reviews
These are reviews by various people all over the world. Those are all the good Demolition Man reviews.
Review 1
I was astounded by the creativity by this action film. After being cyrogenically frozen since 1996, Los Angeles' most forceful police officer John Spartan and Los Angeles' most ruthless criminal Simon Phoenix, have been brought back for the fight of the galaxy! Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes are dynamite. Phoenix (Snipes) has been brought back to assassinate a homeless rebel leader and Spartan (Stallone) has been brought back to stop the sadistic man. Oh my word! Phoenix learned martial arts and curses up a storm at a bank machine. I know the feeling! But, a censoring program will not allow Phoenix to swear and he gets even more upset. Hostility! The year now is 2032 and San Diego and Los Angeles have been merged as San Angeles. It is a time of peace and 'be well' amongst society. Unfortunately, all of the smiley faces have been introduced to Phoenix and Spartan! Phoenix goes to a museum and gets some artillery. Spartan follows and they fight to the finish. Spartan took time to get used to the 'new' times. He swears plenty, wants to eat meat and doesn't understand Sandra Bullock. The mayor of San Angeles dresses in bed sheets and told Spartan to 'be well' when he was angry. Spartan's response is ultimate and forever will be memorable. You'll have to see it to live it! This movie made me want to go back in time and see it for the first time again. Too bad there weren't any special features on the DVD. But, it's ok, this movie is a masterpiece and was overlooked at every awards ceremony. Rip-roaring entertainment that anybody would love. I saw this movie when I was nine-years-old and I will watch this movie forever.
Review 2
No wait!?! I always get that song title mixed up with The Eurthymics 'Missionary Man'...
I also got this DVD mixed up with one with a commentary and theatrical trailer!!
Which was missing from my one purchased in New Zealand. South Pacific buyers BEWARE when buying locally!!
Read what is offered on the back not what is listed on the inside!! Same packaging - Different DVD...
And for the first time in all my viewings of this action favorite - did I hear 'Pizza Hut' dubbed over Stallones obvious visual pronunciation of 'Taco Bell'!!
....
Speaking of yummies!?! Did Ms Bullock ...ever look so appealing in a movie!?!?! Wow!! Stallone was great!! Funny and charming as ever... Definitely one of his best!! Even the kid selling it to me had to smile and comment accordingly... 'Great movie!!'
Wesley Snipes was hilarious!!
I loved this film from 'wo to go'... only the other way round - cos we all know ' go' comes first and 'wo' comes at the end... Which is now!!
Review 3
John Spartan did not do the crime but he did do the time (30 years in a cryogenics facility to be exact). All of that changes one day when the authorities in power the Police Department of San Angles lets him out.
The only catch is that his arch nemesis
(a certain psychopath named Simon Phoenix) has escaped from prison.
How will Spartan survive in a world of (as is so aptly termed in the movie) a bunch of robed sissies" With expressions like "Murder Death Kill" and "Her life force was terminated" and "Be Well". This language really ticks me off.
My impression-This what I consider to be the last good Sylvester Stallone movie. He has had a couple of decent ones since, but not many that can pull off the difficult task of being action packed and funny.
I also happen to love Dennis Leery. Even though if I were being honest I'd have to say he stole a good deal of his material from the late-great Bill Hicks.
Leary's performance along with Snipes provide some badly needed comic relief. Along with the action that makes this one of the better sci-fi movies of the 90s.
Review 4
This action-flick is an excellent satire, spoofing such themes as "political correctness", "moral correctness", & extremes in philosophy & thought, within the context of a live-action "comic-book"-type of story. Of course, it also has exciting, well-paced action sequences & fun (because they're so dopey) one-liners. The producers even manage to pull off obvious plugs for their sponsors in a funny, yet (ironically) plausible way. (Taco Bell is the ONLY restaurant left in "the future!" I also wonder if Armor Hot-Dogs & frozen vegetable & dog-food companies also sponsored, since their jingles are the "hit songs" in the future. Well, popular "oldies" at least, according to Sandra Bullock's character.)
Two reasons why I didn't give it 5 Stars:
First, Stallone's daughter is mentioned yet that matter is never resolved. (Why mention something if you won't follow through?)
Second, since this is done in a "comic-book" style, as a personal preference, I would have liked to have seen Snipes' death left somewhat "ambiguous" (so he can come back & plague Stallone in a sequel!) That's just a preference, though.
Of interest: The whole "Rip Van Winkle" frozen-cryogenic plot device used here is almost repeated in exact detail in "Austin Powers."
Listen for Bullock's reference to Jackie Chan's movies BEFORE he hit it big in the U.S. & is it just me, or does anybody else notice that Wesley Snipes' "Simon Phoenix" character resembles the Joker? --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 5
Sylvester Stallone has been in some really bad movies; most notably Cobra, Oscar, and of course Rhinestone. In 1993, Stallone made a breakthrough, a breakthrough meaning that he made movies that people didn't walk out on! First off that year, he made Cliffhanger, which was a big domestic and worldwide box office success, and then he followed that with Demolition Man, which was his best breakthrough movie since...well, Cliffhanger.
The movie mixes the usual action with humor. Sandra Bullock cuteness and Wesley Snipes' whacky hairdo and funny one liners makes this movie watchable. Stallone plays bad-boy cop John Spartan who is frozen in time for irresponsibly taking the lives of innocent people after a bust to catch bad guy Simon Phoenix, played by Snipes, who is caught and put in an ice cube also. 36 years later, the world is a much safer place. Crime is at a rate of zero and people are well-behaved. What happens next? Simon Phoenix escapes from his prison and he is out in search of destruction and since there are no equally demented cops to catch this sort of criminal, they release Spartan to pursue him. And the fun begins! Bullock plays the role of a 90's obsessed cop who becomes Stallone's partner. Her quotes are the funniest in the entire film. ... The movie also features funny cameos by Denis Leary and Rob Schneider.
Despite the movie being a mixture of action and comedy and not solely comedy, this is Stallone's funniest role to date.
The DVD features only include the trailer and shot-by-shot commentary by the film's director Marco Brambilla. But for the movie's sake, this DVD is worth keeping!
Review 6
This is an enormously entertaining film that is slyly intelligent, chock full of action, and quite humorous. The time is the future, 2032 AD, the location is California, and the police just ain't what they used to be, as the future is a sanitized, politically correct world, where only the most benign behavior is the standard by which all live. Even bad language is a no no. The police of the future have nothing in common with the police of the past. Guns are outlawed, as is all physical violence. Los Angeles is no more, having merged with San Diego into a new entity known as San Angeles, which is ruled by the architect of the new society, Dr. Raymond Cocteau, who is played with sage aplomb by the late Nigel Hawthorne. He is not, however, all that he seems.
This is, indeed, a "brave, new, world" and Lenina Huxley, played with delicious comic abandon by Sandra Bullock, is a police woman who waxes nostalgic for the past. The LA PD is now the SA PD. Her colleague, Alfredo Garcia, played with Eagle Scout earnestness by Benjamin Bratt, epitomizes the new order of things. He is a dudley do right without the wherewithal to set right what is soon to go wrong. His is a future where everyone's whereabouts are known to the police, as all are tagged with a device that allows the police monitor their whereabouts. His is a future where all obey instantly and civility is the standard of the day. His is a future where all address each other by their full names. His is a future where meat is no longer a food item, the use of salt is illegal, and corporate franchise wars have left Taco Bell to reign supreme as THE restaurant. His is a future where sex is a non-contact activity.
The violent past intrudes on this sanitized future in the persona of Simon Phoenix, played with over the top abandon by a blond Wesley Snipes, who, like a phoenix arising out of the ashes, is freed from his cryogenic prison and unleashed upon an unprepared SA PD. Clueless in the face of such testosterone charged violence, the SA PD arrange to have twentieth century super lawman John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) released from his own cryogenic prison in hopes that he will be able to deal with the chaotic nature of Simon Phoenix and stop his senselessly violent rampage. Lenina Huxley is teamed up with Spartan in order to help him adjust to this brave new world. She is over the top with happiness at this development, as her fondness for nostalgia will be sated by the opportunity to get up close and personal with a blast from the past.
Needless to say, Spartan and Phoenix clash, as old warriors are wont to do. There is enough violence, mayhem, and action to satisfy the most die hard fans of this genre. What happens will not disappoint the viewer, as old scores are settled, inequitable situations are righted, and a brave new world gets a little fine tuning for the better. This action flick, sci-fi crossover does not fail to entertain, and it does so more intelligently than most films in this genre. Make no mistake, however, while Wesley Snipes gives her a run for her money, it is Sandra Bullock who steals the show with her drolly delivered dialogue, her deft comedic timing and innate charm. Sylvester Stallone, as wooden as ever, is not even a blip on the radar. --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 7
Sylvester Stallone is John Spartan, the infamous "Demolition Man" of the LA PD, a one man SWAT team with more brawn than brains. In the near future, Spartan botches a hostage situation involving a one-man crime wave named Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes). Though Phoenix is caught, all the hostages are killed. Both Phoenix and Spartan are convicted and sentenced to cryogenic suspended animation - Spartan for 40 years, Phoenix forever. Spartan is re-animated in the less near future decades later for an impromptu parole board review. By now, the city is cleaner, neater and much more polite (everybody carries personal locators imbedded in them and are monitored at all times; bad language is punishable; guns are completely outlawed - it's like Singapore and "Rodeo Drive"). Ruled by the sage Dr. Cocteau, everybody speaks in full sentences and call each other by their full name - all the time. In other words - it's a time that neither Phoenix nor Spartan belong in. Mysteriously, Phoenix manages to end run the security devices holding him in - escaping into a future ill-equipped to deal with him. When Phoenix single handedly wipes out a squad of future-cops sent to reel him in, PO Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock) comes up with the desperate idea of re-animating Spartan, thinking him the only one capable of taking Phoenix down. Spartan finds the new era a shock - meat is outlawed, corporate franchises operate at every economic level (witness our heroes enjoying an elegant dinner party...at Taco Bell!?!?) and pop-culture is devoted to old commercial jingles. He also finds that plain old poverty survived the brave new world - with a tribe of starving bandits eking out a bare (if un PC existence) in the old LA sewers behind the oddly named Ed Friendly (Denis Leary). While committed to icing Phoenix (for good this time) Spartan also pursues an odd link between Phoenix and the seemingly sage Dr. Cocteau, the architect of this brave new world.
Though it's big and loud, there's more to this action flick than Joel Silver pyrotechnics (this is opposite of "Swordfish" which was supposedly was about cyber-crime and terrorism, but instead really was about big explosions, rapid fire weapons and skin). Instead, the flick slyly creates political correctness only to have both Phoenix and Spartan blast it to pieces - when Phoenix compares Cocteau to an evil version of "Mr. Rodgers", you'll know for certain. If you had to read "Brave New World" in school, you'll find some references linking the flick and the book, but mostly it's about weak and polite people getting beaten or thrown through plate glass or simply running or fainting away in cowardice at the slightest sign of danger. The script is great, having the future citizens speak in a new age style of speech in which they dish out such howlers as "dump your hormones" and "what is your boggle". Stallone is great as a piranha out of water, completely out of his league in a future that has no 4-letter words. But Snipes is also great playing the hyper-everything Simon Phoenix in an over-the-top performance that hints at how much fun the "Blade" movies could have been. Sandra Bullock threatens to steal the movie playing the little-girl adult character of Lenina Huxley (one of the flick's more overt references to "Brave New World") whose loyalty to the new age masks a nostalgia for the old ways (with their action, their big, unsafe and inefficient cars, and their idiotic catch phrases "Take this job and shovel it!" and "let's blow this guy") Any way you cut it, a fun flick you should blow (away) some time with.
Review 8
The irony that defines this popcorn pleasure can be summed up with the comments of the unimportant little girl to the reporter who questioned the over-all worth of Spartan's rescuing her with such damage, "F*ck you, lady!" This film came after The Last Boy Scout and before The Professional, so the presence of such a verbally feral child was thankfully brief.
As for the action, we have some of the best inserted John Wooisms to come out of 1993 (Hard Target, aside). Some good jumping,diving, a little of the required two-gun alternation. There is the Bad Good Guy, and the really likable Bad Guy, and instead of the universal terrorist (Al Leong, where has he gone?) We have, you guessed it... Minnesota Gov.-to-be Jesse Ventura ventilating the "evil Mr. Roger's" since Phoenix's Manchurian reprogramming prevents it.
Considering the state of Sci-Fi action at the time, it was disappointing that the rest of the movie couldn't live up to the Wile E Coyote pace of the Museum piece. Otherwise a good handing-over of the riens flick for Stallone, to Snipes. Now if Stallone would just get some more "Daylight" and less "Driven".
I can't leave without saying how much this movie benefited from the presence of the West Coast Automotive Design Industry contribution. Take a could look. Some of those vehicles are prototypes that have hit, and left, the street. Back to the Future, indeed.
Review 9
While this film did not break any box office record, the dialog that is laid down by Wesley Snipes is worth viewing again. In the original screening, the fast paced rapid delivery was as fast as the bullets speeding from the guns used in the film. Accordingly, a lot of the dialog and humor is missed. To watch it again is to listen and hear all of the nuances of that dialog and the terrific action sounds. The DVD is has one of the best fully active surround mode sounds
Review 10
This movie combines "Brave New World" with Sylvester Stallone's typical action. Combine that with it's great one-liners, it a good bet.
Review 11
Ok, where do I start. Before I rented this movie, I wasn't expecting much as it had a Sylvester Stallone and snipes. However, when I watched it, I was dumbfounded. This isn't at all like any of Stallone's cheesy action flicks or like the incredibly stupid "Blade" with snipes, this was by far one of the most enjoyable movies I have ever watched, closely rivaling "the matrix". Stallone is still a little wooden as far as his acting goes but I think he fits the part well, and Snipes, in my opinion is excellent in this one. The main reason i liked this movie so much is the plot. The plot is so fun, thought-provoking and original, I would have seen the movie just for the idea. If you haven't seen this movie, see it now! if you have seen it, see it again! if you don't own it, buy it! you wont regret it!
Review 12
i have seen more than 500 movies in my time, and i have never enjoyed a movie more than this. don't rent it.buy it!now! if you don't you will seriously regret it.it's Ute funniest, most action packed movie ever. this movie has the most wild, wicked, and weird vision of the fluter [don't remember how to spell] ever thought of! honestly, i have a button on my VCR that will never stop a movie when it's over, and i cotinuesly watch this movie over again every day!... the best!... --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 13
I've seen this movie at least a hundred times and it keeps getting better. While the story line was nothing beyond the usual action film gun totting good guy (Stallone) vs. evil psychotic bad guy (Snipes) the social and technological concepts covered in this film really make a person think what could be accomplished & avoided in creating a more peaceful society.
It would be interesting to see a prequel movie or book based on the forming of San Angeles and characters like Chief Earle, Mayor-Gov Raymond Cocteau and Warden William Smithers, but I don't think this movie did well enough at the box office for this to become a reality.
If you are into Stallone films this may not be his best one, but if you are into Utopian Ideals of future societies then this is the movie for you.
Review 14
This one of my all time favorite movies. It is definitely in my opinion, Stallone's best work. I have to tell you I have never been a Wesley Snipes fan, but this is by FAR his best role. Snipes actually stole the show, he is the funniest and at the same time scariest villain I have ran across. This one has it all, action, suspense, comedy, and a great script. Not to mention this DVD's picture and sound is AWESOME!
Review 15
Before Blade, this was the film that made Wesley Snipes look cool! Stallone doesn't look too bad, too, it's just that, well, it's Stallone.
You know you're watching a John Woo movie if...
1. Most everyone is wearing a black trench coat.
2. Half the movie is in slow motion.
3. Heroes are generally proceeded by doves or other glowing, symbolic
items of mass courage.
4. More than one helicopter explodes.
5. Everyone cool wears sunglasses and eventually removes them in a
slow-motion, classy mannor.
6. Character names are unusual, but deeply representative.
7. Motorcycles are rampant.
8. The hero can shoot the bad guy while jumping through fire, swinging
from a rope, falling down an elevator shaft or riding on the
front wheel of a motorcycle while spinning a
one-hundred-eighty degree circle at sixty miles per hour.
9. The plot generally revolves around the villains' intent on mass
destruction.
10. Ammunition lasts more than the clip can hold. MUCH more.
11. Always more than one gun shoots at the same time.
12. By the end of the movie everything that isn't exploding has
already exploded.
