This adaptation of the Judge Dredd comics feels like what most people probably imagine a Judge Dredd film should be, especially when compared to the 1995 version, which was rather disappointing. Of course, that means there's a lot of violence; anyone familiar with the comics shouldn’t be surprised that it mainly involves eliminating criminals, and if force isn't enough, then more force is needed. For the most part, I enjoyed this movie. The plot is fairly straightforward but also feels like something you might find in a 2000 AD comic—a very appropriate storyline for a Judge Dredd film. It revolves around the drug “Slo-Mo,” which alters your perception of time. This gave the director free rein to use slow motion effects, which could have been irritating if overused. I think they were handled well in this movie; I especially liked the visual effect on the people behind the door Dredd blew open at the beginning. Karl Urban does a good job portraying Judge Dredd and, thankfully, he doesn’t take his helmet off in this film. It seemed like it was done to appease Stallone in the 1995 movie, and that was one of its failings. Judge Dredd isn't supposed to remove his helmet—that’s just how it is. “Ma-Ma” also makes a decent villain for this movie; he’s sufficiently psychopathic but intelligent enough to be a believable opponent, as believable as a Judge Dredd antagonist can be. I do have some complaints about the film, though. My biggest issue is that the city doesn't look like the ultra-modern metropolis depicted in the comics—at least, not in the ones I’ve read. It appears to be a collection of skyscrapers scattered among what remains of today's slums, and it still seems quite un-futuristic. The initial chase scene involves an old Volkswagen van, which I really didn't like; as far as I am concerned, that cost the movie a star. If my memory serves me correctly, MegaCity One was constructed on top of the ruins of the old world. Another thing that bothered me was the corrupt judges. It’s possible they drew inspiration from bad judges in some of the comics—I don't recall—but I still didn’t like it. Judges are meant to be above ordinary people, and I’m sure they could have come up with a different plot device than that. Regardless, I did enjoy the movie quite a bit. The excellent DTS-HD Master Audio sound on my Blu-ray copy certainly enhanced the experience. The surround and low-frequency effects were powerful yet balanced so they didn't cause my subwoofer to vibrate excessively. It was a very enjoyable movie evening.

Source on TMDB