Film Bites: Karl Urban Lays Down The Law In The First Trailer For DREDD

Hmmmm. Not real sure what to think of the first trailer for DREDD. The fanboy in me is 100% psyched that Karl Urban looks and sounds pitch perfect as Judge Joseph Dredd, the visual landscape is slick but gritty, and the on-screen violence is appropriately over the top. All that combined with the presence of underrated hotties Lena Headey and Olivia Thirlby is good news to me.

The whiny critic in me, however, is shocked and confused that DREDD appears to be a sci-fi reboot of THE RAID: REDEMPTION. I wasn’t expecting that. Yeah, I know both movies were shot years apart and don’t have any real connections other than the premise (super cops have to battle their way through an impenetrable fortress to take down a drug lord) but it is very strange. Definitely not a deal-breaker by any means (the good here far outweighs the bad) but certainly a bit off-putting.

Oh well. DREDD still looks awesome. That’s all that really matters. Enjoy the trailer.

PLOT 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 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, 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 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.