Remember back in 1995 when Judge Dredd was released?  No?  It’s probably for the best that you don’t.  It was terrible.  So bad in fact that when word came down that Hollywood would be sending the good Judge in for a remake, I had no interest whatsoever.  Then I heard who was cast as Dredd and my ears perked up a bit.  I adore Karl Urban and thought maybe this one would be better.

There’s been loads and loads of talk about it and even a few photos showing Urban in the get-up helmet and all.  The only skin he shows is his stubble-riddle strong jaw.  Which kind of bums me out because I do like looking at him but if him being helmeted the whole time means this will be a better film, it’s a small price to pay.  By the looks of the this gritty new trailer, I think it will be.

For those who haven’t heard about it, here’s the official synopsis:

The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lies Mega City One- a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called “Judges” who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd (Karl Urban) is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge — a dangerous drug epidemic that has users of “Slo-Mo” experiencing reality at a fraction of its normal speed.

During a routine day on the job, Dredd is assigned to train and evaluate Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), a rookie with powerful psychic abilities thanks to a genetic mutation. A heinous crime calls them to a neighborhood where fellow Judges rarely dare to venture- a 200 story vertical slum controlled by prostitute turned drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) and her ruthless clan. When they capture one of the clan’s inner circle, Ma-Ma overtakes the compound’s control center and wages a dirty, vicious war against the Judges that proves she will stop at nothing to protect her empire. With the body count climbing and no way out, Dredd and Anderson must confront the odds and engage in the relentless battle for their survival.

The endlessly inventive mind of writer Alex Garland and director Pete Travis bring DREDD to life as a futuristic neo-noir action film. Filmed in 3D with stunning slow motion photography sequences, the film returns the celebrated character to the dark, visceral incarnation from John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra’s revered comic strip.

I will say that this trailer does indeed portray a dark, gritty film.  After watching this trailer, I’m cautiously optimistic that the film will be good.  I don’t have any knowledge of comic version, only that piece of crap Stallone film so you could say I’ll be going into this blind.  But how bad can it be with Urban, not to mention Lena Headey as the villain?  Like I said….cautiously optimistic.  We’ll find out for sure on September 21, 2012.

Check out the trailer and let me know what you think.

About the author

Tracy Ladd has written 534 articles on this blog.

Tracy has been writing about film since her days on the her high school newspaper. Even though she took a decade or two off to explore other things, she's back to doing what she loves. She also bakes, can knit a pretty nifty scarf and makes lightsaber sounds with her knitting needles. Or chopsticks. Especially with the lightsaber chopsticks. Follow her on Twitter: @ReelGoddess

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This entry was posted on Friday, June 22nd, 2012 at 10:20 am and is filed under Film, Trailers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.