Movie Review: Dredd (2012)

I am the law

Judge Dredd gets sent to investigate a triple homicide.  His superiors saddle him with a rookie judge, who just happens to be a psychic.  The rest of a shoot-em-up good time.  This 'day in the life' of a Judge Dredd is very watchable for genre fans and action fans as well.  Based on the comic book character of the same name, Dredd is the type of film which should be widely publicized and enjoyed by comic fans, action fans, and sci-fi fans.  Sadly though, it is also the type of film which gets overshadowed by inferior films such as Thor and Captain America, and Man of Steel.  On the whole, it is way better by far than most of the big name super hero films.  The story is tighter and the action is tougher.  It has much more in common with Christoper Nolan's Batman series, Blade, and Constantine than it does with most other contemporary comic book films.

Dredd pummels its comic book competitors to get to 4 out of 5 stars!

Director: Pete Travis

Writer: John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra, Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine)

Starring: Karl Urban (The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, Star Trek rebooted) Olivia Thirlby (The Darkest Hour), Lena Headey, (The Sarah Conner Chronicles, Game of Thrones) Wood Harris (The Wire)

Rotten Tomatoes:78%

Metacritic: 59%

Prometheus (2012)

Never trust a robot
The scientific crew of the Prometheus is tasked to find evidence of an ancient civilization on a distant planet.  Upon arrival, the crew discovers a structure .  And if you're ever seen any of the Alien films, you can guess what happens next when they begin to explore it.   Ridley Scott has made another fantastic sci-fi thriller.  And while it is not specifically an "Alien" story, this film still fits well into the existing Alien cannon of films. The only thing keeping me from giving it the maximum '5' is a couple of ridiculous situations.  But despite any minor flaws, Prometheus delivers an engrossing story, great action, gorgeous sets and lots of entertainment.  And after all, isn't that what films are about?

Prometheus extracts 4 out of 5 Poblanos! 

Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Jon Spaihts (The Darkest Hour), Damon Lindelof (Lost)
Starring:  Noomi Rapace (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbende, Idris Elba, and Charlize Theron
Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
Metacritic: 65 out of 100

The Darkest Hour (2011)

Back in the USSR
A group of young people are trapped in Moscow during a worldwide alien invasion.  While trying to survive, they also figure out how to stop the aliens.  This film got panned by the critics, but I really liked it for several reasons.  Firstly, the concept is interesting and original.  The alien invasion story has been done (and overdone), this film explores it in a fresh way.  Also, no character is safe; anyone can die.  Lastly, it is just a fun film, something that is missing in Hollywood.  Everyone wants to be edgy and cool, but where's the fun?  Sure some of the action is implausible and there are a couple of plot holes, but the film remains enjoyable (unlike some big budget films, Fast Five being one) and is much better than most things Hollywood puts out.  The Darkest Hour is produced by one of my favorite directors Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch, Day Watch, Wanted)

The Darkest Hour gets a respectable 3 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Chris Gorak
Writer: Jon Spaiht
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby and Max Minghella
Rotten Tomatoes: 11%
Metacritic: 16 out of 100