Review 16
To one of the previous reviewers: No you're not alone in thinking Sandra Bullock looks cute in her cop uniform. Forget Stallone, Sandra's tight pants do it for me. Enjoy! --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 17
DEMOLITION MAN came and went in October of 1993 with very little fan fare. Despite all the elements that should have made it a blockbuster: action, humor, big special effects, big names, etc. Yet despite all this it grossed only $58 million domestically (a pitiful amount compared to JURASSIC PARK's $357 million that same year). Perhaps its lack of success is largely due to Sylvester Stallone's rapidly disintegrating career. After the almost unbearably bad CLIFFHANGER, which came out just a few months earlier (and made $84 million?what the hell?!?!?), audiences must have been tired of shelling out to see Sly disappoint them time and again. There was very little hype. I don't remember having any expectations about the movie one way or the other when I went to see it in theaters. But I do remember being surprised at how good it was, and more especially at how funny it was. Sly could be funny! This was hard to believe after seeing how unfunny he had been in flops like STOP! OR MY MOM WILL SHOOT and OSCAR.
The ironic thing about DEMOLITION MAN is that if you released it today, it would easily make over $100 million, probably a lot more. For one, it has an incredible cast. In addition to Sylvester Stallone (whose career is in better shape now than it's been in years) and Wesley Snipes (ditto with the BLADE movies), you've got Sandra Bullock (a mega star now, but she was a complete unknown in 1993; she hadn't even made SPEED), Benjamin Bratt (currently most famous as Julia Robert's ex-boyfriend, but getting some bigger roles like in MISS CONGENIALITY), Rob Schneider (been a headliner lately with movies like THE ANIMAL and DEUCE BIGELOW), Denis Leary (always good), and Jesse "the Guava" Ventura. Just imagine what the marketing team at Warners could with this movie today. It boggles the mind! Alas, it's easy to dwell on what could have been. In the real world, timing is often far more important that the actual quality of the product.
DEMOLITION MAN begins as our hero, John "the Demolition Man" Spartan (Stallone), shoots his way into a war-torn Los Angeles to rescue a busload of civilians from the bloodthirsty criminal, Simon Phoenix (Snipes) and his gang of cutthroats holed up in a building. When the building is destroyed by a massive explosion, Spartan discovers he has been framed by Phoenix, and Spartan is convicted along with Phoenix for causing the deaths of the civilians. Both are sentenced to be placed in "cryo-prison" where they are cryogenically frozen until they can be psychologically rehabilitated and released in a distant future. Quick jump 30 years into the future, and we are introduced to an apparently crime-free, utopian society where everyone is pacificist, and the worst threat the police have to deal with is bad language. Unfortunately all is not well; Simon Phoenix mysteriously escapes cryo-prison during a routine parole hearing. He kills several people and begins wreaking havoc in the city. Not knowing how to deal with Phoenix, the police force wake Spartan from cryo-sleep and set him on the trail of his old enemy. In Spartan's own words, "Send a maniac to catch a maniac."
As I mentioned above, the cast is just fantastic in this movie. Sly is tough, smart, funny, and even a little compassionate. It is one of his more rounded action performances. I love Wesley Snipes in this movie. He plays Phoenix like a psychopathic version of Dennis Rodman (wait a minute, isn't that redundant?); I can't imagine anyone more perfect for the role. Sandra Bullock gives an outstanding performance as the ambitious and a bit rebellious Lenina Huxley. In her performance, it's easy to see why she later became a superstar. Bullock's Huxley is tough, resourceful, sexy, and vulnerable?a terrific combination. I could really imagine her pulling off a campy version of WONDER WOMAN if she were to be cast in the role as has been rumored recently. Schneider plays a great comic relief. Bratt is cool as the naive young cop who loses his rose-colored glasses and "gets a little dirty." Even many of the minor roles are played with just the right amount of humor and style.
Probably the strongest aspect of DEMOLITION MAN is the writing. Peter Lenkov and his co-writers really deserve a nod for their efforts here. The story is much more than just an action movie. It actually has some depth that is often ignored (or never even thought of) in this type of film. For example, the beginning of the movie and the ending of the movie are tied nicely together, bringing the story full circle. I can't go into much detail without spoilers, but I will say that there is an effective use of the dichotomy of fire and ice. Another example is that Simon Phoenix, literally rises from the ashes (of the building explosion at the beginning) when he is revived from cryo-sleep. There are a lot of nice touches like that which raise it a cut above the ordinary. Also, the humor written into the script is really funny. There is an on-going gag that I find hilarious?every time someone in the utopian society uses foul language, a buzzer goes off and a somber voice announces, "You have been fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute." And they maintain the gag throughout the whole picture! I laugh at that every time. Another funny moment occurs when Spartan finds out that he has been subliminally conditioned during cryo-sleep as a means to channel away his violent tendancies. I'm not going to spoil it by telling you exactly what his conditioning is though, you'll have to see it for yourself. There are a lot of other comic moments and one liners that really contribute to the overall entertainment value of the picture.
One last thing I want to mention is the action. DEMOLITION MAN has some really kick-ass action scenes. None of this speed-up-the-film or super-close-up action we've been seeing lately in movies like THE MUMMY RETURNS and BATMAN AND ROBIN, where they think the audience will buy the fight scenes if they can't tell what's going on. In this one, they really get in there and duke it out 80s style, and it works.
What Doesn't Work
DEMOLITION MAN starts out with one of my personal pet peeves: setting the time of the sci-fi film too close to the present. The L. A. sequences are set in 1996 (which was the future when the film was made). I can understand why they did it; especially coming as it did on the tails of the L. A. riots, but it still bugs me. It's just not good science fiction. The technology of the cryo-prison shown as being in common use in 1996 doesn't exist today in 2001, let alone five years ago. Sure we could freeze people, but it would most likely kill them. Plus, we don't have any of the quick freeze globes thingies they use in the movie or a huge facility for housing the giant blocks of ice. And that's not taking into account all of the politics that would have to go on before anything like a cryo-prison could ever be put into use. I know; I'm picking nits, but I do have a point: why not just set the time of the movie farther in the future, with the riots taking place in the 2040s or something. The whole story would work much better that way. Like I said, it's a pet peeve of mine.
Most of the things that don't work in DEMOLITION are minor nits like that. Why, for example, would the museum contain both guns and live ammunition that still worked after 40 some-odd years? etc. And even some of the more ridiculous moments?there are few pretty unbelievable bits at the climax?are not much of a problem for me, simply because the rest of the movie is so entertaining.
The Final Word
DEMOLITION MAN is a lot of fun, sure to please any fan of the sci-fi action genre. If you are one of those who has avoided it for years "because it's just another Sylvester Stallone film," give it a try. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Review 18
Okay, a lot of people don't like this move. Some criticisms: The satire is heavy handed.
Yes, some of the acting is quite wooden.
and it is open to interpretation about who the above ground and below ground crowd is supposed to be, politically.
But: Even if you don't like Stallone (and a lot of people don't) or Bullocks (and a lot of people don't), Snipes and Leary make this worth watching... --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition
Review 19
I like this movie for a variety of reasons: 1) The "be well" future is just prime for some great one liners. 2) The action sequences aren't the usual "Bad guys 1&2, approach the hero one at a time and get kicked in the head. Bad guys 3-7, stand there looking stupid." 3) The plot is original. A LOT of action movies lately have been one of maybe three or four formulaic plots (bad guy with a nuke, rescue your illegitimate son, etc..) 4) Denis Leary. I love his sarcasm and thought he was great in the role of Edgar Friendly. This movie is great for the price, it's on TV so little now you really have to own it if you want to watch it. This text refers to the DVD version.
Review 20
this is a very good movie.sylvester Stallone and Wesley snipes make a great team.a lot of action here.also comedy.it takes place in the future.this movie is good because it combines action and comedy fairly well.get it,its good --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 21
The movie is kind of bad. The plot is really stupid. Many important personages were not well developed. There were not even good actions. But, what the hell! I watched the movie several times and I have really enjoyed it. Why? Because Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock just saved this stupid film from crash. Her sweet way and nice smile actually transformed this movie from substandard to great. Stallone's acting and humor was terrific. Thus, this movie is really worth watching. Watch how Bullock said to Stallone quite innocently: "Would you like to have a sex?" Wow! You should see it yourself!
Review 22
Demolition Man is one of those rare action flicks that seem to have intelligence beyond the guns and explosions. Sylvester Stallone plays John Spartan, a reckless cop who has made it his mission to bring down his arch-enemy Simon Phoenix. Phoenix is a crime lord who has kidnapped 30 bus passengers. John Spartan rushes in and attempts to save them and apprehend Phoenix, but the passengers apparently die in an explosion set by Phoenix. John Spartan is arrested for the deaths of the passengers and charged with involuntary manslaughter, and both men are sent to a cryogenic prison, and frozen. But decades later in the year 2032, Phoenix escapes, and all hell breaks loose.
The world has become peace loving, and there are no more violent weapons on the streets, and physical contact of any kind is frowned upon. So you can imagine the kind of time a criminal like Phoenix would be having. The only way to stop him is to thaw Spartan, and soon the 2 enemies go at it all over the futuristic city of San Angeles. Sandra Bullock also stars as the cop who becomes the partner of Spartan in the future, and she starts to question everything she has been brought up to believe in.
This is where the film becomes an intelligent satire as well as an action film. The future, while bright and crime-free, has left the world without freedom. Salt, red meat, and even sex has become illegal. The police encode chips into peoples hands so they can keep track of them wherever they go. But once Spartan is released, he takes an immediate disliking to the brave new world. Interlaced in all of this is plenty of humor in the dialogue, as Stallone's character does and says things that freaks out the people around him who have never seen behavior like that before. As for the action, this film has some incredible action scenes. There is a brawl between Phoenix and Spartan on a futuristic highway going 70 miles an hour, and plenty of shoo touts. This DVD doesn't offer much in the way of extras, but there is a good commentary by the director, and standard/wide picture sizes of the film, and a trailer. One of the best action movies of the 90's, right up there with T2.
Review 23
Brilliant action film where two of the most violent adversaries imaginable are pitted against each other in a pacifistic society! One of Sly's best, meticulously thought out and totally even with the action not letting up for a second, and a great sense of humor thanks to an excellent script. Also notable for several excellent fight scenes. The UK version has one violent shot cut from the film, hence the UK disc has the audio commentary ommited (or else it would be out of since).
Review 24
1996: The city of Los Angeles is an absolute wreck. Crime abounds, with the most notorious bad guy around, Simon Phoenix(Wesley Snipes) taking it all in like one big joke. John Spartan (Stallone) has been after this guy for several years, but in the process of finally arresting Phoenix, the building around them explodes, apparently taking several innocent hostages up with it. Spartan is stripped of his rank and sentenced to cryogenic imprisonment for 70 years.
2032: Spartan has served 36 years of his sentence. Phoenix, who was imprisoned in the same facility, escapes and begins to reinvigorate his reign of terror. The only problem is that the LA that Spartan, Phoenix, and the rest of us all know and love has turned into a megalopolis called San Angeles, a politically correct paradise where there is absolutely no violent crime---correction, no crime of any kind---whatsoever. (There is also no profanity, and anyone who swears is fined for violations of the Verbal Morality Statute.) Consequently, people have forgotten how to deal with a fugitive like Phoenix. The only solution is to bring Spartan out of the freezer, which is exactly what happens.
This movie introduced me to action movies, particularly Stallone movies, and the movie soundtrack genre. The special effects will blow you away all by themselves. This was also the first movie I ever saw with Sandra Bullock. Perhaps it's because of her airy portrayal of Lt. Huxley that made me think of her as my favorite actress for a while. But that's another story.
I think that San Angeles is a funny bone-tickling example of political correctness gone to far. Either that or it's social conservatism. Sometimes I wonder if San Angeles is the kind of world people in the family values crowd would like to live in. In any case, even if you don't like action movies very much, I think you will like this one. --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 25
There are very few movies that pull off having action and humor in the same film. Some tend to be a little heavy with one or the other. But in this case, this movie pulls it off with such sarcastic aplomb. My favorite part is when Spartan goes to the language machine and says "Thanks a lot you...(you remember the rest when you see the movie)" so that he can get some toilet paper. --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 26
This action packed hilarious thriller that is starring Stallone as a 1996 cop that could catch any criminal that he wanted and Wesley Snipes as the hilarious but ruthless criminal that is supposedly the most dangerous criminal form the 90's. They are both frozen until about 2050. Now everything is so peaceful that you get arrested for saying a curse word more than once. Wesley Snipes escapes and causes so much havoc that the po-pos can't handle it so they unfreeze Sylvester Stallone and he releases hell on every criminal there. So watch this great action packed and hilarious movie with teen and get ready to laugh and jump when watching. Great for all kinds of audiences unless you are wanting a really serious dramatic action like the Last Boy Scout. --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 27
Wesley Snipes was hella funny in this one and he is my favorite character in the movie too. Real funny to watch.
Review 28
A very clever and very violent combination of rugged action, wittily perceptive comedy and colossal special effects. The gladiatorial conflict between the psychopath and arch-fiend Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) and his nemesis John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) of the LA PD (cryogenically resurrected into the SA PD police force) is genuinely exciting. The satire of the sanitized future is extremely funny. "Demolition Man" is one of the best of its kind. --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 29
This movie was never intended to be a serious statement about anything, but it is full of gags about our own times. It is a little dated now that 1996 has come and gone, and LA has not been reduced to a war zone, but a lot of the humor remains and the action is very good. Sandra Bullock fans will probably be exceptionally pleased in how she fills out her police uniform in this film. In short, this movie is good ol' fashioned entertainment: there are good guys and bad guys, stuff blows up and you often catch yourself laughing. My personal favorite gag is listening to the alarm in the background that goes off each time a character uses foul language.
Review 30
demolition man is a two type of film the with element and the last action hero it's about a hero cop and a famous killer called Simon Phoenix they both have been sent to be frozen but when Simon goes out he doesn't go so quietly he kills and becomes mister fugitive and who comes to save the day sly called as the demolition man also stars Sandra bullock.
Review 31
I felt this movie was cool. It had cool action and comedy. Sylvester Stallone was great. Wesley Snipes was awesome. Sandra Bullock was cool. I would recommend this movie to anybody that likes action movies.
Review 32
This movie should not get as bashed as it does. Good performances and dazzling special effects are well done and it is occasionally funny. --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 33
This is an outstanding package of humor, romance, and action. In between non-stop action sequences there is plenty of humor and stuff.I am here to prove FOR A FACT this movie rocks. Here are some prominent elements. 1. Most films are so concerned on special effects and rock' em sock' em action sequences that they forget that humor is in HUMAN NATURE. WE LIKE IT!! 2. The plot is thick and could almost be a drama if there was no action. Most films just set things up from the beginning, explaining how the character must save the world, then our hero goes off, saves the world, and scores a chick. The plot gets better and better as I goes. Its a lot of fun. 3. The future. This idea of having a perfect society, where everyday thing now are illegal, and a character who is so in love with peace that he will resort to violence (Dr. Raymond Cocteau). All of this is just so original and enjoyable, that it leaves the sick, degraded future setting far behind. 4. How about that language machine. That's funny --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 34
Yes, this is an action shoot em up Stallone action fest. But this movie contains some of the best, sharpest satire and pointed social criticism I've seen since "Network", albeit in a typically heavy handed Stallone manner. But no matter...it raises real questions about what a "safe" society would be like, and whether it's better to be free and live with risk, or be safe and live with emptiness. Look beyond the cheesy dialogue and graitiuous violence to a real interesting presentation of one of the central issues (liberty vs. safety) of our time.
ps/One great bit of writing....Sandra Bullock's character is named Lenina Huxley....did you know that Aldous Huxley wrote the dystopian masterpiece "Brave New World" and that the lead female character was name Lenina? Clever. --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 35
THIS MOVIE IS GREAT! IT'S FUNNY ROMANTIC, ACTION PACKED!! I HAVE WATCHED IT OVER AND OVER AND I LOVE IT JUST AS MUCH AS I DID THE FIRST TIME! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN'T SEEN IT~ PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE OLD NEWS CLIPS OF JOHN SPARTAN (SYLVESTER STALLONE). THAT IS THE BEST PART!!! AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE SEEN IT, IS THE PART NOT THE GREATEST OR WHAT? (HERE IS A CLUE TO LET YOU KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT ~ HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE DESTRUCTION OF A 3 MILLION DOLLAR MINI MALL FOR A GIRL WHOSE RANSOM IS ONLY $25,OOO?) AND IT IS COOL TO HEAR THEM REFER TO LASER DISKS AND SUCH WHEN THOSE ARE PRACTICALLY OBSOLETE!! ENJOY!!! --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 36
SANDRA'S SWEET INNOCENCE TAKES THE EDGE OFF THIS TOUGH GUY FILM. SHE IS TO Spartan WHAT ADERIAN WAS TO ROCKY. THE SPECIAL EFFECTS ARE GREAT. SOME OF THE DIALOG LAGS AT TIMES BUT THE STRENGTH OF THE CHARACTERS CARRIES THIS ONE THROUGH. CHECK OUT THE END...WOW. I OWN THIS TITLE AND HAVE SEEN IT 60 TIMES. ONE QUESTION THOUGH. WHAT ARE THOSE THREE SEASHELLS ABOUT ANY WAY..A QUESTION FOR THE AGES. WORTH A sequel? I THINK SO. GOOD FARE..JTS --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 37
What else can I say about this wonderful album? I am a fan of Sylvester Stallone, but this review does not have anything to do with him. I love this one after Judge Dredd because it is very funny and full of action and dynamic sound. Muscle bound character and pretty Sandra Bullock. I love it.
