In the future, America has become an irradiated wasteland. Giant walls have been erected around the habitable area, creating a massive city that stretches from Boston to Washington D.C.. People now live in giant megastructures the size of city blocks, each containing a whole society within its walls. Crime is rampant, but a new justice force has been established. The cop-like Judges respond to reports of criminal behavior and serve as judge, jury and executioner right on the spot.

Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is a no-nonsense kind of guy who takes his job very seriously, and prefers to work alone. However, he has just been assigned the task of assessing a young rookie, Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), to see if she has what it takes to become a Judge. Anderson failed her applicant exam, but she has have given her a second chance due to her special abilities. Anderson is a mutant with psychic powers—she can read and manipulate people’s minds—a skill that could come in very handy in the field while trying to question perps.

The new partners receive a report of multiple homicides at the Peachtrees complex, which houses 75,000 people. They answer the call and soon discover that the victims had inhaled a dangerous new drug called Slo-Mo before plummeting hundreds of stories to their death. Slo-Mo makes the brain feel like time is passing at 1% of its normal speed, an so victims had a long time to think about their impending deaths. Dredd and Anderson learn that the complex is controlled by drug kingpin Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), and in their raid, they manage to capture one of her lieutenants to take back for questioning. However, Ma-Ma is afraid of what her employee might reveal, and so with the help of her techie lackey (Domhnall Gleeson), she locks down the building and cuts off all communications. Now Dredd and Anderson are trapped inside and must try to avoid or take out Ma-Ma’s seemingly-endless stream of goons as they look for a way out of this deadly building.

Dredd is an action-packed, high-octane thrill ride. From start to finish you are on the edge of your seat, wondering what new threat awaits Dredd & Anderson around the next corner, and are constantly questioning how these two judges could possibly survive and make it out of this building alive. The action is non-stop and the violence is bloody, and often over the top. However, the graphic level of violence helps to evoke a comic book feel, which hearkens back to the roots of the character. It had been a few years since the last time I saw this film, but watching it again now, I was reminded of just how awesome it is!

Karl Urban is perfectly cast as Dredd. While you never actually see his face under that hood, he does an excellent job at portraying this no-nonsense cop with a dry wit, and sarcastic sense of humor. Dredd is like Robocop meets The Terminator—no matter what comes his way, he doesn’t bat an eye (well, at least I’m assuming so as we can’t actually see his eyes), and just adapts and takes control of the situation. Lena Headey is deliciously evil as Ma-Ma. With her black hair and disfigured face, Headey’s appearance is quite different from her current role as Cersei on Game of Thrones, but just as dangerous. While Cersei has more of a manipulative method to her madness, Ma-Ma utilizes more gruesome and instantaneous methods of retribution and gratification.

The premise of Dredd is extremely similar to the Indonesian film The Raid, which was released shortly before this film. I’m not sure if there was any copying done there or if it was merely a coincidence. However, I thoroughly enjoyed them both movies, and Dredd even more-so.

Lionsgate’s new 4K UltraHD release includes both the 4K and 3D versions of the film, and each of these presentations has its own merits. You can certainly see this film was created with 3D in mind, although not in the gimmicky pop-out sense. There are a lot of overhead and wide shots of inside and outside of the Peachtrees complex that utilize the depth of 3D. When people are thrown off balconies and are plummeting toward their death, you can experience some of that falling anxiety. The 3D even adds a little extra dimension and depth to the close-up scenes. Where the 4K version really shines is in the Slo-Mo sequences. When people inhale this drug, time slows down and there is an almost euphoric feeling. This is represented using a rainbow-like color palette. The wider color range provided by the 4K presentation makes these scenes look even richer and more vibrant than in the HD counterpart. The 4K version also provides increased detail in faces, clothing and building textures, and richer-looking colors overall. When Dredd and Anderson first enter the Peachtrees building there is this palette of oranges and greens that looks quite beautiful on the 4K version.

The 4K UHD release features an excellent new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Motorcycles sound like they are zooming across your living room, bullets can be heard flying overhead, and the boom of explosions and heavy gunfire really shake things up. Meanwhile, the dialogue remains clear, and the score sounds fantastic—especially the psychedelic music during the Slo-Mo sequences.

