After the hideously bad 1995 attempt to turn the violent
British comic book JUDGE DREDD into a big budget film starring Sylvester
Stallone one would have been safe in assuming that the possibility of another
movie based on the character rested somewhere in the realm of fantasy and could
never happen. After all- that terrible cinematic waste bombed at the box office
AND was freakin’ hated by the source material’s fans. It was everything you
don’t want to be when making a film of its type- stupid, insulting, over-produced,
poorly scripted, ineptly acted and wrong-headed in almost every choice made.
And then they threw in shitty comic relief in the form of one of the most unfunny
human beings on the planet earth. Disaster!
So I am stunned to report that a new Dredd film was made and
released this past month and - even more surprising- it is completely awesome!
This is exactly the kind of movie that anyone who has ever read the original
comics has pictured. Its brutal, violent, slyly funny and smart in its depiction
of a dystopian future that seems more likely than most presented onscreen. It is ROBOCOP for a new generation. The
wise choice was made to simply stage a day in the life of Judge Dredd as he
takes a rookie Judge on her field test. This rookie is the mildly psychic Anderson and the fact that
she is a female Judge doesn't stop her from being as tough and no nonsense as
Dredd. The performances are perfect with the great Karl Urban proving that its
possible to emote very well using just body language and his commanding voice.
Dredd is never seen without his trademark helmet and Urban makes that possible
limitation work for him as he advances through the mild arc his stoic character
travels. Likewise Olivia Thirlby is excellent as Anderson showing a real skill at
communicating an iron determination beneath an empathic face. And Lena Headey
as the scarred drug lord villain continues to impress me as an actress worthy
of bigger and better roles.
Mention should be made of the visual beauty of the film.
DREDD is a truly rare thing- an action art film. All the dirty, grimy and nasty
things shown in the movie are presented in a wonderfully artful and, dare I say
it, beautiful fashion. The almost painterly deaths of certain characters and the
energetic, stylized fight scenes are exciting and gorgeous to behold. I would
love to see sequels to this film made if the same cast and crew could be enticed
back.
The fourth in the BOURNE series ends up being one of the
most satisfying. Focusing on a new character involved in the Treadstone debacle
its story takes place during the events of the third film and fits very well
with that one and the series as a whole. I'm becoming a huge fan of Jeremy
Renner and Rachel Weisz is easily one of the best actresses of her generation.
I'm not sure why she hasn't been more heavily praised over the last decade but
her resume is incredible.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN:
VAMPIRE HUNTER is just as silly, hyper-stylized, over the top and fun as I
expected it to be. Indeed, to have gotten any other type of filmmaking from
crazed Russian director Timor Bekmambetov would have been a disappointment. I
was happy with its sharp period detail work as well as its amusing take on our
16th president. Its fun in a way that few films try to be these days by being straight-faced
about its absurdities and never winking at the audience. It will be a very hated
movie but only by folks with a tiny imagination.
The fifth RESIDENT EVIL film is a bit of a mess. It holds
together quite well for about the first half and then becomes a series of video
game like set-ups and shoot-downs that get repetitive and - sad to say- dull.
None of the movies since the first have been something I can rationally defend
as 'good' movies but I have enjoyed them overall until this one. It just didn't
have a good enough through line for me to like the story being so sloppily
told. Its a lazy film and, although it has its moments, a lot of them seem stolen
from other, better movies. Like the previous one this film ends with a set-up
for a sequel that actually intrigues me but I now hope the next is the final
installment. Its time to wrap up the story of Alice and the Umbrella
Corporation before I turn against the entire thing.
THE WARRIORS (1955)- 7 a.k.a. THE DARK AVENGER (fun 'Black Knight'
period Errol Flynn adventure)
THE BOURNE LEGACY (2012)- 8
BLADE RUNNER (1982)- 8 (the
famed workprint)
THE SMILING GHOST (1941)- 6
BLOODSPORT (1988)- 6 (Van
Dammage!)
ESPIONAGE IN TANGIERS
(1965)- 6 (breezy Euro-Spy adventure)
MISSING IN ACTION (1984)- 5
(rewatch)
JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM (2012)-
7 (What happens when villains use Batman's plans to take down the Justice
League?)
SUPERMAN VS. THE ELITE
(2012)- 8
RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION
(2012)- 5 (weak but still not terrible)
LORNA THE EXORCIST (1974)- 7
MERRY WIVES OF RENO (1934) - 6 (fun
pre-code divorce comedy)
ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE
HUNTER (2012)- 6 (silly, over-the-top and entertaining)
THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
(2012)- 9 (rewatch)
THE ADVENTURES OF GERARD
(1970)- 6 (silly period comedy based on Arthur Conan Doyle character)
ROCK & ROLL HIGH SCHOOL (1979)- 8 (rewatch)
NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (2009)-
3 (lackluster remake)
THE MEPHISTO WALTZ (1971)- 7
(nice possession tale)
DREDD (2012)- 9 (now this is
how you make a Judge Dredd film!)