Review 38
The dialog between Sly and Sandra Bullock is great. It's Bullock's big start.
Review 39
I really like this movie. The setting is not what you would expect for a movie that takes place in the future, especially for Los Angeles. Instead of a war-waged hell-hole (like in "Terminator" and "Terminator 2"), or a somewhat same-old city but with much more advanced technology, it is a peaceful, non-violent paradise but with a totalitarian lifestyle. For example, in the future, you can't eat chocolate or swear! Another good thing about this movie is that thought there is profanity, they don't abuse it like in "Pulp Fiction" where they say the "f" word so many times it loses its meaning. Also, Phoenix (Snipes) is funny at times throughout the movie.
There are a few things in this movie that are not too realistic. For example, why would Cocteau send a maniacal, psychotic killer (Snipes) to knock someone off instead of a more reliable Cryocon, namely Spartan (Stallone)? Also, before Spartan went into the 'fridge, he had a wife, so why did he so un hesitantly agree to do It with Huxley (Bullock) AND without the knowledge of how they do It in the future, instead of grieving a little more like any other man who loved his wife like he supposedly did would do?
Other than those and a few other out points, good plot, good characters, and good action, which more than make up for the movie's few flaws! A unique, good-and-evil-from-the-past-battling-in-the-future movie! I highly recommend it! --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 40
i seen demolition man and i was like wow! this films got mad special effects and an even better cast! i would recommend it to any1! --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 41
Great movie, action packed, VERY funny at times! Wild ride --This text refers to the VHS Tape
Review 42
Every second of this movie will entertain you in a different way. From the perfect pairing of Stallone and Snipes as the classic battle of good versus evil, to the Simplistic humor of the futuristic setting. This movie is the perfect blend of action, comedy, and science fiction rolled into two hours of non-stop entertainment. With a perfectly casted crew and a well designed script mixed with great special effects and futuristic ideals this movie offers something in every genre. For the true movie buff, a library is not complete without "The Demolition Man" END
Review 43
The plot is not new but it is a fun ride. Snipes plays one of my favorite movie bad guys in this one. He is great. Stallone is good but to me, Snipes steals the show. END
Review 44
This movie is funny as well as action packed. Stallone does a fairly decent acting job along with Snipes. The plot is kinda stupid but the movie is a blast. Total entertainment. There is great fighting scenes... A good buy. END
Review 45
I completely disagree with Amazon.com's review of this movie. I couldn't even get past the first five minutes of "Austin Powers," but we watch this movie any time we want to laugh. I can't point to one part of it we like more than others -- basically it's just a good, funny action movie. Enjoy! END
Review 46
Have you ever wondered what the future would look like? How about in Los Angeles, California-or should I say SAN Angeles? If you like action, suspense, drama, even comedy you should definitely read this book. Since you now know about this book, go to a bookstore and buy it!!! END --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
Review 47
I was flipping through the cable channels the other night and what do you think was playing? Yep, that "forgettable' science fiction film "The Demolition Man" starring none other than Sly Stallone. This film was bad from the very start. I remember paying my $5.00 (shows how long ago this was!)at the theatre to see this. Now Stallone was trying to reinvent himself with this film. I believe this was the first or second of his attempts in a field that he had no business. Stallone is the equivalent of Forest Gump in science fiction. First off the premise that criminals are not executed anymore, but permanently frozen to be rehabilitated later on in the future. And that Stallone's character (who is a cop) is also sent "up the freezer" for going after Simon Phoenix...(what a name). Any who, he gets thawed and reprogrammed with the knack of knitting as his rehabilitation. What the? Come on. This movie lacked in everything. Story, character, plot, character, and most of all ACTING. Sad to say that this was Sandra Bullock's first rola and she had to play the leading lady to the "Italian Stallion". She must of have felt like Adrian Balboa in Rocky. Well this movie just was bad. Now its not entirely disappointing. I did like Wesley Snipe's character in the film. I like it when a leading star "acts out of the box". Snipes goes to unfamiliar territory playing a baddie that bites it in the end. Of course Snipes has since gone on to do bigger projects (aka Blade and Blade 2). Wouldn't that have been a hoot to see Stallone trying being the "day walker"?? LOL
Anyway, this film could've been so much better if it was done in the premise of an "Escape from New York" or the "Road Warrior". The special effects weren't bad, but just lacked elements.
It's one of those films that should've been at television show first. Probably would've wound up on Fox or USA Networks. Anyway, if there's nothing else on and you have insomnia, then watch it for a laugh. See how the over the hill Stallone pretends to still be a tough guy. The sequel should be..."Demolition Man II: The Geriatric Method".
Review 48
Cryogenically frozen 1996 Simon Phoenix(Wesley Snipes) is thawed out for parole in the year 2032.
While frozen all inmates get rehab and Simon got ones that make him even more dangerous then before.
He manages to escape and goes back to his murderous ways in what was a crime free society and no one can stop him.
John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) was the cop that that captured Simon was also cryogenically frozen but for a crime he did not commit.
In desperation the cops unfreeze John Spartan so he can try and put an end to Simon Phoenix
Cast also includes Sandra Bullock, Benjamin Bratt, Denis Leary, Nigel Hawthorne, Rob Schneider and Jesse Ventura.
Demolition Man has not only great action scenes but some very funny scenes as well.
It's quite obvious Wesley Snipes was having a blast with his role.
This was the first movie i ever saw with Snipes and i have been a fan ever since.
Sly gives another great performance. Some people take shots at his acting ability, but i think he is great.
Sly once again shows there is none better then him in the action genre.
Demolition Man has a great script.
And Director Marco Brambilla does an awesome job Directing
I give Demolition Man 8/10
Review 49
I am not a Sly Stallone fan but I really love this movie. It is very funny and has plenty of action. Sandra Bullock, one my favorite actresses, is at her all time best in this movie. I wonder if anyone else noticed the slight references to "Brave New World"?
Review 50
This is a decent movie. It has some good action scenes, a few funny moments, and the performances were pretty good. Stallone was his usual self in this one, so his performance was nothing special, and Snipes went over the top, but he was still pretty good. There are many familiar faces in this one including Rob Schneider, Bob Gunton, Bill Cobbs, Benjamin Bratt, and Jesse Ventura. There were a few things I didn't like about the film. Sandra Bullock is definitely not my favorite actress, and some parts in the film were pretty dumb, especially some of the futuristic things. But aside from a few faults this film is quite entertaining. 3.5/5
Review 51
The film boasts some incredible action and fights with good acting and some humor! Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes have some really cool characters! Sandra Bullock, Dennis Leary, Glenn Shadix, and Bob Gunton were all good! I was disappointed that Jesse Ventura didn't speak and didn't have a fight Stallone. Its really a different film with much excitement to satisfy the big action fan! If you like Stallone and Snipes then this is one film that you must see!
Review 52
this hilarious parody gets it's funny momentum from permanently delivering vastly overemphasized genre specific standards, leaving you grinning and giggling all the way. watching the two "heroes" doing their ill-mannered stunts within the premises of an all-inhibited, supervised and institutionalized future is one of the funniest crash rides the genre has to offer. you might need a bulk of backdrop cognition to get the most out of it, but a good sense of weird humor will do just fine. a must, if you're into sci-fi, special fx and comedy. or Sandra bullock
Review 53
The actor who made this movie the most fun to watch has to be Snipes. Stallone just isn't as good in this one as he was in Cliffhanger released in the same year. This one has Snipes escaping this future prison where all the inmates are on ice. To catch him they awaken Stallone's character, who was the one who caught him. Stallone is frozen because he may have killed some people accidentally, yet Snipes who killed purposely is getting parole hearings while Stallone's character stays on ice. That is just one of the few flaws in this one. There are some humorous stuff in this as well as the future is a society where the government forces you to do everything it deems good for you and penalizes you for doing what it considers bad. Apparently, you can't even cuss in the future. Another problem is the worst incident of product placement ever. Apparently, the only fast food chain to survive in the future is Taco Bell. It is so obvious they paid to get their name in the movie, as it is the last food chain you would guess would survive. All in all a pretty good flick. Good action, and there is some good comedy as well.
Demolition Man is a film that can please just about everyone. The film mixes three genre's successfully and has two great male leads, Stallone and Snipes. Snipes is more fun here because he gives a larger than life performance and Sandra Bullock provides a lot of one liners. Great way to an afternoon.
Review 54
Demolition Man was an 8 out of 10. The special effects and stunts were incredible. Wesley Snipes was incredible as well as Stallone. Sandra Bullock however was awful. Luckily her tasteless acting was covered up usually by Stallone and Snipes. If you ever run across this movie watch it. Mainly due to the stunts and special effects. As well as Snipes incredible acting. He was awesome. So I would definitely check it out if you already haven't.
Review 55
I don't care what anyone else says, I love this film. The humor and futuristic setting is brilliant. I find, that when action/comedy movies are made that don't take themselves too seriously, the result is often a very good entertainment (another example is Hard Target). Here we get to see Sylvester Stallone at his best, playing an action hero while making fun of himself. But at the same time we see great fighting, with Wesley Snipes showing off his kung-fu expertise. The script is very good in the sense that we constantly receive laughable one-liners, especially good when Stallone has to deal with his new skills in knitting and sewing. Of course this is no Oscar winning film, but pure entertainment, and should be viewed with that in mind. If there is anything I could really criticize about it, it is not the movie itself, but the Pizza Hut/Taco Bell advertisement, where they created two versions of couple of scenes in the movie for the pure purpose of advertising fast-food chains (or so I've heard). To close with, in the movie Stallone's character is astonished to find out that Arnold Schwarzenegger was at one point the president. The funny thing being that now Arnold is planning on going into politics, and who knows; maybe one day we will see one more example of parts of futuristic films becoming a reality! 8/10
Review 56
In the future crime and dirt are basically things of the past, that is until super-criminal Wesley Snipes (with the blonde hair-do that changed Dennis Rodman forever) comes out of suspended hibernation to create havoc. So the police decide to unfreeze believed-to-be-crooked cop Sylvester Stallone to fight the crazed Snipes. A really super action film that works due to the bad guys more than the good. Snipes has the one-liners that made him so good in "White Men Can't Jump" and the late Nigel Hawthorne excels as the man in control of the future. Sandra Bullock and Benjamin Bratt are also along for the ride as the naive cops who are assigned to assist Stallone. 4 stars out of 5.
Review 57
This is a great fun little movie. It has well-staged set pieces, actors with loads of charm and personality, and for an alleged dumb-ass popcorn movie it has quite a few creative and imaginative ideas in the plot. This is the way good summer blockbuster movies should be played.
In fact, I would rank this movie as the one which comes closest to living up to the famous Samuel Goldwin quote of "a film that starts with an earthquake and then builds to a climax". Well, it doesn't start with an earthquake exactly, but the pacing is full-on from go to woe, without ever looking forced or hackneyed. And the idea of advertising jingles becoming pop songs in an "utopian" future is very witty, as is the reference to Arnie Schwarzenegger becoming president (maybe prophetic???). And Nigel Hawthorne had a great fun role as the futuristic beaurocrat (even though he was probably totally embarrassed by the role - actors NEVER appreciate the entertainment value of their work [sob, sob!!!]).
Review 58
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.
Review 59
This movie features Sly Stallone at his muscle bound, destructive best. Around the same time he did the excellent Cliffhanger he also did this nifty action flick. What you get with Demolition man is an entertaining and satirical look at the future of Los Angeles where people walk about in robes and are a peace loving society. Anything remotely bad for you, including spicy foods, is illegal and the whole new system is run by Raymond Cochtoe played by the late Nigel Hawthorne. The opening action scene is set in the present day and is a rip roaring sequence with Stallone polishing off bad guys with stylish flair, before he has a face off with the show stealer Wesley Snipes. Snipes plays the baddest of bad guys Simon Phoenix and does so excellently. The films pacing is good and in particular there are three big action sequences that shine, these are the opening and the end as well as a very good action scene set in a museum. The comedy factor is high in this film and the film certainly has tongue fastened firmly in cheek. The two leads are very good and in particular Snipes revels in his nasty role. Sandra Bullock is good as the gratuitous attractive lady you get in practically all action films. All in all this is a great way to spend 90 or so minutes and is certainly how I would like to remember Sly Stallone, in his action prime. 9/10
Review 60
For Stallone, this is quite a good movie. Well OK, half of it is quite a good movie.
The bad part of this movie consists of ultra-violent, over the top action scenes that you can see in nearly every other Stallone or Van Damme movie. This movie even glorifies violence, and has the questionable message that "violence is sometimes right".
But this movie's saving grace is the setting: an ultra-politically correct feature where all unhealthy things have been banned, crime no longer exists and you get fined for swearing. In fact, it's almost a rip-off of the book "Brave New World" (Sandra Bullock's character is even named after the writer, Aldous Huxley). The movie really gets a lot of good jokes out of this setting and this is what makes it stand out above the crowd.
Though by no means a masterpiece, this movie is worth a look.
**1/2 out of **** stars
Review 61
Demolition Man is a very fast paced, action-filled and funny action film. This might be Stallone's vehicle, but it is Snipes who steals the show. There is also some good humor parts by Denis Leary, Rob Schneider Sandra Bullock and even Benjamin Bratt. Sure it isn't great drama, but it is a very good action-sci-fi flick. If your wanting dramatic serious then go rent the friggin' overrated The Piano.It would be hell to wake up over 30 years later from a cryogenic sleep to have to put away the worst criminal you ever faced.Stallone pulls it off with his dead pan one liners. To the critic who says this would be like Pat Robertson's world, I think he has it wrong. It would be like waking up in a politically correct hell where there is nothing offensive, or bad behavior like swearing, smoking and drinking. This is one funny action movie. A must for all people who like guy movies. But, come on Taco Bell? You havae to be friggin' kidding me. Why not Pizza Hut? Oh well, this is still a very good action film.
Review 62
I am a huge Stallone and Snipes fan I have every movie they have ever starred in (well almost I don't have Sly's real early stuff) I think Sly for what he is is a very good actor he will never win an Oscar but who cares? My personal fave is Tango & Cash for Stallone & Money Train for Snipes. This movie has kick ass action endless supply of 1 liners & of course the gorgeous Sandra Bullock. I damn near die every time I see Denis Leary's scene about the green jello (you'll know it when you see it) All & all i give it a 8 out of 10.
Review 63
After being frozen for several years, Stallone is thawed out in the 21st century to pursue his arch rival in the form of insanely comical bad guy Snipes. But the future has changed, citizens despise violence and every restaurant is a Taco Bell. The film goes a long way on it's sense of humor, but by the finale you realize that this isn't much smarter than his previous films. 2/4
Review 64
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 cryo-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.
Review 65
In 2032 San Angeles,its a felony to swear,its bad to eat greasy food,Taco bell is the only fast food restaurant,and the cops are wimps with no guns,only glow-sticks.When super bad guy Snipes escapes from prison,the only cop who can stop him is Stallone,a cop in an ice cube. Its been years since I saw this,so I decided to check it out on Space t.v.The action is pretty good,with a cool fight inside a museum.The whole joke about a crime free & peaceful San Angeles is funny,with Stallone trying to adapt to the new lifestyle.Good one liners are present,example:"You're gonna regret this for the rest of your life.The whole 2 seconds of it! Wesley Snipes is very over the top as a blonde villain.
Rating:**** (out of five)
Review 66
Demolition Man isn't too bad on a no-brainier level. The cast is good, there's plenty of action, plenty of futuristic visual effects, and a surprising sense of humor, but it's also extremely corny at times. Better than a lot of other Stallone flicks though. 2/4
Review 67
Stallone doesn't get much respect for his comedy, but he shines in this movie. A great balance of comedy & action make this one great movie. When set up for a crime he didn't commit, officer John Spartan(Stallone) is imprisoned in a cryogenic frozen state. He is released 36 years later when arch-nemesis Simon Phoenix(Wesley Snipes) escapes. Spartan has to deal with his new surroundings...a world which is erased of violence, sex, bad language & fast food. Action, comedy & a great cast make this one fun movie.
