Dredd (2012)
Judge Dredd, a law enforcer given the power of judge, jury and executioner in a vast, dystopian metropolis called Mega-City One, is saddled with the task of handling the final evaluation of rookie judge Anderson, a trainee who exhibits a high level of psychic ability. The evaluation patrol takes a turn for the worse as Anderson and Dredd find themselves being called upon to bring justice to a 200-storey high-rise block of flats and deal with its resident drug lord, Ma-Ma. Only problem is – pretty much the entire building is against them!
Outside of the fact that this film was shot mostly in South Africa, thus automatically making it super cool, as a big fan of Dredd over the years, I have to say that I absolutely loved this movie. It is wall to wall action that never ceases to satisfy, and despite the fact that this is a fairly simple get to the top of the building plot, the story manages to keep you fully engaged from start to finish, buoyed by some fantastic acting by Karl Urban as Judge Dredd (and on that note, he really is the perfect Dredd) and Olivia Thirlby as Judge Anderson.
Special effects are in plentiful supply, and I have to say, the graphic gore and violence was needed in order to make this a realistic Dredd outing. Visually striking, great costume design and a pulse binding soundtrack, finally 2000AD fans can properly forget about the Sylvestor Stallone Dredd disaster from all those years ago!
Oh, and one last note: by retreating from an overly futuristic setting, the film actually benefits in that it becomes less campy, more dark and gritty, and thus easier to sink one’s teeth into. Definitely an inspired move then.
Related Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dredd
Safe House (2012)
Matthew Weston is a “Housekeeper”, basically the operator of one of the CIA’s many safe houses around the world, his being nestled in the heart of Cape Town South Africa. His inexperience as a field agent is however about to be put to the test, as a CIA’s most wanted rogue agent by the name of Tobin Frost simply walks into the Cape Town American Embassy and hands himself over, sparking off a chain of events that will pretty soon see both Tobin and Matt gunning for their lives!
Another movie shot in South Africa, Cape Town to be more precise, and to be frank, this is a fantastic action thriller brought to us by director Daniel Espinosa which pits the always fantastic and engaging Denzil Washington against a believable, likable and in the end very capable Ryan Reynolds.
Superb action sequences, great cinematography and a good musical score all combine with a well told and well paced story that is sure to hook you and keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
An enjoyable action romp without a doubt, made even better for all us local Capetonians thanks to its location!
Related Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safe_House_(2012_film)
Dark Knight Returns: Part 1 (2012)
Bruce Wayne is an old man now, and Gotham hasn’t seen any sign of Batman for over ten years now. However, the city is slowly being taken over by its dark side, with villainous gangs on the rampage and old rogues gallery villains making a reappearance.
But it isn’t always that easy to ignore the Bat inside…
Finally, the animated movie adaptation of Frank Miller’s groundbreaking 1986 Batman story arc, and pleasingly it’s off to a fantastic start. The story is dark and brooding, the villains intense and menacing, and quite frankly the combination of slick, miller-inspired animation style, fantastic voice actors and intense action sequences make for yet another stunning entry in DC Universe Animated Original Movies series.
Because this is a part 1 of 2, the movie does leave you begging for more, but even on its own it’s a good and proper hit, well worth picking up for any comic book or animation fan!
Related Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_The_Dark_Knight_Returns_(film)