10 Reasons Why Dredd 3D Is Better Than Judge Dredd

5. Hardcore Violence

One thing that's frequently complained about in Judge Dredd is the rather regrettable lack of violence, which makes little sense given that the film received an R-rating, and is yet still a largely tame affair despite the occasional flash of blood. Characters are frequently shot to death off-screen in a cartoony way that makes one assume the film had earned a PG-13 rating, and in the instance of a Judge's gun being stolen, the booby-trap is only seen to stun a goon, whereas in the 18-rated reboot, it blows a man's hand clean off, complete with a gigantic spurt of blood. The irony is that the 1995 film tries to be funny in all of the wrong ways, whereas the 2012 version has a sicker, more sadistic and dark sense of humour, which is far more likely to appeal to the audience of the comic - again, keeping in line with its tone. Simply, though, Travis' version is a rambunctious orgy of violence first and foremost, making good on its rating and delivering plenty of stylish moments of beautifully realised gore. Moreover, this actually serves a point of sorts, as the instant executions and frequent senselessness of the violence helps to depict a civilisation that has essentially gone past the point of no return - at least in the scope of our own present perception of it - and violence is met with only more violence. And on the surface level, this makes for a bloody good time.
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Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.