Review 68
this movie has really bad acting BUT if you want to see a movie with incredible satire, here it is. look for explicit references to The Time Machine, Brave New World, and The Island of Dr. Moreau(I'm sure a lot more too). it's great.
Review 69
Demolition Man is a good, solid action movie with some good action, and even some good humor (the scene where Spartan (Stallone) keeps swearing at the machine on the wall to get some toilet paper), but the plot is average.
Wesley Snipes plays Simon Phoenix, a 20th Century criminal that is arrested by John Spartan (Stallone) for kidnapping and murdering (Spartan doesn't know this) 30 bus passengers. Spartan is put in a cryogenic prison for 70 years, but is thawed out in 2032 because Phoenix has escaped, and is running around in a non violent San Angeles (meat, physical contact and swearing among other things have been banned, and three sea shells are used instead of toilet paper!). Plenty of action scenes follow, with the Demolition Man John Spartan using his violent methods to try and catch Phoenix.
The supporting cast is excellent with a sexy young Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne (Yes, Prime Minister), Benjamin Bratt and Denis Leary.
If you liked Die Hard and Terminator 2, you'll love this. 4/5.
Review 70
Great movie. This is the type of movie that gets more fun to watch as time goes on, like "The Time Machine" that was released back in the fifties. It lets you get an idea of "what did they think the future would be like" and see how close they are. One funny note is how close one thing is. The Taco Bell. No, Taco Bell has NOT become the only fast food franchise, as the movie foretells, nor is it the center of haute cuisine culture. But the blue-purple and hot pink bell of today is certainly present in the movie in an era when the company still used Mexican green, yellow, and red. Life imitating art?
It's the sort of thing you wouldn't notice unless you'd seen the movie when it was released (like I did) and then see it later. [This same sort of thing shows up in Schwarzenegger's Total Recall...remember the girl putting EIGHT quarters in the Coke machine...remember how LUDICROUS that seemed when the movie came out?] Something that made me laugh over and over was the machines which ticket people for bad language by sounding an alarm and printing a ticket. Needless to say, there are lots of sequences of bad language and they nearly wear the joke out. Great movie even the second time around. Very predictable must-see sci-fi fun.
Review 71
Demolition Man is an enjoyable comic action film. The film's view of the future is very funny. Snipes is gleefully over-the-top, Stallone lets the movie come to him, and Bullock is amusing. Plus, an array of other amusing characters, including Denis Leary. Overall, this is an enjoyable, very funny comic action film. *** (out of four)
Review 72
What can I say? This movie is loaded with some fine actors. Sly Stallone, Sandra Bullock, Benjamin Bratt, Dennis Leary, Wesley Snipes, it's all good folks. Demolition Man defines the word "action movie". It even has lot's a laughs! I defiantly recommend this movie, just sit back and enjoy. Trust me on this one.
Review 73
This is easily Stallone's best film. Well thought out, competently acted and a heck of a ride at that. By the year 2036, the liberals have finally gotten their way. Meat, harsh language, guns, action toys, sex, tobacco, loud noises, contact sports, caffeine, childbirth, body contact, spices, un educational toys, chocolate, gasoline and anything else considered "bad" for you has been removed from the lives of the robotized democrats living on the surface. Below ground, we find the remnants of free-thinking, liberty-seeking, pro-living, excitement-loving, book-loving educated republicans scratching out any kind of life they can find. Dr. Cocteau, the ultimate liberal, seeks to further destroy civilization by creating even more programs to take more freedoms away from people. He seeks power for its own sake, and isn't interested in the people having any kind of free will. God forbid if someone should crave a hamburger. They would be re-educated to take away the harmful urge.
Want proof?? Look at the scenes with Bob, the homosexual character. Cocteau and the other liberals tolerate him because of his skills, otherwise he would have been kept out of their sight. The Dennis Leary character, representing the underground conservatives, doesn't care a wit about what his personal life is, as long as he is willing to be of service. Leary is willing to let Bob be himself, whereas Cocteau would rather not even be in the same room with him. Watch Cocteau's face each time he looks at Bob. Contrast that with Leary, who merely thinks he needs a new wardrobe.
This repressive future is well thought out by the 3 different writers. The actors pull off a difficult job of being the ultimate in political correctness. The year 2036 is as repugnant as can be. This film is a warning about the direction we are heading in. Let it also be a lesson on how to change before it's too late.
Review 74
My goodness !!! I have just seen this film for the 8th(!) time and I was still thrilled by this excellent futuristic story . Not to mention that I STILL found new things I didn't ' notice before . If this does not make a successful movie what does ? It is extremely underrated simply because it is an S. Stallone film . Too bad because it should be regarded a classic . Most of the action scenes are nothing special : continuous shooting between the 2 opponents , noisy and sometimes irritating . But the point of Demolition Man is NOT the action but the way it manages to create an entire universe . The story is this : John Spartan (Stallone) is a dynamic cop who finally manages to catch a fiendish criminal called Simon Phoenix ( Wesley Snipes ) in 1996 . However he was considered responsible for the deaths of Phoenix 's hostages. As a result both of them end up in cryogenic prison where they are frosted in order to be improved trough synoptic suggestion . In 2032 Phoenix escapes more violent than ever. The society is utopic . Not only crime has been erased totally but all bad habits (smoking , alcohol , unhealthy food etc.) are strictly forbidden . Even profanity is charged . The so called "police" are not trained to deal with such a dangerous criminal . Not knowing what else to do they defrost Spartan with a parole in order to help them . So the chase begins . As I said the success is NOT the action . It is the futuristic imagery. I have read comments saying that basic ideas were stolen from other films . I don't know but if it was a rehash it was a good one. The brilliance of the script gives us everything : the harmonic society , the underground rebellants , the automatisation of domestic functions and car driving , the fines a person pays when says a bad word (one of the most amusing parts in the whole movie!!) even the way these people have sex and children . On top of that it has a slight reference to Orwell 's 1984. The art direction is simply PERFECT . All the gadgets , sets and costumes are totally convincing . The most excellent part is probably the computers . A perfect example of good script and direction . The words of the computers announcing the crimes and the research of the officers about the apprehension of Phoenix in the beginning are extremely witty , combined with the EXCELLENT graphics appearing on the screens . The result is magnificent. The opening sequence when Phoenix escapes is probably the most perfect in the film and one of the most classic ones in every sci-fi . Demolition Man is one of the most technically promoted films in history . The SFX are not used for impressive eye-candy but to SUPPORT A STORY . There is much violence in the film (guns , brutal murders) but fortunately the director managed to obtuse it to a slightly cartoonish approach. Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock act very well . The supporting cast though is very underrated . Each one of them serves perfectly the movie. From Dr Cocteau and associate Bob to the chief police officer and underground leader Edgar Friendly . Even the cameos from Benjamin Bratt , Bill Combs , Rob Schneider as police officers are totally effective and successful . But the best performance is definitely Wesley Snipes as one of the most dangerously violent and psychotically diabolical villains ever seen in big screen ( forget Hannibal Lecter ) If you are a sci-fi fan stop reading and see it NOW .
DEMOLITION MAN 9 /10
Review 75
A very exciting movie pitting Stallone Vs. Snipes. Both are frozen and thawed out 30 years later or so, the former to catch the latter. They find the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara have been merged into San Angeles, a community turned so idyllic that if you as little as curse, you get fined!
Needless to say, both the society and the criminal/cop team are a shock for each others' systems, and mayhem results. See it if you like action films!
** 1/2 out of ****
Review 76
This is Stallone's best and last great action movie. He is in top form here, and surrounded by a great cast. Snipes steals the movie though, as the villainous Simon Phoenix. Why he hasn't played more villains since this is a mystery to me. Lots of action and a sense a humor that actually helps the movie make this perfect entertainment for action lovers.
Review 77
Sly Stallone has really put allot of effort into this sci-fi action romp. I think the opening sequence to the film is dead cool where sly Stallone does a bungee jump from the helicopter and bursts into the building and shoots the bad guys. Totally cool I actually found out that Sly Stallone did all his own stunts in the film (that's why I like the film that much.) If you are a really big Sly Stallone fan then you will lap this film up. I am not a big Sly Stallone fan myself but I am into action films and that's why I like this film so much!
Review 78
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.
Review 79
If you were to think of the best things movie goers like to see in films, and throw them all into one big pot, Demolition Man would be an acceptable end result. It has star drawing power and a very good supporting cast, an almost plausible and fairly original premise, lots of action and good fight scenes, a decent dose of comedy, good effects and a willingness to poke fun at itself once in a while. Stallone and Snipes are well cast as the leads, and Snipes is great as the devious Simon Phoenix. His talents for action combine with a deft often overlooked comedic talent in a role he plays well. Sandra Bullock delivers a typically good performance in yet another naive heroine role, and the rest of the cast, from Benjamin Bratt through Jesse Ventura back up very nicely. The action is quite plentiful, the pyrotechnics are very impressive at times, and the sets as a whole are very appropriate. A little more action might not have gone amiss, but as a movie Demolition Man was great to watch, and a good film. 7 out of 10.
Review 80
This hilarious action/comedy movie is a cross between Woody Allen's Sleeper, 48 Hrs, and Robocop. The wimpy future society represents a ridiculous yet funny extrapolation of the current trends in political correctness, safety at any cost, and commercialism. Everything that's bad for you is illegal. People are ticketed and fined for cursing. No one touches each other. All restaurants are Taco Bell (although I understand it's Pizza Hut in Europe). There are a lot of great lines, many of which are on the quotes page. Bullock is great as a naive and overeager cop, and even Stallone is funny with his wry comments. I give it a solid 8.
Review 81
The three main words to describe this futuristic sci-fi (loosely) comedy. This movie was just good clean, harmless fun, well maybe not for all people, but it tries. OH what am I saying, this is mainly for those action fans, who'll just do anything to see Wesley Snipes and Sly duke it out. It's soo cool. I love this film, in the way it can be funny (particularly the violation machines giving out tickets to people who cuss or curse) have good action sequences, and have characters who u can care about : Sandra Bullock, was hilarious, Wesley Snipes seems right at home as the bad guy, and Sly is pretty hilarious too, I just love those one-liners.
The only thing is that by the end of this film, it seemed to fall apart, but despite that I still love this film. It doesn't rank up there with TOTAL RECALL or TERMINATOR or even STARS SHIP TROOPERS, but still it is enjoyable mindless fun. **1/2 out of ****.
Review 82
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.
Review 83
This movie is great! It's so much fun to watch! Its a very exciting look into the future. The sets are very detailed and full of color. The brightest spot in this movie had to be the acting and antics of Wesley Snipes. The low point is Stallone's usual performance, very dull. But that's okay Snipes who plays Phoenix saves the day as usual. This is another example of why Snipes is my favorite actor.
Review 84
the film is really good especially when sly Stallone entered his room and fell because he didn't know it was low. Sandra bullock is also great in this pre- speed movie. Nigel Hawthorne ( lord clavington in Madeline )is also nice considering he is a British actor. all in all this is great.
Review 85
DEMOLITION MAN is a sci-fi comedy so hilarious that it compensates for the brain-dead action sequences mandatory in any Stallone movie.
John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) is your stereotypical super-cop who is sent into the burning war zone of 1999 Los Angeles (OK, so the movie got dated a bit quickly), where he must rescue some hostages taken by mad criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes). Spartan captures Phoenix, but Phoenix manages to frame him for the mass murder of the hostages. Both men are sentenced to life imprisonment frozen forever in suspended animation.
Cut to forty years later. Los Angeles has become a new society (with many a wink and nod to Aldous Huxley's BRAVE NEW WORLD) in which violent behavior is completely unknown and human relations are strictly controlled to eliminate drugs, alcohol, unhealthy food, swearing, and even sex! (I guess the population is maintained by artificial insemination). Suddenly, by some strange act of sabotage, Simon Phoenix is released. The 21st century police, are, to put it mildly, unprepared to deal with a 20th-century criminal. At the suggestion of policewoman Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock) John Spartan is thawed out and sent to catch Phoenix again.
The comic sparks that fly as Spartan butts heads with this completely alien society are magnificent. Every time Spartan curses, a machine issues him a ticket; Spartan's reaction to this problem is hilarious. Bullock doesn't exactly show huge talent as Lenina Huxley, but she doesn't really need it to make this character funny and engaging, in love with her cliched and distorted vision of the 20th century just as some of us are with the Old West or the Age of Chivalry. One of the running jokes is that she has not quite mastered the 20th-century jargon she loves to spout. One of my favorite parts is a 20th-century telecast showing Spartan, who has just rescued a little girl from her kidnappers, being interviewed by a browbeating TV reporter; the response to this reporter is classic. The script wisely does not call for Stallone to stretch his meager acting talents; he's funny just being who he is, so wildly out of place.
Unfortunately, DEMOLITION MAN wants to be an action film, and the action scenes are every bit as bad as you would expect from a Stallone picture. Some repellent violence (i.e. a de-oculation) is jarring and unjustified in this essentially humorous movie. The fighting between Phoenix and Spartan is your usual collection of dumb one-liners and experienced gunmen missing each other constantly at short range with automatic weapons. Snipes is a redeeming feature; he is obviously having the time of his life playing Phoenix, and is generally fun to watch. His malevolent stare is sometimes quite scary. It's a shame he wasn't given a bigger share of the comic material.
DEMOLITION MAN is well worth renting for its brilliant original laughs. The material is not new, of course, but the comic approach to it is. This movie may not be MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, but a laugh is a laugh and you shouldn't be too proud to enjoy the laughs DEMOLITION MAN has to offer. By no means should you see this movie on broadcast TV, as many of the best parts are routinely edited out.
Rating: ***1/2 out of ****.
Review 86
I strolled into "Hollywood Video" one night and kept thinking, "Just what am I gonna rent tonight?" I walked into the sci-fi section, and "Demolition Man" caught my eye. Then I thought, "Oh, why the hell not?" and rented it. So, I popped it in my VCR, and I had no idea what I was gonna see. The perfect action movie!!
"Demolition Man" is an ideal action movie. You got Sly Stallone and Wesley Snipes, two of Hollywood's toughest action heroes, ducking out with each other in what has to be one of my favorite movie showdowns! This movie, set in the future where most people are certified weaklings! Even the cops are pathetically wimpy! So you got a madman (Snipes) causing trouble in the peaceful future after 30-some years of suspended animation. What do you do? You get the 20th century's baddest cop to nab the psycho!! As usual, there are a few pests who don't want our hero to mess everything for us, but as usual, Stallone justs pushes them out of the way with his traditional force! The only person to aid Sly is the dependable Sandra Bullock, who has a field day as the kick boxing sidekick. And you got Wesley Snipes as the maniac whose raising hell, but not if Sly could help it!!!!
Review 87
I have seen many Snipes movies ranging from Drop Zone(with Gary Busey) to White Men Can't Jump(with best friend Woody Harrelson) and I have to say that this is the best role he has ever played. His character, Simon Phoenix, is funny, but still remains like someone you don't want to meet.
When captured by tough cop, Sly Stallone, both are frozen. In the year 2032, Phoenix escapes(with a little help) and John Spartan(Sly) is called in to help by Sandra Bullock(speed).
The story is great, and easy to follow. The whole cast put up reasonable performances. Nigel Hawthorne and Denis Leary co star as enemies. Hawthorne coming from a perfect world whilst Leary comes from the opposite. You might even catch a glimpse of Predator tough guy Jesse Ventura. Sandra Bullock puts up another comical turn. Even though some of the material may be unsuitable for younger audiences(check out the fountain pen eye early on), this film is the type of brainless action that under ages sneak into at cinemas. Rating=4/5
Review 88
A great foresight into the future, and I just love those futuristic gizmos. I don't know why some movies work, and some movies don't, since this movie didn't have a perfect story, but I think what did it in this film was attention to detail.
Review 89
This is the best sci-fi action movie ever made alongside "TOTAL RECALL" ;no slapdash,torch wielding "STAR WARS" 'fights' here."DEMOLITION MAN" is a 2 hour running battle between two tough adversaries in a world of wimps. Stallone and Snipes are terrific here and its the sort of movie that just when you think there are no more punches left to throw,another fight comes.Brilliant.Sandra Bullock has never been better,British thesp Nigel Hawthorne is unlikely ever to be in a movie as good as this again and Stallone is a revelation;for once handling comedy as well as action.There is not a wasted moment here,top marks all round.One question though. Just what is it with those seashells?
