For years, the sci-fi genre has both suffered and succeeded in the hands of exorbitant directors, releasing films riddled with increasingly convoluted plots and glaring lens flares (sorry, J.J. Abrams)....

David Dobkin is a risk taker. After directing comedies such as “Wedding Crashers” and “The Change-Up,” he’s moved on to drama with “The Judge,” released on Friday. The film tells the somewhat...