Is there a good movie in here somewhere? Absolutely. But is this a good movie? Absolutely not.
What Works: This movie is based off the same graphic series that “inspired” the Sylvester Stallone Judge Dredd movie, and all the fans of the source material (you know, all twelve of them) say this is much closer to the actual comic. Problem is, I’m not too sure more than twelve people will really give a shit about that, and I doubt anyone even remembers the Stallone movie well enough to make the comparison. [I can just barely recall it. Still, I do remember it being equally generic, but more impressive in its scope, which we’ll get to that in a second.] The opening shots and voiceover setting up this world—–a vastly overcrowded mega-city where everything is over built and populated and “Judges” are cops that act as judge, jury, and executioner—–all set us up for a great, exciting time…
What Doesn’t Work:…that never fully shows up. I think they’ve come up with a great world to set this type of movie in, but the main problem is that they never really play in it. Very early on, the two judges (Karl Urban and Olivia Thrilby…how’s that for an odd couple?) show up at a mega apartment complex and the entire movie takes place in it. All of that early excitement and promise is quickly walled off from this larger, more inventive world and I think that was a mistake. And although the movie is advertised as being a real show-stopper in 3D, the extra dimension (and ticket price) adds nothing to the movie, so save your money there. Plus, do we really need more movies championing fascism?
What I Would Have Done Differently: I can’t get past the spectacularly bone-headed decision to create this fully interesting world and then imprison it in a much more standard movie where the cops are basically living out a first-person-shooter video game in a big apartment complex. A much better version of this movie (maybe the third time’s the charm) would play like a sci-fi version of Southland, with the two super cops on patrol during a day. [Of course, that movie couldn’t open on the same weekend as End of Watch, but this one shouldn’t have anyway.]