Review 90
This movie was really good. Stallone is one of the two best action stars in history (the other one being Steven Seagal). The special effects were good, the action was awesome, and it was really funny. Wesley Snipes, one of history's most overlooked action stars, is great as the bad guy.
Review 91
Wesley Snipes best role and Stallone is not bad either.
Really funny and some nice lines Like
I've been dreaming about Killing You for 20 years then keep on dreaming.
A Great Film.
Review 92
I really enjoyed this movie. It is about a tough cop and a tough criminal who are frozen from 1995 to the year 2032 or a similar time-slot. This ultra-violent criminal, Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), escapes into a completely non-violent world and so the cop, John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) is thawed out to catch him. It consists of great chases and occasionally great laughs when things of the future seriously puzzle Spartan, like the three sea-shells. The climax at the end is good, the story line is good, the acting is average, and the effects are good. 8 out of 10.
Review 93
Despite being reasonably fond of his 1991 John Landis directed flop "Oscar", one must say Sly Stallone isn't the greatest at picking humorous vehicles. His "Stop!-Or My Mom Will Shoot" was a lame-brained comedy actioner with an amusing nightmare sequence, the rest of the movie was just a nightmare to watch. His buddy-cop actioner "Tango&Cash" had humor, but even less intelligence than the aforementioned movie. It also had Jack Palance turning in a truly awful performance as a baddie named Yves!
Demolition Man is a delightfully tongue-in-cheek Joel Silver produced sci-fi/actioner (actor Craig Sheffer was EP) about a tough cop from 1998 who is released from cryogenic prison (he's been put to sleepy-bobo's for a while) in order to catch maniac Wesley Snipes, his old foe, because the futuristic police, and I quote "are not trained to handle this sort of violence". Derivative, but Snipes is brilliantly funny, Stallone is in good form, Sandra Bullock has her best role here, and the excellent supporting cast includes Rob Schneider, Denis Leary, Glenn Shadix ("Beetlejuice"), Benjamin Bratt, Jesse Ventura (wrestling), Nigel Hawthorne, Troy Evans ("Ace Ventura"), Bill Cobbs, and Bob Gunton ("The Public Eye"). Lots of fun from start to finish.
Review 94
This is a pretty good Stallone movie and Wesley Snipes (In his rare villain mode)is good as Simon Phoenix.
****SPOILER ALERT!!!****
L.A. is gone (Practically destroyed by a quake). Now called San Angeles (San Diego/Los Angeles, of course), the society is so nice that they deserve some violence. Enter Simon Phoenix, escapee from a cryo-genic prison. His type of violence (And incredibly violent at that) is new to these people, especially cops that handle such "violent" crimes as "graffiti" and fine people for using bad language. The solution? Thaw out John Spartan, the "Demolition Man." Frozen because he was framed in his attempt to capture Phoenix, Spartan is thawed out in a world that's gone vegetarian, free of bad language,sex,even toilet paper! Even worse, Taco Bell is the ONLY fast food chain!All courtesy of Dr. Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne).
The question that the film raises (Believe me, even in this film, it does happen)is: would you prefer a perfect society free of disease and violence and full of happy thoughts, or a society of sex and violence? Edgar Friendly (Played wonderfully by Denis Leary)seems to want to live in the past (Our now) than the rather sedated present (Possible future?). Many similarities to Brave New World (Bullock's character Huxley (After the author)and the reference to John being a savage (Just like the character in the book.).
O.K. Now that you've finished with the draining intellectual part of this comment...
The film is action packed (And pretty graphic)and Stallone and Snipes are great together. Check it out. ****1/2 out of 5 stars.
Review 95
'Demolition Man' is a lot of fun to watch. A lot of things in the movie don't make any sense but those things create opportunities for some nice action and some funny moments. I am not sure if all the laughs in the movie were meant to be funny, but if you laugh, what does it actually matter.
In the future in the city San Angeles (the area from San Diego to Los Angeles) after the earthquake people live in a perfect world. For a long time no murder has committed. Then Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes)escapes. Over 40 years ago he was a criminal arrested by John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone). Spartan killed a lot of people during Phoenix' arrest, so he was punished as well. They both were frozen, possible in 1996 in a cryo-prison. Now Phoenix has escaped (how he does this is a secret that will be revealed later in the movie) the police can't handle him because they are not used to his violent behavior. The only thing they can come up with is Spartan. With the help of Lt. Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock) he must catch Phoenix and learn to know the new world.
The story above sounds ridiculous which it sometimes is. But you can understand there must be a lot of funny moments. Almost everything Spartan used to do is illegal now and he just can't get used to it. Snipes is a great villain, Stallone is nice as long as he is in this kind of movie and Bullock has some fine lines. I enjoyed it very much.
Review 96
Combine KNIGHT RIDER 2000 and CROCODILE DUNDEE with a tiny bit of BRAVE NEW WORLD, and the result will, for better or worse, be something like Silver Pictures' new action comedy, DEMOLITION MAN. In this case, it manages to be better than several of its components, although the writers have an unfortunate tendency to play it safe a little too often.
The movie opens in 1996 as LA PD sergeant John "Demolition Man" Spartan heads into his final confrontation with Simon Phoenix, a sociopathic criminal he's been trying to collar for two years. Though Phoenix is captured, the warehouse he was using as his headquarters is completely destroyed, and more than twenty hostages are found dead in the wreckage. Both men are sentenced to cryo-prison, where they will be placed in suspended animation, having rehabilitation work fed directly into their minds.
Thirty-six years later, Phoenix escapes when thawed out for a parole hearing. Within two hours he's killed seventeen people; a development for which the San Angeles (much of LA was leveled by "the big one of 2010," LA and several other cities have become the idyllic San Angeles metroplex) Police Department, which hasn't had to deal with a "Murder Death Kill" in twenty years, is woefully unprepared. Luckily, the cop who brought Phoenix in last time is in cold storage....
The producers must be congratulated for going out on a limb here. While people would have paid to see a movie that was little more than a two-hour shoo tout between Stallone and Snipes, the movie has a satirical bent. It pokes fun at formulaic action movies--someone actually comments on a one-liner thrown out in the middle of a fight, and when Spartan gets angry at being regarded as some sort of action-movie stereotype, the speaker simply switches him from the "macho he-man" stereotype to the "brooding loner" ideal. The dwindling American attention span has been extrapolated to where fifteen-second commercials are the most popular music. The fear of intimacy being created in the AIDS era has extended to the point where nobody ever touches each other, not even to shake hands. What some observers see as a disturbing trend to sacrifice freedom for safety in America today is pervasive. The names "Spartan" and "Phoenix" actually seem to be chosen with something in mind, and an "underground" movement is to be taken literally. Stallone and Snipes look like photographic negatives of each other early on in the movie.
However, many of the interesting questions that could be raised in this movie are given lightweight treatment. Spartan had a wife and daughter, and though his spouse's death is one of the first things he learns when being revived, he doesn't seem to react much. Spartan mentions a nightmare that lasted thirty years, and Phoenix had a similar experience, but little is made out of it. And though at least some explanation is offered for the radical changes in society (better than with most movies of this genre, most recently typified by Fortress), it doesn't quite seem adequate. And is the sterile environment limited to San Angeles, or does it extend to all of California/ the United States/North America/western civilization/the world? Also, it would seem that Spartan has more in common with Phoenix than anyone else in this future, but little is done with this.
The action is well-shot, and the special effects are pretty seem less. They even showed a metric temperature reading that didn't say "degrees Kelvin," although the object in question was a 1 K without any visible insulation. The acting is tolerable. Stallone, though somewhat wooden, has learned a lot about playing the straight man from his brief foray into comedy, and pulls off his lines here without embarrassment, and actually managing to elicit quite a few laughs. Wesley Snipes throws caution to the wind as Simon Phoenix with an over-the-top portrayal of the insane criminal mastermind. Bullock is fairly poor, but it fits with the character she plays. Hawthorne is passable, and half of Denis Leary's four scenes are more or less carried by material straight out of his stand-up routine (he even starts pacing back and forth). Rob Schneider from Saturday Night Live also shows up as a character who might have escaped from an SNL skit about bureaucrats you want to punch out on sight.
DEMOLITION MAN falls in the 7.0-7.5 range. It's more clever than the average action movie, but missed several opportunities.
Review 97
With the name of Sylvester Stallone attached to an action vehicle, one has rarely come to expect anything other than mindless violence and red-blooded politics that approach the extremes of reactionary libertarianism. Demolition Man is an action film and its politics are arguably reactionary and libertarian, but the surprise for a Stallone film is that it emerges as an action film with intelligence and a sense of humour.
1. The film offers a wittily satiric vision of the future - one where current fads for Political Correctness have created a society that is so nice it is dystopian. The satire runs wall-to-wall - radio stations and piano bars plays jingles from 20th Century advertising commercials, fast food joints have become the restaurants of the future serving up junk food as though it were gourmet dinners, and perhaps in response to Arnie?s digs at him in Twins (1988) and Last Action Hero (1993), Stallone throws in a sly joke about how the immigration laws were changed to allow Arnold Schwarzenegger (who is in real life an ardent Republican) to become President. Perhaps one of the funniest moments is Stallone?s meeting with revolutionary leader Dennis Leary where Leary suddenly turns around and reveals in perfect straight-face that what he is fighting for is the right to eat red meat, smoke, read Playboy and run naked through the streets if he wants - exactly the opposite of what a revolutionary is supposed to be rebelling in favor of.
The film came at a point where Stallone was trying to gain back charge of his career and turn away from a string of mindless action box-office flops. It even shows Stallone indulging in a little Political Correctness himself and repudiating the very violence his film plays on - in one interesting (if not particularly convincing) scene he tries to delineate a dividing line between violence that is acceptable for enforcing the law against people who are conducting armed robbery for profit and terrorism, and its use against people who are conducting armed robbery to steal the basic necessities of life - ?Sometimes it?s good to hurt people - but not people who are stealing food?.
Stallone for the first time in a long while seems to be at remarkable ease in the role, even engaging in self-parody - he gets an enormous amount of mileage out of the jokes about having been hypno-programmed to knit and not being able to work out how the toilets work. He gets fine support from a pre-superstardom Sandra Bullock who gives a sparkling performance of naively happy ebullience.
Where the film is rather uninteresting - oddly enough considering such was its selling point - is in the action scenes which are all rather routine. Also considering his double-billing opposite Stallone, Wesley Snipes is not that well used - he yells his performance in and seems just another street punk that Stallone would have blown away without a second thought. Certainly he never builds to the sense of villainy that the film needs. As an actor Snipes never manages to suggest he is particularly well intellectually endowed. Here he is meant to be the villain, but he is so dull that even the heroine of the piece manages to steal the film out from under him.
The film was not a large success, as has been the case with many of Stallone?s films of the 1990s and 2000s. Marco Brambilla next went onto direct the flop Alicia Silvesrtone kidnapping comedy Excess Baggage (1997) and then returned to the genre with the TV mini-series Dinotopia (2002).
Review 98
Reviews and Comments
A fascinating, moderately original vision of the world of the future and the always-enjoyable Sandra Bullock are the majority of this films' redeeming qualities. Fortunately, they're just barely enough to make it worthwhile for fans of the futuristic action film genre. Wesley Snipes is amusing as the villain, and Sylvester Stallone (for better or worse) is his usual self. But the plot is the primary weak point, being neither realistic nor much more complicated than two guys fighting each other.
Review 99
The Year is 2032. The prison system, not having learnt its lessons from the past century (such as the case involving Alcatraz), now "puts away" people in deep freeze using cryogenic technology. Among those in the deep freeze are John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone), a police officer convicted of involuntary manslaughter, and Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), a ruthless criminal with a list of crimes too numerous to mention.
In Demolition Man, the future of what is now Los Angeles and its surrounding areas (known as San Angeles) appears blissful. It is illegal to swear, smoke, drink alcohol, have any contact with other humans that would lead to the exchange of fluids, and have children without a license. Sounds just like what the Christian Coalition would like, eh?
Unfortunately for the peace-loving people of San Angeles, there exists a band of rebels who wish to make their depraved choices without government intervention. Rebelling against the above Orwellian system, they live underground and are a thorn in the side of the San Angeles administration. In order to eliminate them and gain total power, Raymond Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne), the leader of San Angeles, covertly arranges to have Phoenix "programmed" to kill the leader of the underground rebels, Edgar Friendly (Denis Leary). When Phoenix escapes from prison, the prison officials (who are unaware of plan) lack the skill to combat him and thus release Spartan also, since it was he who brought Phoenix to justice in the 20th century.
As you can guess, there're a lot of explosions, gunfights, and general mayhem. Snipes is reasonably funny as a blonde-haired villain. Stallone actually manages more than three facial expressions. Surprisingly, there is a lot of good hum our throughout the movie: There's a priceless moment involving meeting matches and licking asses, which had me rolling over the floor. Sandra Bullock is cute as Spartan's sidekick and love interest.
There's a fair bit of socio-political commentary hidden in the movie, but none of it is new. This is definitely worth renting if you've not seen it before.
Review 100
Kyle's Rating: the greatest role of Sylvester Stallone?s career. Give this man an Oscar!
Kyle's Review: Look, Rocky is good, but it?s a fact of life and game show trivia that Sylvester Stallone isn?t going to be accepted into the pantheon of ?distinguished actors? any time soon. Copland aside, most of his stuff (Cobra, Lockout [or something], and that movie about arm wrestling) is forgettable and useful largely in filling up TNT and TBS weekend programming. However, this is not to say that Stallone doesn?t have a lot to offer in the realm of entertainment; like contemporaries Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwartzenegger, Stallone has a charm and screen presence that can make a movie watchable, within reason of course (I think they show Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot in prisons to real dregs of society as ultimate punishment). Tango and Cash is fun, but Stallone really makes his mark in Demolition Man. It?s sounds like the sort of action/sci-fi **** that clogs the ?favorites? shelves at the video store, but with wonderful performances, a great blend of humor and action, well-written dialogue and story AND a song by Sting on the soundtrack, Demolition Man towers above the rest and really should have swept the critic?s awards that year, though I?m sure there was some film about a blind amputee learning to play the piano while in a loveless marriage to an overbearing disgraced former-general-turned-arena-gladiator that was more deserving that year thick sarcasm ends.
The story is a standard sci-fi cookie cutter recyclable: good guy (maverick cop) catches bad guy (homicidal genius madman) but gets framed in the process as bad guy?s revenge, and they both get cryogenically frozen to serve their time in stasis. But then when the bad guy mysteriously escapes to run rampant in a far-future crimeless utopia that lacks the resources to deal with the bad guy, the only hope is to also defrost the good guy who caught him in the process so he can have comical reactions to the future setting while doing serious shoot-?em-up action with the bad guys and tossing around glib witticisms like there was no tomorrow, with a hot female sidekick and angry authority figures breathing down the good guy?s neck the whole way. It?s not very unique, is it? I saw a variation on this story that was made in the 1940?s (called Destruction Man or something), so there you go.
What sets Demolition Man aside is that this is one of those great movies that is just pure fun on film and you can tell a lot of care and effort went into making this one great. Every little clichй (good guy surprised by future, the enlightened future socialites view him as a primitive relic, profanity is outlawed [no!]) is tweaked a little and treated with tongue firmly in cheek. Crappy Los Angeles has been transformed into utopian San Angeles. There?s future technology all about but the normal citizens treat it as second nature, instead of being all high and mighty about it so the audience?s attention is drawn and we loudly exclaim ?ooh? and ?ahh? in the theater, like certain films I could mention . . .
Did I mention how this movie is made by the performances? Stallone is the man of the hour (and a half, roughly) as John Spartan, the roughest toughest cop around kicking ass and taking names in wartorn Los Angeles. He?s a walking disaster, he?s nobody?s friend, he?s (known as the) Demolition Man. Spartan?s the only cop crazy enough to try to take down the diabolical Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes doing a great job playing his impression of The Joker) and he succeeds, but gets falsely busted in the process. In the future, after Phoenix escapes and Spartan is defrosted, future cop Lenina Huxley (the pure pre-Forces-of-Nature-ick-she-kissed-Ben-Affleck! Sandra Bullock) acts as his enthusiastic partner with a thing for the past and a willingness to try anything, even sex and violence, as least once. And not in that order!
So even if your girlfriend or you have a unspoken rule to never rent a Stallone movie, make an exception for Demolition Man. It?s well worth your trouble, and there?s plenty of humor, comedy, and good old fashioned violence for the entire family, nay, the whole community! And Denis Leary is in here, too, and gets the limelight for a few choice soliloquies on the fallibility of utopia and the benefit of smokes and steaks. What a world! Don?t forget to stay for the credits: any opportunity to hear a Sting song is time well spent. Enjoy one of the few Stallone films you shouldn?t be ashamed for liking!
