Extreme violence, drugs in intense comic book tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Extreme and nonstop violence, gore, and peril. Gallons of blood spilled, hundreds of casualties, and thousands of bullets fired (some in slow motion, such as when a character's head is blown off). People are smashed by cars, burned alive, and thrown from great heights, splattering on the ground. Others are beaten, pummeled, and bloodied. Characters violently break someone's neck and gouge eyes. In a few extremely quick flashbacks, people are skinned alive while screaming. Two teens pick up guns to try to kill Dredd; he stuns them first. A scene suggests that a woman bites off a man's genitals: She kneels down in front of him, and the scene then cuts to him screaming and her with a bloody mouth.
Language
a lot
Language is constant and contains many uses of "f--k," as well as "s--t," "motherf----r," "ass," "goddamn," and "bitch."
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
The main villain manufactures and sells a (fictitious) illegal street drug called "Slo-Mo," which slows down the user's experiences. Slowed-down "drug trip" scenes are shown throughout the movie. Some teens are seen using the drug. No real-life drugs or alcohol are shown.
Sex, Romance & Nudity
some
A man imagines a woman performing oral sex on him, but the entire thing is brief; nothing sensitive is visible. A naked woman whose breasts are visible also appears in his thoughts. The lead villain is said to have once been a "hooker" and a "prostitute."
Positive Role Models
some
Judge Dredd's brand of heroism includes killing, and he often gets fixated on chasing criminals instead of protecting innocent civilians. But his apprentice judge, Anderson, is a counterpoint to the self-centered Dredd, showing empathy. Both are brave and work together to fight crime.
Diverse Representations
a little
The female lead, Anderson, is brave and both mentally and physically strong, as she fights crime in a dangerous environment. She falls into slight gender clichés of having initially been mentored by a man and being more compassionate and intuitive than he is. Main villain Ma-Ma is a female drug lord with a complex personality and backstory. The rest of the main cast is White, with Black characters in supporting roles. Chief Judge, played by Black Welsh actor Rakie Ayola, is the leader of the legal system but has very little screen time. Black American actor Wood Harris plays Kay, an important member of Ma-ma's crime ring.
Positive Messages
very little
Brutality and cruelty prevail in this dystopian future. The ways that criminal behavior is dealt with in this world may raise questions about how far the power of the law should extend, and the movie highlights the importance of having a good mentor.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Dredd is based on the futuristic comic book hero Judge Dredd, who was also the subject of a 1995 Sylvester Stallonemovie. Expect to see extreme sci-fi/fantasy violence, with thousands of bullets fired, gallons of blood spilled, and hundreds of casualties, including victims being splattered and burned, their necks broken and eyes gouged. Language includes many uses of "f--k," as well as "s--t," "motherf----r," "ass," "goddamn," and "bitch." A character briefly imagines oral sex being performed on him (bare breasts seen). The entire plot is about the manufacture and distribution of a fictitious illegal street drug called "Slo-Mo." Viewers see drug trips and teens trying it. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Apparently I am the only one who notice that there are breasts shown twice. Right before the brief suggested oral sex scene, you see the woman bend over from the front view fully naked, most is blurred but you can clearly make out full breasts and nipples. Directly after that during the oral sex scene she is on her back and one breast and nipple is shown. This is not for kids.
Common Sense Media's review is spot on. There is a significant amount of on-screen violence, death, and destruction. For older teens and adults, this movie is a joy, an excellent action movie with great pacing and action throughout. I highly recommend it.
What's the Story?
In the future, Judge DREDD (Karl Urban) works as law enforcer in Mega-City One; his job has been simplified, allowing him to kill anyone who's actually guilty. He's assigned to test out a new rookie judge, Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), to see whether she has what it takes. On their first day, they enter a 200-story high rise to investigate a triple homicide. They find a possible killer (Wood Harris) and decide to take him in for questioning. But the evil drug queen called "Ma-Ma" (Lena Headey) who runs the entire building shuts it down, preventing any escape, and then orders the occupants to kill the two judges. Will our heroes survive long enough to complete their mission?
No subplots, romances, or comic sidekicks get in the way of the pure action in this adrenaline-filled movie. Both Dredd and the earlier The Raid: Redemption are set in a high rise with the bad guy at the top, where every floor is more dangerous than the one before it. Fortunately, the two movies are different enough—and enjoyable enough—that they can exist side by side. Based on the popular comic book, Dredd is extremely violent but minimalist at the same time. Even Urban, as Dredd, speaks only when necessary and only in an emotionless murmur.
Director Pete Travis uses space well and also incorporates awesome production design, such as a skateboard ramp that hangs off the side of the building several hundred feet up. The "Slo-Mo" drug trip sequences in particular are quite dazzling. Thankfully, even these flashier elements are all employed solely for the purpose of underlining and enhancing the action. Overall, Dredd isn't as rich or as deep as The Dark Knight Rises or The Avengers, but it's good, solid comic book fun.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Dredd's extreme violence, gore, and blood. How necessary is it to the story? How does it compare to what you might see in a horror movie? Does violence add to your overall enjoyment of the film? Why, or why not?
How do the actions of law enforcement characters compare to those of the villains? What is the movie saying about the powers of the law? Do you agree or disagree with the film's message?
As a superhero and/or comic book hero, is Judge Dredd a role model? How does he compare to other comic book heroes you've seen (Batman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, etc.)?
What does Anderson learn over the course of the movie? Is she a positive role model? If so, what character traits make her admirable?
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
