Demolition Man

Sylvester Stallone was really beside himself when he took this film. Instead of trying to be the tough guy, he sort of made fun of his pre-existing persona in his role as John Spartan. Funny, and satirical of a gun-free society, it just proves that peace doesn't necessarily result in the most diverse range of self expression. The humor in the film was exceptional, and Wesley Snipes was great as Simon Phoenix. This also proved to be my favorite film with Sandra Bullock, who subsequently destroyed her career thereafter. This movie will always be good for a laugh, especially for the characters singing all of the commercial jingles.

Demolition Man is just good, goofy fun. You plop yourself down when nothing else is on and watch Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes blow up everything around them. Snipes plays Simon Phoenix over the top and that's exactly where he's supposed to be. Stallone has some good lines in this film, and he's actually a funny guy when he plays things straight. Of course, no action film would be complete without the prerequisite snappy one liners, outlandish action and bullets flying everywhere. A silly, but fun film to watch.

I first saw this movie in the theater when it came out in 93 and loved it. The cool futuristic toys and Stallone and Sandra Bullock make a great on-screen couple. Snipes delivers as the bad guy, and Stallone is the cop who is frozen but thawed out 36 years later to stop him once again. Plenty of one-liners and action.

Demolition Man has to be congratulated for its fairly accurate vision of the future. Driverless cars, video conferencing, laser cutting, voice activated commands, microchip GPS, and CCTV surveillance are all there. Less successful are the other changes envisaged, nearly all a result of cryogenics, in particular a crime-less society (save for the graffiti - there's a pop up laser for that). It's not like Minority Report (2002) though, as all the cops have become wimps. I have to take my hat off to the script if not the story, which is a typical Stallone hero tale. The script is very fun indeed. Some good writing went into how people from 2032 talk, wonderfully delivered by a charmingly energetic Sandra Bullock. The star though is definitely Wesley Snipes, whom must have been villain of the year for 1993. This movie is not as extravagant as Judge Dredd (1995), but it would be in the same ballpark as Total Recall (1990). There's a few classic lines too, such as Stallone claiming "I can do subtle", which, of course, he can't. Some great actors throughout bring much sparkle to their roles. It's a little long this movie, especially today, but you can't fault the fireworks, the stunts and the action. Demolition Man is still great popcorn entertainment.

Sgt. John Spartan (Stallone) is a tough cop for a tough age and Simon Pheonix (Snipes) is a nasty and violent criminal. When Stallone finally catches his man, he is found guilty of killing a group of innocent civilians at the same time; and they are both given sentences in the new cryo-prison. When Simon Pheonix escapes into a new world in the year 2032, the police have no way of dealing with such a vicious arch-criminal so they re-animate John Sparton, and so it begins.

I simply love the way the future is portrayed in this film, it is a wonderfully satirical crime free environment where the humans have become ultra-placid geeks under the new regime. Sandra Bullock and Nigel Hawthorne are the two main police-persons that we see and they are brilliantly funny in their performances.

Demolition man is as funny as it is action packed and although it's pretty shallow, it is still great fun to watch.

7/10