Movies With Butter

Dredd had its first screening at Comic-Con on Wednesday and the reviews coming out of the event are overwhelmingly positive, which is surprising. I've assemble a couple of the reviews below.

Apparently, the trailers for Dredd didn't do the movie justice, causing people like me to prematurely judge the movie based what's shown in those. So much for me trying to be the judge, jury, and executioner of good taste in movies.

Granted, the average age of the reviewers at Comic-Con are within the target demographic of the movie, so the movie may not play as well with older audiences or with those who are not familiar with the character.

The general consensus for Dredd is that the movie is much better than Sylvester Stallone's 1995 version. It's an above-average action movie that will delight genre fans. Read on for the reviews.

Movieline's Jen Yamato says the movie, while enjoyable, is a missed opportunity. “Writer Alex Garland and director Pete Travis fail to seize the opportunity to tie it all together with meaning – something, anything – to elevate Dredd beyond mere fun, better-than-you-expect shoot 'em up entertainment,” she writes.

Shocktillyoudrop.com's Edward Douglas says the filmmakers “really understood the comics...” with this Judge Dredd reboot.

Hollywood.com's Matt Patches certainly enjoyed the movie. “Dredd isn't a great film, but it's a great Comic-Con film — one worth catching at midnight and screaming your lungs out all in good, absurd fun,” he writes.

Capone from Ain't It Cool News thinks “Travis does a remarkable job of keeping things moving, while keeping the tone serious but with room for the darkest of dark humor.”

Empire's Chris Hewitt brings out the puns, saying Dredd is “a solid, often excellent adaptation, and not at all Dreddful.“

Luke Y. Thompson, covering Comic-Con for Deadline, says, “[a]s for criticisms that it resembles The Raid: Redemption – some cinephiles will still say that (similar building, both very violent films), but it’s different enough to merit assessment on its own terms.”

Collider's Matt Goldberg agrees with Movieline's Jen Yamato in saying “[t]here’s enough to occasionally get the blood pumping and the audience cheering for the thrill kills, but the film’s lack of ambition leaves only its eponymous anti-hero as the element that’s more than grit.”

Screencrush's Jodan Hoffman says the movie is predictable, but “[a]ll told, it’s not dreadful.”

IGN's Daniel Krupa appears to be glad that Judge Dredd is back on the big screen in a not-all-together awful movie. “Dredd is a character study, primarily, one fuelled by violence and action, and we can’t think of a better way to re-introduce this character to cinema audiences,” Krupa writes.

Jobo's JimmyO likes the balance between violence and comedy in the new version. “While DREDD is extremely – and creatively – violent, it has moments of fun that cannot be ignored. There is humor here that keeps you smiling as heads are being smashed or blown up,“ he writes.

Todd Gilghrist, writing for Indiewire, says “[w]ithin genre conventions, “Dredd” satisfies as a containment thriller, buddy cop movie and futuristic action gorefest; the performances are strong, the characters thoughtfully developed and the visuals beautifully executed.“

Twitch's Charles Webb tells fans "to check this one out in 3D just to see the lovingly fetishized shots of human bodies being absolutely destroyed in a hyper color glow."

Fandango's Perri Nemiroff appears to be the only one at Comic-Con who didn't like the movie. "Dredd is a successful showcase of eye-popping violence, just not an enthralling story," he writes.

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