fascism |ˈfaSHˌizəm|(also Fascism ) noun an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.• (in general use) extreme right-wing, authoritarian, or intolerant views or practice.

I really wanted to like “Dredd” a lot more than I actually did.  This is an odd because I am extremely fond of the character, though I think that I understand what my problem was.

It’s that there was virutally no one to root for.  The Judges that exist in the film are, essentially, fascists (though I understand how they got to where they are, and emphasize to a point), while the criminal element generally takes advantage of people and their vulnerabilities, though that’s no different than when people first started to victimize each other.

Though I also emphasize with them, to a point.

“Dredd” is ripe for satire, like “Robocop,” which played in a similar sandbox; instead the film plays it straight, and suffers for it.

Another issue was that the canvas the film played upon was too intimate (the majority of the film takes place in “Peach Trees,” one of many massive buildings that the citizens of Mega City One call home).  If the film had perhaps dealt more with the Cursed Earth storyline I think that it would have not only served as a better introduction to the character of Judge Dredd, and would have made him a bit more sympathetic to viewers.

I also understand that the film didn’t have a huge budget, though it would have benefitted from the significantly broader canvas.

Though an odd benefit of a lack of empathy for Dredd is that, unlike Batman or Iron Man, I wasn’t sure that Dredd would survive.

Though in the end I couldn’t relate closely enough to the character to care.