Same Law, New Dredd!

When you decide to create a movie from a popular comic series, something that has been done before and not worked so well, you better be good at what you doing, or else simply step aside and let it be. I am thankful that the creators of the new Dredd movie did not do the latter. Dredd 3D is not a remake / sequel of the Judge Dredd movie of 1995 starring Sylvester Stallone that failed to convince many apart from maybe the hardcore Stallone fans (confession: I still love it when Stallone snarls 'I am the law!'). But what Judge Dredd missed out on, Dredd 3D delivers in plenty. It is gritty, tough, uncompromising, puts in the punches in the right proportions, does not sway away from the bloodshed, and does not lose its graphic novel touch. It is probably all that the Max Payne movie could have been, but never was. 

What makes it tick, most of all, is the presence of Kal Urban donning the famous helmet that never comes off throughout the movie. Who Kal Urban, if you ask, then you might remember him as Dr. Leonard McCoy from the latest Star Trek movie. When it was announced that Kal Urban was being cast in the shoes of a character that Stallone had previously played, I had my doubts, probably due to ignorance of his other works. The doubts have truly been squashed. Urban carries the black leather suit with aplomb, a snarl always on his face, and a gruff voice that Eastwood might have been proud of. It's a time where dearth of action heroes seems apparent (as the old ones are still riding high and teaming together, calling themselves Expendables!), and the arrival of Kal Urban provides some food for thought (though he is no teenager himself, at the age of 40). Made on a modest budget of $45 million, Dredd 3D could make enough dough to warrant a sequel. One shall have to wait and watch...

In the meantime, Peter Jackson has revealed the latest trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. And If anyone had any doubts as to the Hobbit trilogy matching up to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the trailer showcases that the scale and size of the adventure that Bilbo Baggins is going to embark upon will be no less than what Frodo did. The landscapes are vast and picturesque, the amount of unheard/unseen creatures has not diminished, the battles have the signs of being edge-of-the-seat stuff once again, and the presence of Gandalf continues to calm the oh-so-frightened hearts. This is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year (uhmm... wasn't Avengers as well? And The Dark Knight Rises?) and December 14 could not have felt so further away! 

PS: To relive those older memories, Sylvester Stallone as Justice Dredd in 1995!