Dredd
4K
(2012/Lionsgate 4K UHD w/Blu-ray 3D and 2D Blu-ray)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: A 3D Picture: B+ 2D Picture: B+ Sound:
A/A-/A- Extras: B Film: B+
Looking
back on the history of comic book to film adaptations, it's hard to
find one that captures the spirit of the character as true as Dredd
(2012), which has just been given a welcome update on the new 4K UHD
Blu-ray format. Starring Karl Urban (the Star
Trek
revival) as Dredd, the film features incredible special effects and a
tight screenplay that has done far better on the home video market
than it did initially in theaters and is a more faithful adaptation
than the Sly Stallone version from the '90s. There have been talks
about Urban reprising the role many times and one can only hope that
he one day will again.
Aside
from Urban, the film also stars (a fantastic villain you love to hate
played by) Lena Headey, Olivia Thirlby, Wood Harris, and Warrick
Grier.
Mega
City One is the current wasteland of future America and a world where
the most vile and vicious flourish. In a gated community, a ruthless
criminal named Ma-Ma (Headey) has manufactured a drug called
'slow-mo' that has a heavy and addictive effect on its users. As the
drug spreads and creates mass chaos, two Judges are brought in to
take down the criminal - Dredd (Urban) and the psychic Anderson
(Thirlby). Once they track down Ma-Ma, she locks the Judges inside
the facility and puts a warrant out for their death with a heavy
reward. Can they escape and take down this convict and her army of
drug addicts before its too late?
Dredd
is presented in stunning 2160p HEVC/H.265, HDR (10; Ultra HD
Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image looking and sounding
way better than before with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The
HDR brings out the colors and textures more profoundly than the
Blu-ray versions and fleshes out the superb cinematography in the
film and most notably its slow motion sequences. Also included are
the 1080p versions of the film on 2D Blu-ray and a 1080p MVC-encoded
3-D - Full Resolution digital High Definition presentation, the same
disc as the previous release. The 3D is fine, but the 4K look more
three-dimensional.
As
for the audio, the film is presented with a great sounding English
Dolby Atmos 11.1 track on the 4K Blu-ray that leaves little to
complain about (it plays as Dolby TrueHD 7.1 on systems lacking
Atmos), while the 3D and 2D 1080p versions offer a nice sounding,
lossless English 7.1 DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) track that isn't half
bad either. The Atmos track is a bit more impressive with some
heavier bass and a few more pronounced moments than the DTS-HD track.
It
should be noted that the Stallone Dredd
film offered its best theatrical audio on screens that could play its
8-channel Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) so we expect a DTS: X
and/or Dolby Atmos 11.1 upgrade on that film down the line and it
will be interesting then to compare the two sonically. After almost
a few years, still no sign of that from Disney/Touchstone.
A
digital UV copy is also included.
Special
Features...
''Mega-City
Masters: 35 Years of Judge Dredd'' featurette
''Day
of Chaos: The Visual Effects of Dredd 3D'' featurette
''Dredd''
featurette
''Dredd's
Gear'' featurette
''The
3rd Dimension'' featurette
''Welcome
to Peachtrees'' featurette
''Dredd
Motion Comic Prequel'' featurette
and
a Theatrical Trailer
While
there isn't much new in terms of supplements, this version of Dredd
looks and sounds far better than its predecessor and is definitely
worth the upgrade for fans of the film.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