While there were no new bonus features created specifically for this release, there is still a lot of quality supplemental material included. The Blu-ray disc is exactly the same as the 2013 stand-alone release, and contains all of the same bonus features. Most of the Blu-ray bonus material has also been ported over to the 4K UHD disc, except for some Lionsgate film trailers and a DTS soundcheck. The extras include 40 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast/crew and a motion comic prequel to the film.

This release comes with both a 4K UHD disc and a 2D/3D Blu-ray disc packed in standard eco UHD keepcase with a rounded-corner slipcover. The case also contains an insert with instructions to redeem an UltraViolet digital copy of the film. At the time of this review, Vudu was the only redemption option, and it only redeemed in HDX format, not 4K.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:35:54)

4K Ultra HD:

• 2160p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• HDR
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Optimized for Late-Night Listening, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish

2D/3D Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• 2D or 3D Playback
• Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Optimized for 11.1 Neo X Playback, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Optimized for Late-Night Listening, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish

Digital HD (Redemption Deadline 6/6/2018):

• Digital HD copy redeemable via Vudu

Extras:
The included 2D/3D Blu-ray is exactly the same as the 2013 release, and contains all of the same bonus features. The 4K UHD disc does not include any new supplemental material, but most of the Blu-ray features have been ported over. The minor exclusions are noted below.

• Mega-City Masters: 35 Years of Judge Dredd (14:27)
  A look at the history and evolution of Judge Dredd since his first comic appearance in 1977. Those interviewed include artist/co-creator of Judge Dredd Carlos Ezquerra, artist Brian Bolland, editor of 2000 AD/writer Matt Smith, writer/co-creator of Judge Dredd John Wagner, writer Mark Miller, artist Jock, and chief creative officer/editor-in-chief of IDW Publishing Chris Ryall.
• Day of Chaos: The Visual Effects of Dredd (15:21)
  A discussion about creating the look and effects of the film—creating Mega-City One, shooting in 3D, designing and filming the slow-motion shots, the use of CG and practical effects, and more. Includes concept art, pre-vis & behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producer/screenwriter Alex Garland, visual effects art director Neil Miller, visual effects supervisor Jon Thum, co-executive producer Michael Elson, cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, producer Andrew Macdonald, digital camera supervisor Stefan Ciupek and special effects supervisor Max Poolman.
• Dredd Featurette (1:53)
  Interviews with the cast and crew talking about the character of Judge Dredd are inter-cut with clips from the film. Those interviewed include star Karl Urban (“Dredd”), creator of Judge Dredd John Wagner, writer/producer Alex Garland, director Pete Travis, and producer Allon Reich.
• Dredd’s Gear (2:31)
  The cast and crew talk about the costumes and equipment. Those interviewed include concept artist Jock, costume designer Michael O’Connor, fabrication supervisor Rob Carlisle, motorcycle fabrication Alex Wheeler, and actors Karl Urban & Olivia Thirlby (“Anderson”).
• The 3rd Dimension (2:00)
  The film’s creators discuss the use of 3D and the special cameras created for this film. Those interviewed include producer Andrew Macdonald, lead stereographer Vincent E. Toto, cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, and concept artist Jock.
• Welcome to Peachtrees (2:33)
  A look at creating the building set where the action of the film takes place. Those interviewed include actor Karl Urban, producer Andrew Macdonald, writer/producer Alex Garland, production designer Mark Digby, set director Michelle Day, supervising art director Patrick Rolfe, and co-executive producer Michael Elson.
• Dredd Motion Comic Prequel (2:57)
  Narrated/voice-acted motion comic prequel showing how Madeline become Ma-Ma, and the creation of Slow-Mo.
• Theatrical Trailer (2:30)
• Also From Lionsgate (10:29)
  Trailers for “The Last Stand”, “Alex Cross”, “The Cold Light of Day”, “Tarantino Collection”, “The Expendables 2”, “The Men Who Build America” and Epix. Blu-ray disc only.
• DTS-HD Master Audio Soundcheck
  Learn about DTS Neo:X, and test your speakers for 11.1 DTS Neo:X, 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio configurations. Blu-ray disc only.

Final Thoughts:

Dredd is an action-packed thrill ride of a film that is just as enjoyable with every re-watch. The 4K UHD release features a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack and a more detailed and richly-colored picture. It also includes a solid selection of bonus material (all ported from the previous Blu-ray release). The set also includes 3D Blu-ray and Digital HD copies of the film. This release is the must own version for those who don’t already have a copy of this film on their shelf.