Since at least his appearance in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, Karl Urban has been building quite the impressive resume, particularly carving out a niche for himself as a fan favorite in the Sci-Fi and Fantasy space. Although Urban hasn't quite become a household name in the same way some of his co-stars have, he continues to get pretty significant roles in high-profile movies and TV shows.
Some of the highlights of Urban's filmography from the late 90s to now include:
• Julius Caesar in the Sam Raimi-produced Hercules and Xena shows
• Éomer in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings
• Vaako in The Chronicles of Riddick
• Bones in the J. J. Abrams Star Trek reboot series
• Skurge the Executioner in Thor: Ragnarok
Additionally, Urban has found major success on a streaming series in the lead role of Billy Butcher on Amazon's adaptation of The Boys. Fans can also look forward to Urban appearing in the sequel to the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot in the role of the franchise's beloved major character, Johnny Cage.
Among the other movies and shows Urban has appeared in, 2012's comic book movie adaptation Dredd stands out as a high point on Urban's Sci-Fi resume and one of the best pieces of proof that he's quietly become an icon of the genre.
Dredd is one of Karl Urban's best performances
Based on the long-running British comic book 2000 AD and following the comic's best-known (especially to non-British audiences) character Judge Dredd, 2012's Dredd is actually the second Hollywood adaptation of the comic. However, the 1995 Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone is remembered more as a cautionary tale than a good adaptation, or even a particularly good movie in its own right.
Directed by Pete Travis, with a script and significant production and editing contributions from Alex Garland, whose latest film Warfare recently hit theaters, Dredd has a fairly simple plot. Judge Dredd is called into a 200-story apartment block to bring a gang of drug dealers led by the crime boss Ma-Ma (played by Game of Thrones' Lena Headey). As part of her final evaluation, Dredd is accompanied by the aspiring Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), a mutant with telepathic powers.
Aside from Dredd's brief opening narration that describes the dystopian, post-apocalyptic setting of Mega-City One, Dredd doesn't force too much information on the audience. On the one hand, it presupposes that the audience is already familiar with the 2000 AD lore, but on the other hand, anything that needs to be explained for the audience's benefit is delivered in an organic way.
In a lot of ways, Dredd is very similar to the John Wick franchise. On the surface, both are straightforward action movies that can be summed up as an unstoppable hero blasting his way through hordes of bad guys to get to the primary antagonist. However, both Dredd and John Wick make it clear that they are the products of teams with a high level of care and attention. The action scenes aren't just mindless violence, they're constructed and framed to maximize their visual impact and unfold with brilliant choreography.
As Judge Dredd, Karl Urban delivers a fantastic performance. He carries the character with a suitable sense of gravitas and authority, although with a surprising amount of understated but really funny humorous lines. Although he delivers Dredd's signature "I am the Law" line with poise and quiet menace rather than bombastic force or volume, it's clear that he means it and that the bad guys are in for a bad time. What is particularly impressive about Urban's take on Judge Dredd is how much emotion and expression he is able to convey with just the bottom half of his face, since Dredd is never seen without his trademark helmet.
An uncertain future for Dredd
Although Dredd was well-received overall by critics — and, unlike the 1995 adaptation, won the approval of Judge Dredd's creator John Wagner — the film largely failed at the box office, due in large part to a lackluster marketing campaign. However, in the decade or so since its original release, Dredd has become popular through online streaming and has comfortably settled into a niche as a cult classic, especially with fans of the original 2000 AD comics.
Although there has been nothing concrete, cast and crew, including Urban and Garland, have expressed openness to a sequel. An animated YouTube series was released in 2016 by the movie's producer, Adi Shankar (showrunner for the Netflix Castlevania and Devil May Cry series). Additionally, a television series known as Judge Dredd: Mega-City One was announced in 2017, but thanks in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was been little news about its status, though it has not yet been formally cancelled and does appear to still be in production.
Although Judge Dredd's cinematic future is still up in the air, it's worth noting that the original 2000 AD comic book, which debuted in February 1977 and is still going strong.