Review 101
PoolMan's Rating: Best pinball game EVER.
PoolMan's Review: College life for me was an interesting time. Sure, I worked hard, and I did relatively well with my classes, but being fresh from high school, it was my first exposure to an education where you were entirely responsible for yourself, and no one really cared whether you showed or not, so long as you paid your tuition. Hence, when I felt I was up and ahead in my studies, I would go hang around the campus arcade with some buddies. It was there that I had my first taste of Mortal Kombat, Magic: The Gathering (in the student hall), and Demolition Man Pinball. Man, that was the life.
The thing that made Demo Man such a great ball game was the fact that nearly every single line in the movie was in it! "Send a maniac to catch a maniac." "Heads up!" "Two for the price of one!" It was like they planned the script around electronic entertainment instead of film. This is all to say that Demo Man is inextricably wound up in this beady little cranium of mine, even if for the wrong reasons. Thankfully, it's also there for the right reasons; I LOVE this movie.
My girlfriend made the repeated comment that Sylvester Stallone can't act. I was about to argue the point before I realized it's pretty true. Sure, he can strap on boxing gloves/machine guns/headbands and go play the tough guy, but how much of that is ever really a stretch? It doesn't really matter though, the guy's just so fun to watch glide from scene to scene, utterly bewildered and yet never off balance. He has a good sense of humour, and can look macho when he needs to. What else do you need?
Between Kyle's cheering (yay!) and Justin's booing (um... boo!), the plot's been pretty well laid out already, no need to rehash. The story is more complicated than Justin makes it out to be, to be fair. Although it takes so long to get to WHY Simon Phoenix is thawed out in the first place, I can see where you might get bored with the story. And yes, it's pretty unrealistic to expect that a mere 30 or 40 years could create such a radical difference in human nature, but then again, Justin saw Back to the Future 2, and he still holds out hope that we'll have hoverboards commercially available by 2015.
Demolition Man falls into my "I'd watch it pretty much any time" category. It full of good action pieces, it's got a remarkably cute Sandra Bullock, and it's funnier than hell. I don't know if it's date movie material, but at the very least, it's worth a viewing to see what's probably one of Sly's best movies ever. And after Driven, I'm sure we'd all rather remember him this way.
Review 102
Blame the cable channel TNT for this next review ? Demolition Man, an action packed movie starring Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, and Sandra Bullock has grown on me ? simply because every time I turn on the TV, it?s there. When I first saw the movie many years ago, I thought it yet another piece of action packed trash with tons of explosions, horrible acting, and a story so thin and cheap ? it could be written out and packed into one of those 25 cent egg contraptions you see just as you are heading out of the grocery store.
But still, time as proven, at least to me, that Demolition Man is not that bad. It won?t make any top ten lists ? not even if you are making one based on Stallone?s career ? but still it?s easy entertainment and not a bad way to unwind from a hard day?s work.
The movie goes something like this. Within the first few minutes of the movie ? even before much of the titles ? Stallone is a cop. A rugged, buffed cop with sharp instincts and an even sharper right hook. Much of his career has been spent tracking down a really bad guy with blond hair who like the Joker in Batman likes to laugh hysterically even when he knows he is caught and about to spend many years in jail. The movie takes place in a future ? it doesn?t say ?near future? but it definitely is a future since for one the jail is a place where you get freezed in this clear goo and your mind is fed happy thoughts until your parole.
Anyways ? John Spartan/Sylvester Stallone tracks down Simon Phoenix/Wesley Snipes and unknown to Spartan ends up killing a few innocent hostages ? thus, he, due to a public relations issue has to end up in jail along with the really guilty guy with blond hair. This allows of course allows us a few minutes to associate with Stallone?s character since we know he is the good guy ? who made a small mistake and has to pay for it. And, this allows for us to see Stallone completely naked in all his buffed glory ? because when you are freezed in this goo you have to be in your birthday suit.
The movie then flash forwards a few decades where the future has completely changed. Everyone drives really weird looking cars ? and is cited a fine if they cuss in public. The 20th century is looked badly upon by everyone ? even the old timers ? who have traded in self expression ? for public politeness. The cops are even completely unaware of harsh crimes ? and talk day in and day out about the ?big? cases which involve someone spraying paint on a fence.
Now of course we know what happens next ? the really bad guy with blond hair gets out of prison by a freak twist in the story ? and soon Stallone is released just because he?s the only one left around who is tough enough to capture this guy. Stallone is accompanied by Lenina Huxley/Sandra Bullock, a future cop who loves the history of the 20th century and jumps at the chance to work alongside a living breathing cop of the past.
Much of the movie from this point forward does one of two things. Showcases new technology left and right and/or showcases that technology as a hindrance to apprehend the villain. One interesting aspect that I loved throughout this movie is that whenever someone cusses you always hear the buzzer sound in the background notifying you that you have just been fined for doing so. I can just imagine the sound guy working in post production who?s sole purpose it was, was to mark each cuss word and make sure that the sound effect is heard in the background.
Tossing aside the technology for a second ? the movie also highlights Stallone?s fairly bad (but it seems he?s not trying to be bad or better than bad ? he?s just bad) acting skills as he says his lines in tough sentences meant of course to be the opposite of Bullock?s sweet sounds her lines her require.
Also, the movie throws into the mix a whole bunch of character actors who add flavor to the movie ? but are of course forgotten for the most part since they only exist to move the movie forward. You?ll see Dennis Learey/Edgar Friendly in there, you?ll see Benjamin Bratt/Alfredo Garcia (from Law and Order ? ex-Julia Roberts boyfriend, recently married to someone else) in there, and a few others that pop up only to disappear.
The special effects are adequate but more left on the floor replaced by actual explosions that would make a demolition crew salivate. There are also some nice combat scenes ? especially the ones where Wesley Snipes and Stallone beat it out. This is pre-Blade era for Snipes, so his build is a little less bulky than Stallone?s, but he is still quick on his feet and able to give John Spartan a run for his money.
Other than that ? I don?t really know why Demolition Man has grown on me, enough to warrant three stars. Maybe it is because, action movies these days (2002) are starting to either be Japanese imports where wires are used left and right ? or starring some actor who has recently made a big name in Hollywood (is that Lucy Liu in a new action movie?!) Sometimes I long for the old days ? but sometimes I do not (aka, Schwarzenegger?s Collateral Damage ? read Jack Sommersby?s article to see just how bad one movie can be).
So if you ever find yourself watching cable and catch a glimpse of Demolition Man on TNT, give it a few ? if you haven?t already done so. I wouldn?t and will not purchase this movie ? maybe a rental whenever it leaves the TNT rotation ? but it?s not as bad as I first thought. Then again, it is Friday night ? and who knows what goes through the mind of a movie reviewer after a long day at work ? and a few beers.
Review 103
If you have seen clips or advertisements for Demolition Man, you may think the film is about a 21st century duel between a cop and a criminal from the 20th century. Although this provides the mediocre plot for the movie, the actual emphasis lies elsewhere. It is the exploration of the futuristic society that dominates the film's screen time. Fortunately, the writers and director are very successful in pulling this off in what turns out to be a very interesting glimpse into the future.
Demolition Man starts out in the year 1996 in a showdown between LAPD Sgt. John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) and psychopathic criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes). Phoenix is holding 30 hostages in a heavily armed building when Spartan, known as the "Demolition Man," captures Phoenix in an attack that destroys the building as well. Phoenix declares that Spartan is responsible for the deaths of the hostages, and Spartan is convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to the CryoPenitentiary, where he (along with Phoenix) is frozen and subjected to a rehabilitation program.
They resurface in the year 2032 when Phoenix escapes from his parole hearing. But the world has changed into a kinder, gentler society where violent crimes are virtually nonexistent. Needless to say, the futuristic police force is ill equipped to deal with apprehending the still masochistic Phoenix. Enter the recently thawed John Spartan, an old fashioned cop brought back to stop an old fashioned criminal.
Although this provides the plot of the film, the actual emphasis of the script is exploring the futuristic society created by writers Peter M. Lenkov and Robert Reneau. They envisage an Orwellian 1984-esque society, complete with a Big Brother figure in Mayor/Govenor Raymond Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne). Cocteau has created a society devoid of social evils including violent crimes on the one hand, but also including drinking, smoking, and foods high in cholesterol. "Exchange of bodily fluids" is also prohibited to keep disease at bay. In its stead is virtual sex, presented in a scene between Spartan and leading lady Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock).
As the plot itself incredibly weak and is not bolstered with any particular finesse, it is relieving that the film devotes much of its time examining the intricacies of the new society. After the escape of Phoenix, the film spends a very long time in the control room of the police station tracking him on their sophisticated monitoring system. Though the emphasis seems odd, the scene is very well done, showing both the new technologies of the new era as well as the new modes of human interaction, devoid of any casual touch and replete with innocuous greetings such as "be well."
The most impressive aspect of the writers' view of the new technology is that it is very feasible for the most part. Everything is grounded in current technologies and merely extrapolated into the future: there is no Jetsons-type silliness with levitating motor cars that fold into briefcases. Quite the contrary, the motor vehicles pictured were provided by General Motors and are actual prototype "concept cars" that GM intends to build in the future, complete with voice-recognition devices used to navigate and steer.
There is a good deal of social satire as well. The "oldies" radio station plays "mini-songs" of the 20th century, known to most of us as commercials. Lines from favorite jingles can be heard in the background of the scene in the fancy night club Taco Bell. A caller to the police department emergency line is instructed by an operator, "If you would prefer an automated response, press 1 now." And (perhaps appropriately for a Sylvester Stallone film) a somewhat demeaning reference is made to the "Shwartzenegger presidency."
Ultimately, however, Demolition Man is unsatisfying. The lame plot combined with the woefully banal dialogue is only partially salvaged by the clever picture of society in the 21st century. Aside from a few interesting twists, the action scenes are also trite with all the guns roaring. (Guns, of course, are illegal in the perfect society: Phoenix and Spartan had to get theirs from a museum.) One plus is that all graphic violence was painstakingly avoided: for all the scenes of people shooting, there are remarkably few of people getting shot. Taken as a whole, Demolition Man is very interesting, but not all that exciting.
Review 104
One of the few Stallone movies I like. He's fun to watch in this one and Sandra Bullock adds her naive sweetness to it. The movie has no depth but allows some entertaining glimpses into the future. Easy entertainment!
Review 105
The movie could have been far better if Sly Stallone had not have played the starring role. Surely there were far better younger actors out there who could have contributed a better performance. Sandra Bullock and Wesley Snipes rescue the movie and take into the 'average and watch-able' category. If you see the movie look out for the comical part where Sly and Wesley Snipes have a punch-up. I get the impression that the director was trying to make it look like a Rocky Movie!
Review 106
A viewer
GOOD MOVIE OF THE FUTURE AND ACTION.
Review 107
This movie is nothing but fun. It didn't win any awards and.. I suppose it didn't really deserve any. BUT, the action is great! The one liners are great. Some of the situations this movie brings about are great. The entertainment value of this movie is VERY HIGH. If you like Sly or action movies.... it is a MUST SEE. --
Review 108
Predictable action fare with Stallone playing a super cop from 1996 awakened from an unjust cryogenic jail sentence to capture super psycho Snipes (also frozen in 1996) who has escaped the liberal-totalitarian utopian San Angeles (used to be LA) in 2032.
None of this movie makes any sense, but its running jokes are amusing. The futuristic society is the apotheosis of political correctness and pacifism, and the only weapons are those on display in a museum...and fortunately for Snipes' character, the pacifist nimrods displayed fully functional firearms, with plenty of of ammo. Fortunately, this movie doesn't take itself too seriously. You know how it's all going to end, and there are no real surprises along the way, but the running gags (that every restaurant is Taco Bell--the only one to survive the Franchise Wars--that toilet paper has been replaced by three seashells, that people receive demerits for cursing) and comic-strip action are enough to sustain the movie.
Review 109
This is one of the best action comedies ever produced. It features an all-star cast, with detective John Spartan played by Sylvester Stallone, his arch enemy Simon Phoenix is portrayed by Wesley Snipes, Stallone's love interest (the lovely Lenina Huxley) of course is played by Sandra Bullock, and if you look closely enough you'll even see Jesse "The Body" Ventura running around as a cryocon.
Stallone plays a detective from 1996 known affectionately as the "Demolition Man", who finally puts away Snipes after years of work. Phoenix has the last laugh though, and Spartan is locked away as well for a crime he never committed. 36 years later, Phoenix escapes from cryoprison and John Spartan is thawed out to reluctantly attempt to reapprehend his old foe.
This movie is packed with the great action scenes you expect to see from Stallone and Snipes, but what really sells it is the comedy. The movie never takes itself too seriously, and scenes like Simon Phoenix in the museum or the information booth, and John Spartan putting the moves on Lenina Huxley get laughs that would make Adam Sandler green. "Demolition Man" is just great entertainment as well as an old personal favorite, and it's obvious that the cast had a blast making it.
Review 110
I think that this movie (Demolition Man) is a great entertaining action movie that shouldn't be taken too seriously. just watch it and have a good time to see the great clash between Stallone and Snipes...
Review 111
Sly Vs. Snipes The action is tremendous, especially the one on one scene in the museum. Great overall cast and it did have its humorous moments about the three seashells. Snipes is great as the martial arts bad guy.
Review 112
This movie is a sort of RoboCop 3 comic adventure. John Spartan, a soldier of our time, was arrested because he was accused responsible for the lives lost in a building that exploded. A new method of imprisonment was found and he was put in it. He was encased in ice. His enemy Simon Pheonix is too imprisoned, and years later, Phoenix escapes and reeks havoc in the futuristic la-la land Los Angeles. The only person capable of beating him is Spartan because in the future there are no guns except in museums.
This is a humorous, action packed but somewhat light-hearted action/adventure. Stallone and Snipes play awsome enemies against each other. This film is rated R for uh...uh...good question. The content is so limited. I guess there's some very mild language, gunplay and somewhat intense sexual content. Why not PG-13 at least?
Review 113
Okay, so it's not nearly as sophisticated as 2001: A Space Odyssey. Not as memorable as Star Wars. But way better than Wing Commander (1999) and Battlefield Earth (2000 or close to it)! Demolition Man makes no effort to take itself too seriously. It literally radiates pure silliness. I mean, consider the following -
1 - Sly versus Snipes. A marquee matchup of the two actors in their glory days. They haven't done too many good movies since.
2 - All the wimpy, corny naunces of the year 2036 are hilarious. Salt, sex, and meat are declared illegal... no unwarranted physical contact (hi-fives)... soto vocce violations... etc
3 - the museum assault scene. Enough said. "What's your boggle?" POW!
4 - The way John Spartan pulls off lines and monologues that are a bit lengthy and thus sound a but stiff, but he gets away with it.
5 - "Murder/death/kill! Murder/death/kill!" Classic.
6 - A "futuristic" 1996 (envisioned 3 years hence from when the movie was made), with - get this - a CH-47 Chinook LAPD chopper! Gimme a break!
7 - and lastly, a young Sandra Bullock. In Spandex. YESSSS!
Demolition Man is a bit underrated and seems to have faded with time. But it is one of my all-time faves. DM tells a great story without giving total creedence to plot holes and reality. And did I mention its got a young Sandra Bullock? In Spandex! YESSSS!
Review 114
G0d, has it been 10 years already since this movie came out? I still remember renting it when it was first available on video and watching it about three times before I returned it to the store. It wasn't necessarily excellent for me, but the action and humor was what kept me coming back. That and Wesley Snipes. And it's very nice to see how well it's help up after all this time.
Basically every other reviewer has written a plot, so I won't bother. What I will say is that it's almost shocking to see an action movie (starring Sly, no less) with such a great and intelligent script. Yes, I said intelligent. You know those movies where the basic premise is so intriguing, but the outcome is anything but? Well, Demolition Man takes full advantage of it's admittedly silly set-up. How are two maniacs from the 20th century going to respond to an almost too-good-to-be-true Utopian society in 2036? Simple: with explosives, guns and plenty of naughty words. Whenever something isn't blowing up in this movie, we're treated to some very comical situations. Citations are given for bad language, Taco Bell is the only restaurant in San Angeles, three seashells have replaced toilet paper, the only "oldies" you'll find on the radio are commercial jingles, police are just as clueless as the next civilian on how to handle criminals and the list pretty much goes on and on. The humor is the bulk of why I like this movie so much, but the action is also pretty good.
