Netflix pick for 9/16/13 – ‘Dredd’

Almost like a throwback to the stripped down, awesome action movies of the 1980’s, “Dredd” is the little movie that could, as someone (namely actor Karl Urban and writer Alex Garland) decided that they were going to make a bad ass movie about the iconic British-created comic strip character that totally erases the memory of the 1995 filmatic abortion of a movie that is “Judge Dredd,” and lo and behold, these wonderful folks succeeded, giving us the awesome and over the top Judge Dredd movie for which fans of the character have been waiting for years, and which non-fans never knew that wanted or needed, at least until they laid eyes on this gem of a film.

Here is a small excerpt from my original review when the movie came out last year:

“And of course there’s one super bad ass judge amongst them all, the one whose reputation exceeds him, and that is Judge Dredd (Karl Urban, Star Trek). He’s totally by the book, though that doesn’t mean he won’t give you a second chance or a good deal – it’s just that the perp has to be able to recognize when Dredd is actually offering said deal. Sometimes what amounts to compromise for Dredd is simply allowing the criminal offender to pick their poison. And if Dredd gives you an option, you better make a choice quick, cause he’ll shut down negotiations almost faster than you realize you were negotiating, and if he makes the decision for you, it won’t be the one you would have preferred. And Dredd does is all with a permanent scowl and deadpan humor, like a slightly more human version of Robocop…slightly.”

Seriously though, I love this movie to death, especially after getting a chance to revisit it, as there is just so much to like about it. Sure, it ain’t perfect, but between Urban’s awesome performance (full of scowls and gruff, mono-syllabic retorts), the soundtrack which vacillates between rock guitars and a droning electronic score, and the fun action scenes, this has got to be my most favorite pure action movie to come out in YEARS.

Judge for yourself (see what I did there?) and check this out now on the Netflix Instant.