Demolition Man

When 20th century violent criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) breaks out of cryogenic prison in the year 2032 and wreaks havoc in a seemingly peaceful utopian society, wrongfully convicted cop John Spartan (AKA The Demolition Man) is thawed out to bring the maniac to justice.

I don't think I've seen Demolition Man since it came out in 1993; watching it today, I was amazed at how accurate some of its predictions of the future were (in essence, at least): in the film, digital transactions have replaced real money, there's a guy holding what could be considered a digital tablet (albeit a tad chunkier than an iPad), there are self-driving cars, non-contact social greetings (a must during these pandemic days), a board room where a virtual meeting takes place (although Zoom it ain't), and it's not hard to imagine how our current overly-PC/snowflake/cancel culture might eventually go so far as to make swearing illegal. Okay, we still wipe our butts with paper and have sex the old-fashioned way, and I don't see that changing in the next twelve years, but you can't get everything right.

Not only is Demolition Man's vision of 2032 eerily prophetic in many ways, but the film also features a witty script bristling with social satire, star Stallone in one of his best performances of the dumb '90s action flick era (happily mocking his tough guy persona), Wesley Snipes having a blast as the eccentric villain of the piece, and Sandra Bullock being super cute and looking mighty fine in skin-tight leggings (and I'm not even that much of a Bullock fan). Director Marco Brambilla balances the humour and the action superbly, opening and closing with guns a-blazing and huge explosions, but ensures that there is never a dull moment even when Stallone and Snipes aren't busting skulls and shooting up the place.

Hell, this film even features early roles for Rob Schneider and Jack Black that didn't irritate me - miracles do happen!

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.

This film's depiction of what society may become always struck a chord with me. The extreme side of PC culture is something growing at this very moment and it was amazing to see this idea conveyed so well for the time of it's release in 1993. The casting was perfect, Snipes was a great villain and to me Sandra Bullock stole the show with her jovial demeanor and comic relief as Stallone's partner. The advanced tech seemed very realistic for the time and the story itself was very original. The action scenes and stunt work were very big budget with nothing held back. Hand to hand, gunfights, car chases, explosions and one liners, this movie has it all so I was surprised by the sort of low rating the critics gave it. Definitely a solid 7.5/10.

This 1993 action sci-fi thriller from writers Peter M. Lenkov, Robert Reneau and Daniel Waters is actually a movie that proves somewhat timeless.

The storyline in "Demolition Man" is enjoyable and entertaining, especially because it is a good combination of storytelling and action sequences. And while this isn't exactly Shakespearian storytelling, there is just something great about this action-packed story.

Sure, the time frame of the storyline is askew, but the plot was and still is a very enjoyable one, and one that makes for good old fashioned hard-punching action entertainment that spews one-liners left and right. And the way that the future is presented as a non-violent place of harmony where you get fined for foul language and all things that are bad for you are prohibited, now that is just a stroke of satirical genius. I loved that aspect of the movie.

Director Marco Brambilla managed to put the script and storyline to the screen in a very enjoyable and entertaining manner, and that is why "Demolition Man" is a movie that you can watch again and again with some time passing in between each viewing.

The movie has a great cast ensemble with some pretty impressive names on the cast list actually. The movie is well-helmed by Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. And the movie also have the likes of Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne, Benjamin Bratt, Glenn Shadix, Denis Leary and others on the cast list.

"Demolition Man" is definitely one of the more outstanding movies starring Sylvester Stallone, if you don't count in the "Rambo" and "Rocky" franchises.

My rating of "Demolition Man" lands on a six out of ten stars.

This is one of those films that it is popular to think is rubbish. I'm not quite sure why. Don't take it seriously and it's a fun ride.

Wesley Snipes and Sly Stallone play off each other well as the forces of bad and good -- old foes that have come out of chryo-generic storage hundreds of years into the future.

Sandra Bullock as the nostalgia [for Stallone's time, naturally] struck cop isn't even rubbish and annoying -- a first time for everything!

Watch out for a fun performance by Nigel Hawthorne also.