 was incredibly well done. Like anything else, the quality is based on the effort and money you put into it. (Compare with the 3D Jurassic Park, which varies from adequate to terrible.)
That said, the best native 3D movie I've ever seen is Dredd. The few upconverted scenes stick out like sore thumbs because they're so planar.
Mulling over the concept, I think the only way to direct a quality Metal Gear film is to ditch the idea of mass appeal and intentionally attempt to create a cult classic that captures the spirit and story of the original, not unlike Dredd or the new Blade Runner film. And with the correct marketing and angle, hopefully crossover into mainstream appeal like Mad Max: Fury Road. Tricky, but there's a first time for everything.
Alternatively, they could go The Shining/2001: A Space Odyssey route and just make a very good film that doesn't resemble the original work very much. But Vogt-Roberts is not the Kubrick for that, nor does he seem like the type to piss off original authors.
Maybe it's the settings on my TV, or maybe it's due to my expectations, but I'm more consistently blown away at home than in a cinema. In a cinema I adjust to the 3D more quickly.
To name drop another movie, I'd highly recommend Dredd to anybody that has a 3D TV available.
Books & movies can help you connect with your location or situation, they don't have to be a diversion.
When living in China I liked to watch dystopian sci-fi & anime based in large cities - Akira, Ghost in the shell, Oblivion, Dredd, The fifth element, total recall
Then grab some headphones and go for a wander around your megacity :)
PS this also works for other scenarios. Eg "Black cat white cat", or "Brother" if strapped for cash. "Fight club" if your job is getting you stressed.
I think lot of art is created by artists as a "cure" for their current worries. And their problems tend to be just like ours.
The only movies I've seen that do 3-D "right" have been Avatar and Dredd. The former because the technology was built around the film, and it was presented in this subtle way that created an extraordinary depth without feeling cheesy or tacked on.
The latter because they really did some cool effects with the "Slo-Mo" drug that didn't have the same impact in 2-D.
But aside from those, it just feels like a way to charge more for a less-enjoyable experience (films that are too dark, potential headaches, uncomfortable glasses).
Sad to see Rebellion sinking so low. I was a big fan of 2000ad in my youth. In the 90s, the Kingsley brothers - also life long fans - bought the comic and started making games from its IP. It was a dream come true for me. Unfortunately none of the games were anything to shout about, and eventually rebellion moved on to generic ww2 shooters. Then they became legal trolls. I wish they'd just concentrate on making a decent 2000ad IP game. An open-world MegaCity-One would be incredible but they don't have the money for that kind of thing anymore. They should go retro, return to their roots. Make a Hotline Miami style Sinister Dexter shooter. Or a Slaine roguelike. Or a Judge Anderson point and click adventure.
At least the dredd movie was good.
Edit:
Just remembered this story. Back when I was a wannabe mod maker I had grand plans to make a Sinister Dexter total conversion for Max Payne. I didn't want to plow ahead and get sued, so I emailed and asked permission. Jason Kingsley personally emailed back and very politely told me that although it was something they'd love to see, they couldn't give me the all clear because they had something shopping the same lines in the works. It never came to pass unfortunately. Still, it was nice of him to reply. I don't know how they got from there to legal battles against people making a game that had nothing to do with their IP
3D gives me a headache. It also looks rubbish. I watched Gravity in 3D after Mark Kermode admitted it added something. It was bearable because it was a concise film and was enjoyable. But it works only in specific cases like these. It's more like a theme park ride than something that works on any film. Other times I was forced to watch 3D were: Dredd (only available in 3D), The Hobbit (was curious about 60fps which was only available in 3D). I regretted it each time.
Going to repeat a lot of what has been said so far:
- Minority Report (The TV show isn't bad either)
- Ex Machina
- District 9
- Elysium
- Oblivion
- Edge of Tomorrow
- Looper
- I am Legend
- Her
- The Martian
- The Matrix (Only 2 & 3 if you're super bored)
- Basically any of the Mad Max series
- Firefly (TV show, movies are OK)
- Dark Matter (TV show)
- Snow Piercer
- American Ultra
- Last Witch Hunter (more fantasy than SciFi)
- Riddick
- Dredd
- X Files (I mean, it's not NOT scifi...)
- Treasure Planet (Yes, the animated one)
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Gets a bad rap for being animated, but it has it's own language and everything)
- Serial Lain Experiments (anime)
- Watchmen
- The Dark Knight
- Inception
- The Prestige (technically SciFi)
I can go on for hours
I like looking at stuff like this, but it's a completely unrealistic view of humanity's future.
If we're really lucky, the cities of the future will look something like those in Blade Runner (minus the part about people living offworld) or Dredd, or even the Mad Max movies. But more likely, things are going to look more like 28 Days Later or The Walking Dead, or the scene of the future in The Terminator.
I watched Dredd on Netflix a few days ago, and I'm struck by how similar these apartments and the blocks in the movie look.
seen it. what a violent film, all i could think while watching the video were scenes from Dredd. this building's real life.
Moonrise Kingdom was the best. The Hobbit was great.
Looper was good, but the ending wasn't logically consistent I think.
Since no one has mentioned it, I would recommend Dredd. It was a good movie going experience. Don't know it would make good viewing outside a cinema, though.
Cloud Atlas was interesting, but not as insightful as it was made out to be.