Stallone is given kudos for being able to keep a straight face throughout such ludicrous situations, and Sandra Bullock makes for a cute sidekick/love interest, but it's Wesley Snipes who steals the movie as psychopath Simon Phoenix. Sporting bleach blonde hair and funky looking eyes, he's great fun to watch. It's amazing how underrated this guy is; I don't think people realize just how good Snipes actually can be until they really sit down to think about it. Would the Blade films be as much fun if someone else were cast in the title role? Would New Jack City have been watchable without him? I don't think so.
The DVD is okay; anamorphic widescreen, 5.1 surround and all that, but the features are typically slim for an early Warner release. I suppose a 10th anniversary edition is now out of the question; ah, well. At least we get a director's commentary and the film does look great.
Great price, so highly recommended. Pick it up and take that 10 year trip to the past to visit 30 years into the future.
Review 115
Demolition Man is one of my faves of ALL time. I saw it in theaters in '93 and I was hooked from the start. Okay, I don't think the LAPD has any Chinook helicopters in its fleet, but we'll let that one slide. But Demo Man is just out to have a good time. The 2036 future is one big 'G' rated deal, and everyone is politically correct and decent. Well, heh heh, Spartan and Phoenix get unfrozen and tear up the joint! The two stars (in their prime) play off each other very well, and Huxley (Bullock... a young Sandy Bullock in spandex - Woo-HOO!) provides great comic relief as a cop born forty years too late who longs for at least a little chaos in her time. Her malopropisms are hilarious, as she can't get a single 90s era catchphrase down pat - "Let's go BLOW this guy!" - and other ones too.
However, watching the two leads work their goodguy/badguy roles is what makes Demo Man so enjoyable. Spartan is completely out of his element in 2036 as behavior, logic, bathroom etiqutte, and intimacy rules are unfamiliar to him. Phoenix is all about big time evil, and he kicks ass all over Santa Monica at will. The supporting cast does a great job too. Here's some more reasons why Demo Man rocks:
1 - the sotto voce violation device!
2 - how easy the SPD cops get smacked around by Phoenix
3 - Huxley's overreactions to Spartan's vulgarity: "EEEEEW! You mean,
fluid transfer?" during the bedroom "sex" scene
4 - during the final fight, the camera cuts away to scenes of the Cryolab falling apart, and you hear Phoenix scream. I dunno. I just find it amusing.
5 - Spartan's vain attempt to regain control of his out of control car, "Brake now you Mickey Mouse piece of sh-----t!!" In the TV version, it's edited to, "Brake now you Mickey Mooooouuuuussssse!"
6 - "You're on TV! POW!" as Spartan smacks Phoenix with a TV.
7 - the scene where Edgar Friendly interrogates Spartan, Huxley, and Garcia (Ben Bratt)
I could go on and on, but the point is, Demolition Man rocks big time but seems to have faded over the years. It's silly, ridiculous, and doesn't try to take itself too seriously. It's got a wealth of one-liners. And its got a young Sandy Bullock - in spandex!
Review 116
Sylvester Stallone is surprisingly good in this fast, funny and violent futuristic action film about two convicts (the one good, the other bad) freed from suspended animation to wreak all kinds of mayhem in a politically correct Los Angeles of the future. Mind you, Wesley Snipes (as Sly's bad guy opponent) still steals the show.
While more could have been done on the satire side of things, this film is still one of the better Stallone films made.
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http://www.sciflicks.com/demolition_man/images/demolition_man_06.html It actually shows that he can star in worthwhile movies and not just misconceived duds like Judge Dredd (1995)! Also, watch out for Sandra Bullock in a role she took before Speed (1994) jettisoned her to worldwide fame and recognition.
Demolition Man offers enough action and laughs for any action movie junkie...
Review 117
Lighten up, people! Just what do we expect from a film called "DEMOLITION Man",hmm? Social relevancy? Oscar nominations? The two combatants duke it out in the present, then take it to the future. Both Stallone and Snipes seem to relish chewing the scenery no matter what the century. It's fun to look through John Spartan's eyes at a world that is no longer recognizable; a world that he no longer fits into. A world where sea shells have taken on a whole new usage!
Demolition Man is an action-packed ride into the future. A future where nearly everything has been outlawed, where crime is almost non-existant, and where two foes suddenly find themselves in a face off...to the death. Sandra Bullock is as lovely as ever, providing some of the best lines in the film, borne out of her innocent attempts at speaking 90s-ese.
While I would never classify Demolition Man as anything near a classic, it is a good old fashioned (if you can be old fashioned in the future!) good guy vs bad guy flick. Only one truly objectionable scene for the potentially squeamish (with the warden). Otherwise, a good choice for a no-brain-necessary night at the movies.
Review 118
THIS MOVIE IS GREAT! IT'S FUNNY ROMANTIC, ACTION PACKED!! I HAVE WATCHED IT OVER AND OVER AND I LOVE IT JUST AS MUCH AS I DID THE FIRST TIME! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN'T SEEN IT~ PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE OLD NEWS CLIPS OF JOHN SPARTAN (SYLVESTER STALLONE). THAT IS THE BEST PART!!! AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE SEEN IT, IS THE PART NOT THE GREATEST OR WHAT? (HERE IS A CLUE TO LET YOU KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT ~ HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE DESTRUCTION OF A 3 MILLION DOLLAR MINI MALL FOR A GIRL WHOSE RANSOM IS ONLY $25,OOO?) AND IT IS COOL TO HEAR THEM REFER TO LASER DISKS AND SUCH WHEN THOSE ARE PRACTICALLY OBSOLETE!! ENJOY!!!
Review 119
John Spartan is a cop in the near future whose apparent accidental killing of a building full of hostages sees him cryogenically frozen alongside his nemesis, Simon Phoenix. Both re-awake many years later to find an America where crime is unknown, all restaurants are Taco Bell, commercial themes are respected music and toilet paper has (somehow) been replaced by three seashells. This is, simultaneously, a decent action movie, an interesting science fiction premise and a raspberry to the theory that Stallone cannot do comedy. With a supporting cast to die for, this is a forgotten piece of early 90s heaven.
Review 120
The film and its two main actors are very beautiful. The films details are elegantly smart, as well as the overall thought. The film is against a cold yuppie society. The film cares for the weaks and therefore has a good moral. The film is against corrupt administrations and elegantly anarchistic. The film says that there are circumstances when violence is the right thing to use. The film is one of the best earthly science fiction films. It reminds of the film Brazil, one of the best like Dune and Alien. It is nice as a comedy but expencely realistic - and romantic!
Review 121
This movie is a classic Sly Stallone movie. Its so over the top that it is so entertaining. I just love movies that try to predict the future, ussually by the time the future date approaches in reality, its just way off. When this movie predicts 1996 LA at the start of this movie, its like a post apocalyptic nightmare (only three years later after the production date of the movie, yet again made after the LA riots). Then, even worse, the picture of the future 30 years from now. We all can share what Stallone's character is feeling when he is unfrozen in the future, just completely out of place. Although his time was a nightmare, the future, even in its tranquillity, is also a nightmare, a place were almost everything is limited making it just haunting.
This movie's depiction of the future is also very hilarious and all in all just fun. Seeing Stallone being frustrated with everyone and with everything is very amusing. Demolition Man is a very solid movie with great entertainment value. 7.5/10.
Review 122
At first I thought this would be just another Stallone action movie, but after watching it, I realized how deep this was. In 1996 (3 years after this was made), they have cryogenic technology for humans, and use it for prisons. Stallone's character (Spartan) spends 2 years trying to catch Snipe's character (Phoenix), and succeeds, but is accused of involuntary manslaughter for 30 people. Both are are cyrogenically frozen. 36 years later, in 2032, Phoenix escapes and law enforcement, not used to such violence, thaws out Stallone and uses him to catch Phoenix. This is where the movie gets extremely funny, as they both have adventures in San Angeles, seeing how society has changed. This has comedy, action, and science fiction mixed brilliantly.
As a science fiction movie, this is very good, much like 6th day and total recall, which are looks into the future and predict what an alternate time line would be like.
10/10.
Review 123
Demolition Man. If you're one of those guys that lives practically on dictionaries for reading, you'll know what it means. For those of you who don't, well, you'll be walking blind--right into one of the COOLEST Action movies of all time!
In a future where violence is prohibited, two of the 90's most destructive forces--a cop with no limits of destruction (Sylvester Stallone) and a criminal with no limits of evil (Wesley Snipes)--run loose in a world not prepared for such catastrophic warfare. While Snipes is getting used to the future rather quickly (and that's an understatement), Stallone is having problems dealing with the nonviolent changes to serving justice (which is an overstatement). The plot becomes as deep as the Pacific when it is found out that the high council itself has released Snipes at an attempt to spread their power. Unfortunately, the highest of the council wouldn't live any longer to see it accomplished (which, as you've guessed by now, never would). After learning that Snipes plans on releasing prisoners of the past into the future, Stallone charges into what has to be the coolest future-movie theme battle.
Overall: terrific storyline, terrific characters, a nice deep plot, incredible action scenes, and some comedy to end the list (a good dose of comedy in a movie like this is bound to be good for your movie diet).
This one is shorter than my others, but this movie is so good I-I ain't gonna waste my breath. Just watch the movie yourself: all you'll be saying when it's over is, "Cooooolll!"
Rating: 10 out of 10
Review 124
I liked this movie when I first saw it, back when I was about 10 years old, but I wanted to see how much I'd like it now that my taste in cinema has heightened. As it turned out, I did. The premise is original and there's some great fish-out-of-water humor. I love the scene where the police approach Simon Phoenix after he just murdered someone. Since they're not used to arresting people for murder in this peaceful future, the police are instructed in a very elementary manner about how to approach the killer. And I still like the gag about the three seashells, and Stallone instead deciding to curse over and over again, so he could use the tickets as toilet paper. Stallone is always enjoyable to watch, and it's fun to watch him belt out his one-liners, like all good action stars do. Wesley Snipes is completely over-the-top as Phoenix, but his intention was to play a villain straight out of a comic book, and he seems to have a lot of fun with the role. Plus, the theme song, by Sting, is way cool and it sucks how they don't show the credits during TV viewings, because I don't get to hear the song. If you're looking for good, fun action entertainment with laughs to spare, this is the movie to watch!
My score: 7 (out of 10)
Review 125
Finally we see a action-packed science fiction flick with a little sense for satire and relativity! For this genre (and for Stallone's career) that's a giant step forwards. Both super-villain Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) and LA's toughest cop (Sylvester Stallone) are defrosted in the year 2036. Society turned into a colorless mass, in which forms of physical pleasures like smoking, sex and unhealthy food have been banned. You get fines when you curse and there hasn't been a murder since twenty years! The man behind this entire metamorphosis is Sir Nigel Hawthorne and he also thawed Snipes in order to eliminate the last remainders of rebellion. The extremely exaggerated setting results in constant comedy and one-liners from both Snipes as Stallone. Wesley Snipes clearly has the time of his life as the bad-guy and his old-fashioned madness causes a lot of chuckles among the viewers. Sandra Bullock stars in one of her least irritating roles ever and comedian Denis Leary pretty much plays himself as the anarchistic nihilist Edgar Friendly. There are a few very ingenious dialogues in `Demolition Man', like the joke about President Schwarzenegger, which almost receives cult-value anno 2004. This film is great fun and one of the best genre-efforts in the last 15 years. We especially remember Wesley Snipes moral here: `You can't take away people's right of being a**holes' !
Review 126
A hundred years from now, Stallone will be remembered for:
(1976-1990) Rocky's (1982-1988) Rambo's (1993) Cliffhanger (1997) Cop Land
No, Demolition Man wouldn't be in there. But on imdb Stallone's filmography of what movies are popular Demolition Man is on the tops even though its been rated 6.1.
Demolition Man along with Cliffhanger (*Both were released in '93) Are Stallone's most popular action films of the nineties and really the only sucessful.
I love Demolition Man, great cast, it supplies both humour and action, with rewarding and revolutionary fight scene's taken place in the 21st. Century. Stallone did another movie similar, I'm not sure if I agree with that choice the two carry similar characteristics. But non the less 1993's futuristic film is a favorite to watch of all Stallone fans and fans of cinema altogether.
10/10
Review 127
THIS MOVIE IS GREAT! IT'S FUNNY ROMANTIC, ACTION PACKED!! I HAVE WATCHED IT OVER AND OVER AND I LOVE IT JUST AS MUCH AS I DID THE FIRST TIME! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN'T SEEN IT~ PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE OLD NEWS CLIPS OF JOHN SPARTAN (SYLVESTER STALLONE). THAT IS THE BEST PART!!! AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE SEEN IT, IS THE PART NOT THE GREATEST OR WHAT? (HERE IS A CLUE TO LET YOU KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT ~ HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE DESTRUCTION OF A 3 MILLION DOLLAR MINI MALL FOR A GIRL WHOSE RANSOM IS ONLY $25,OOO?) AND IT IS COOL TO HEAR THEM REFER TO LASER DISKS AND SUCH WHEN THOSE ARE PRACTICALLY OBSOLETE!! ENJOY!!!
Review 128
This is certinly a great action movie. Ive alyways liked this film. However the regioun 4 version does not come with the trailers or commentary, it only has the movie in wide screen and that is it!
One thing I did notice while watching this movie was they have dubbed the voices in some areas of the film with new dialogs! The most commenly known one i picked up on was in the original version i had on VHS it was "Tacho Bell" that was the product placment resteraunt they attended dinner in! But in this movie its been changed to "Pizza Hut"! I'm not sure why, but you can tell by the ways the lips move that there saying "Tacho Bell" and "Burrito" and sounds a bit funny when they say "Pizza Hut!"
Stilla great movie ,well worth watchign if your into blow em up action movies!
Review 129
Good movie, I watched movie allot and for some reason i never get bored of it. It’s a to buy movie
Review 130
Stallone in one of his better roles as a cop frozen in suspended animation as part of a jail sentence. He is awakened several years later because his arch-nemesis (Wesley Snipes)was also awakened from suspended animation and the pacifist future cops have no clue how to stop him. Stallone's rough ways do not bode well for those in charge but he is worshipped as a hero by his new partner (Sandra Bullock). Great exchanges of dialogue and action scenes between Stallone and Snipes. A great deal of comic relief as old commercial jingles have become popular music and Stallone doesn't know how to use the future bathroom or bond
with a future woman (Bullock).
Review 131
If you bought this like me expecting the Joel Silver commentary; it wasn't on there. Major dissappointment. Also in the version I purchased all references to Taco Bell had been replaced with Pizza Hut. Diff from what I saw at the pix. Loved this movie but dissappointed by this version. Box misled me into thinking extra features were on there. I should have looked closer. 5 stars for
the movie though!
Review 132
SPOILERS!!!
I believe this movie, out of all the ones on this list, has the vision of the future I would most like to see. Clean, moral, peaceful-perfect, right? Wrong. Even in a future this idyllic, there are many problems, with corrupt politicians (can't escape them) leaving those who do not conform to his views, without homes, and ensures the world sees them as vicious, murdering rebels. Unfortunately, when 20th century super villain escapes from his frozen sleep, the future has no idea how to cope. The police are not trained in combat, and are only marginally stronger than the public, so when Simon Phoenix begins to wreak havoc, there can only be one solution: bring back the one man who could handle him. So out pops Stallone, and the old enemies begin their personal war again. Apart from the look the film, which is very attractive, the script, and the cast are extremely good for an action film. Stallone is funny, not even remotely trying to adapt to the future, Snipes is excellent in exploiting the weaknesses of the future cops, and Bullock is stunningly beautiful, but also shows her skill as a comic actress, messing up the 20th century dialogue she picks up from Spartan. Lots of effective action set pieces are balanced well with the clever script, with the usual mix of explosions, bullets and punches all used to exploit the plot, not just for the sake of looking impressive. 8 OUT OF 10
Review 133
Demolition Man remains one of my favourite films. During my teenage years any film with big explosions, martial arts and funny one-liners was regarded as 'excellent'. This film I'm glad to say, has passed the test of time. In an era where we're seeing the demise of the big action blockbuster, Demolition Man remains fresh.
**SPOILERS** The society portrayed in the movie is one of peace, paranoia and exclusivity. Enter Wesley Snipe's character... a loud-mouthed villain with no conscience, equipped with a short-fuse, exceptional martial arts skills and some of the funniest lines in action-film history. The only man capable of stopping him, is the very same man who jailed him years ago. Sylvester Stallones character is a quiet loner who seeks to bring down villains any which way he can, usually with no thought for public safety. In seeking to bring the other one down, these two characters spend most of the film tearing the 'perfect' society apart.
