Rashid Irani's review: Dredd 3D

First filmed in 1995 under the title Judge Dredd, the Stallone version of the British comic book series was justifiably derided. The bad news is that Dredd 3D is only marginally better.

DREDD 3D
Direction: Pete Travis
Actors: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby
Rating:* 1/2

A-poster-from-the-movie-Dredd-3D

First filmed in 1995 under the title Judge Dredd, the Stallone version of the British comic book series was justifiably derided. The bad news is that Dredd 3D is only marginally better. The second big screen adaptation finds the hard-nosed law enforcer (Urban, grimacing behind a helmet) and a clairvoyant rookie (Thirlby) trapped inside a 200-storey residential tower ruled by a sadistic drug dealer (Lena Headey, barely menacing). The justice dispensing pair – judge, jury and executioner rolled into one – must battle the bad guys on their way to the top floor. Set at a lethargic pace, the wannabe thriller unleashes a barrage of explosions and bone-crunching stunts. There’s nothing in the video game-like carnage which we haven’t seen before. The recurring slow motion shots (discourtesy Slumdog Millionaire cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle) are wearisome. Another pointless genre exercise, Dredd 3D makes for joyless viewing. Avoid.