As the story is based in the future, our minds are open to the fact that parts of this film could still possibly occur. This, along with Snipes and Stallones' chemistry and the usual action film cameos (love interest, the respective gangs and unfortunate passers' by) keeps us gripped right to the very climax.
Overall this is one of the most enjoyable action films I've seen. You leave feeling satisfied that not only did you get what it said on the tin, but knowing you'll look forward to seeing it again in the future.
Review 134
When we started watching this, we couldn't tell from the satellite TV blurb whether this was serious or not, but this very soon became clear: This is a hip, funny satire that knows where it's going and what it wants to say. Not only that, but this movie provides some of the principal source material for "Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery", a movie that I guess we must now call "second-order satire".
I've never liked Sly Stallone in his serious roles, but damn!, he's funny when he's parodying himself, both here and in "Antz".
("Atlant G, Schmidt, you are fined one credit for use of offensive language in an IMDB comment.")
Sandra Bullock sure seems like she's having a good time in this movie too, and her malopropisms are fun to try to interpret before Stallone gets to decoding them for us. And having seen Wesley Snipes in a variety of serious roles, it's wonderful to see him in the off- the-wall role he plays in this movie; we were constantly having to remind ourselves that that was, indeed, Wesley Snipes.
So if anyone tells you this movie isn't any good, just tell them to "shovel it!"
("Atlant G, Schmidt, you are fined one credit for use of a terrible
joke in an IMDB comment.")
Review 135
Great movie, had to post this somewhere. Watch the hearing list after Simon Phoenix breaks out, the second name on the list is Scott Peterson. They predicted the future, how much better could the movie be!
Review 136
I just rented this film from NetFlix, and it must be a different version than what some people here have reported receiving, because it does have the commentary by director Marco Brambilla and producer Joel Silver, and the actors still say "Taco Bell" in it. This appears to be what Amazon is advertising, but not delivering. Why would they go back later and edit out the name of a company, only to replace it with another name which is also owned by the same people? (Pepsi owns Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.) And did they do the commentary over without Silver, or just cut him out? It doesn't seem like it would make much sense with only one of them talking.
Review 137
From the very first scene of this film, I was aware that it would be a typical 90's action/comedy. It's clear from the very first frame. However, once you start to watch it, you'll realize that it's one of the few that actually deliver; plenty of one-liners, action scenes, a bad-ass hero and villain, plenty of explosions and nifty guns. It has everything you could want in an action movie, and pretty much everything you could want in a funny movie, as well. Actually, the action and the comedy in the film are equally big parts of the film. The film benefits highly from having two action icons in the leads(much like Dolph and Van Damme in Universal Soldier), Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. Stallone is well-known and credible in the ass-kicking hero part, and Snipes definitely seems to enjoy playing the cool, one-liner spouting villain. The plot is surprisingly good; it has a good pace, and is rarely boring, though on multiple viewings it can get a little bland, and it will not keep your attention(at least not through the plot), though it may keep you watching just to catch the next one-liner or action scene. The acting is fairly good. I didn't find any of the characters to be terribly badly acted, anyway. The characters are well-written and credible, not to mention (mostly) very entertaining. Snipes and Stallone have a good on-screen chemistry which makes their rivalry on screen believable. The action scenes are entertaining, well-choreographed and just plain fun. The jokes and one-liners are great; the overall humor and comedy in the film is probably the most valuable asset, as the action is somewhat outdated by now. The characters are all well-cast. The science fiction elements are well-integrated and entertaining, though rarely likely(but, of course, that is the whole purpose of the film). All in all, just a very entertaining typical action-comedy, that most likely will have the generic film-fan laughing and cheering. Most people can probably find something entertaining in this film. I recommend it to any fan of any of the actors, action films and comedies in general, and just plain action
movie buffs. 7/10
Review 138
This film is fantastic! It is a mild film, that any teenager could see, but it still has a lot of action and a lot of fun. Sandra Bulloc stars really cute in the beginning of the career while Stallone on the apice of his! Wesley Snipes, works good as the bad guy here.
There are some interesting details in the film: "The Schwarzenegger Library" is mentioned, because the actor in question became President of the US. This film is from 1993, but now, right now, who's California's governor? Exactly 10 years later, and also in the state where the film happened to be (San Andreas)??! Funny coincidences...
But the film didn't predict all the future:
Quite interesting was to see this film with a new DVD, and to realize that the voices of the actors (I could read their lips) and all the pictures of the film were changed form TACO BELL to PIZZA HUT!!! Why that?!
Review 139
This movie grows on you over time. It's become a regular repeat feature on the cable movie channels because more and more people now understand that it's really a dark comedy about Political Correctness run amok, which was a bit hard for many people to grasp in 1993 when the film came out. Today, it's a lot more obvious.
The action scenes are good, and both Stallone and Snipes are having fun in their roles. Sandra Bullock is especially good in this one: her "girl-next-door" persona is perfect for the young female cop who dreams of the "bad old days" when policemen actually had to chase criminals and drive fast cars. Of course, Sly is lampooning himself in this film; Snipes even slips in a "Rambo" reference at one point.
Most of the reviewers I've read (pro and amateur) miss the whole point. The film's story brutally lampoons those people who would do anything to protect us from ourselves, even to the point of outlawing sex! The real villain is the future world's "savior" who brings back a psycho killer (Snipes) to murder an underground leader for him. This "genius" thinks he's protected himself by brainwashing Snipes so that he can't kill him, never dreaming that a mass murderer could simply toss his gun to one of his henchman and yell "Shoot him", right after calling the leader an "evil Mr. Rogers." (Snipes is great in this role; the film wouldn't have worked without him.)
It's not Alien or Dune, folks, but it's good, unclean SF fun and a great action flick besides. Rent the DVD; I guarantee you'll laugh out loud and still be smiling the next day.
Review 140
Just saw DM again this past weekend on satellite. Can't recall which station, UPN, USA, ????
Did anyone else notice when they were accessing the day's parole hearings list that the 2nd name on that list was Scott Peterson?
Have they edited those names to show current scandals? Surely they would've had to have the permission of the movie makers. mmmmmmmmm??
Don't you just love Dennis Leary & his rants?
And how prophetic is that whole "President" Arnold thing?
Review 141
Made in 1993, "Demolition Man" is an interesting little piece of semi-political propaganda, which comes to us with a warning about the dangers of morality. This is made even more relevant by the state of government affairs in today's America, and we are very close to the nightmarish PC world depicted in it.
But a future without violence is worth it isn't it? The irony there rests in Lenina Huxley's (Sandra Bullock) fascination with 90's culture, which is seen by others as archaic and something that is better left forgotten, yet people in high positions of power hire violent criminals, like the recently escaped Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), to assassinate a rebel leader, Edgar Friendly (Denis Leary). An old-fashioned cop is also brought back into service to track down Phoenix, John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone), who uses his own methods of brutal law enforcement to bring him down.
As we see in "Demolition Man" however, this pacifist society comes to us at a costly price - our freedom. The police are ill-equipped to handle violent criminals like Phoenix and so they need to search into the past to figure how he was caught in the first place.
I don't know if most people would want to live a world like the one in "Demolition Man"; I certainly wouldn't want to. But with recent fiascoes with Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl or rap groups like the 2 Live Crew, we're being pushed further and further into "Demolition Man's" world.
8/10
Review 142
This is a fan-freakin'-tastic sci-fi about a futuristic fascist government ruled by an evil despot "Big Brother" who recruits a violent gang leader from the 20th century to assassinate the leader of the resistance who lives underground where the despot cannot monitor him. The problem is that the despot cannot control the gangster who wreaks even more havok now than he did in the past. The police decide to recruit a tough 20th century cop to go after the 20th century gangster, but the cop has a hard time fitting in and following the ludicrous laws of the future. The action and the humor get really good from there.
Review 143
Demolition Man(1993) Runtime:115min,Genre:Action/Sci-Fi/Comedy/Crime,Rated R for Violence, Language and Brief Nudity. Demolition Man is a great action packed film. It is also funny. I used to love this movie when I was at the ages of 3-5.But then the movie got lost. Anyway this still play's on TV. This film is about 2 men. A rough cop(Stallone) and a criminal(Snipes).The criminal gets thawed out and causes havoc in the new future. Because in the future the cops are wussy's they have to thaw out Stallone. So Stallone helps the cops kill Simon Phoenix(Snipes).But Simon has some backup with him. But Stallone gets back up also. This movie is a very good action film. It is just as good today as it was in 1993.
Review 144
Wes usually takes the hero role but maybe he should consider taking more villians. He makes Simon Phoenix a vibrant crackling character that really owns this movie. Everyone does a game job and seems to be having fun in this one. Even Sly is tolerable!
The film begins in present day and then catapults into futuristic LA after the world is nearly destroyed by our violent tendencies. As Phoenix opines "the world has turned into a bunch of robed sissies". How do our hero and villian get transported into time? Well it seems a mix up back in the day got our two leads locked in cryo-prison where they stayed frozen in their distinctive eras. At a parole hearing Phoenix escapes and the new world is needless to say ill equipped to handle a criminal as violent as he is. This leads to the reanimation of Stallone and the chase is on.
They do a good job with the fish out of water element and as I said they have some good supporting work. Bullock, Leary, and Bratt do good jobs in their roles and the story while a little flat at times never bogs down too much. The movie knows it is here to entertain and it does that in spades.
Review 145
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
This movie was replete with anachronisms, contrivances, and cheese, but was ultimately a ~lot~ of fun to watch.
There are too many of the elements listed above to begin to list them, but I will start with the "minis." The over-weight bad guy, rat burgers, the government determining anything "bad for you" is illegal, the AfricanAmerican as the violent bad guy, and 60-second segways of 1970's and 1980's television and radio commercial jingles chopped and played on the air waves as forms of "art," was all just too much.
Stallone played this part as a serious part with a wry humor. Well done.
Sandra Bullock played her part as a purely serious part. Very well done.
Everything and everyone else in and about this movie was contrived cheese which was out of its time. As I said. It IS fun to watch, but only in small doses.
I won't even bother detailing the plot. Once you realize what you've walked into, the plot almost won't matter, anyway.
It rates a 6.4/10 from...
the Fiend :.
Review 146
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
This is a great blend Of Action and Comedy and i enjoyed this film
very much. Wesley Snipes was great as the main villain and i really thought all the characters were very cool!. Sure it has a few plot holes here but it's all great fun and i loved the chemistry between Bullock and Sly!. The story was great, however it didn't have that much violence in it and it's pretty toned down. I really found it funny when Sly was struggling to adapt to the kind of life that the people were now living , and the three sea shells thing was great!. The Direction is Great!. Marco Brambilla does a very good job here with lots of creative shots cool camera work and he kept the film at a very good pace. There is a tiny bit of violence we get an eye ball taken out (off screen) then we see it (sorta bloody) and non bloody gunshot wounds. The Acting was awesome!. Sylvester Stallone is AMAZING as always he seems to be having a lot of in this and he was fun to watch as a result he was such a bad ass!, and the chemistry between him and Bullock was great!. (Stallone Rules!). Wesley Snipes is also a Bad ass and his character was a delight! and he was pretty menacing and he cracked me up!. Sandra Bullock is EXTREMELY gorgeous and does very good here she added a lot of funny humor too and was also fun to watch!, the scenes with her and Stallone rocked!. Nigel Hawthorne is great here and did a great job of annoying me! he played his character very well. Benjamin Bratt is fine but does not have much to do. Bob Gunton is also very good here and did a great job of annoying the **** out of me as well. Steve Kahan is fine in his scene. Rob Schneider is also good. Jessie Ventura has a minor role. Overall i highly recommend this! ***1/2
out of 5
Review 147
Stallone in one of his better roles as a cop frozen in suspended animation as part of a jail sentence. He is awakened several years later because his arch-nemesis (Wesley Snipes)was also awakened from suspended animation and the pacifist future cops have no clue how to stop him. Stallone's rough ways do not bode well for those in charge but he is worshipped as a hero by his new partner (Sandra Bullock). Great exchanges of dialogue and action scenes between Stallone and Snipes. A great deal of comic relief as old commercial jingles have become popular music and Stallone doesn't know how to use the future bathroom or bond with a future woman (Bullock).
Review 148
Hi... I don't know if you already found a solutions about this issue. I just found out why!
This DVD was probably made from the international edition which was digitally modified to remove Taco Bell and insert Pizza Hut. The reason is the following: to keep the effectiveness of the product placement operation.
In simple words, Taco bell was not very famous abroad and was replaced in the international edition with Pizza Hut in video and audio presence too.
Of course they are brands of the same group (Pepsi): it was something coordinated with the producer and the corporate involved.
I hope this will help you...
Sorry about my english language... I'm italian and I wrote this quickly!
Bye!
Zo
Review 149
Demolition Man is a great action/comedy/sci-fi film. Sylvester Stallone is great once again as an action hero and Wesley Snipes is a good choice for the baddie. It’s funny because not only is every restaurant Taco Bell but the so called "bad-ass" music is really a kiddie song. THis is a very funny and good film and fans of action films should really get to seeing this movie. I first saw this movie when I was a little kid and I still like it now and I have seen it lots of times. The film is about 2 people. A cop(Stallone) and a baddie(Wesley Snipes) who get frozen but Snipes gets out into the future first and wrecks havoc. The cops in the future cant do much because they turned into wussies. So they thaw out Stallone because he is an old fashioned cop and is not a wuss. In the future every restaurant is Taco Bell, the cops are wussies, bad-ass music is today's Barney song and you get fined for swearing(even for saying stupid).So we see Stallone and Snipes trying to get each other as the movie goes along. Demolition Man is a great action film that you should see.
Review 150
Definitely a great movie, Demolition Man, brings to the screen the story of a police officer who is released after spending 36 years frozen in a new high-tech cryo-prison, in order to hunt down his arch-nemesis, who also happens to be the one responsible for sending him to prison in the first place.
The film combines humor, action and adventure making it one of the best of its kind.
Needless to say, Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, Rob Schneider, and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)!
The setting, the dialogues, the special effects, the music and the costumes are all wonderful!
In short, it is a movie definitely worth watching and one to seriously consider adding to your movie collection! Strongly recommended along with Judge Dredd.
Review 151
Good movie but, DO NOT buy this DVD! The audio commentary on the widescreen side comes on automatically and won't shut off. On the fullscreen side, you can watch it with no problem. But, when you turn on the audio commentary, it won't shut off.
Review 152
In 1996 John Spartan is pitted against his nemesis Simon Phoenix who has kidnapped a bus full of hostages. Spartan, known as the demolition man, searches the building via a body heat meter and finds no hostages in the stronghold. Spartan breaks into the fortress, arrests Phoenix, and blows everything up. During the clean up, the hostages are found dead in the basement leading to Spartan and Phoenix imprisonment in a futuristic cryogenic state.
"Put me back in the fridge."
Fast forward to the year 2032, in what is now San Angeles (San Diego, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara) remaining in a deep freeze John's brain is filled with a love of knitting while Simon gains knowledge of hacking computers systems, weapons, and martial arts. Phoenix awakes for parole, and someone has installed the password to break out of his arm locks. The police of the future are incapable of apprehending Simon, as they have resorted to a less physical manner of living. The department is forced to wake Spartan. Spartan must adapt to this new world and follow rules Simon is allowed to avoid. Can Spartan capture Simon once and for all?
"Spartan? John Spartan? They'll let anyone into this century."
Marco Brambilla (Excess Baggage and the TV mini series Dinotopia) directs Demolition Man, his only major piece of work. He does a fabulous job, and I'm surprised the two above mentioned movies and Demolition Man are the only films on his resume. He kept a constant back and forth between Snipes and Stallone that was marvelous. He is only forty-five, still time to be productive.
"Your lucky he didn't whack you."
"Whack, whatever that is, sounds most disagreeable."
There were several standout components to this movie. I enjoyed seeing Jesse Ventura, Dan Cortez (MTV), Rob Schneider, and especially Dennis Leary. They are not main characters, however, Leary adds a lot to the film in a limited role. Smithers (Simpsons) is the doctor who works at the cryogenic center. How about the police Hummers at the beginning of the movie? Very nice.
"None of those Mother `F'ers from New York, they're to up tight."
Demolition Man is one of the last great films by Sylvester Stallone; actually it may be on a short list of Stallone great films. The on screen chemistry between Stallone and Snipes makes the movie. There are also strong performances by Leary and Sandra Bullock. Demolition Man set Bullock up for the 1994 film, Speed. I personally would consider this a must have film for your DVD collection. Demolition Man produces an interesting story, solid acting, lots of action, and great "pop corn" entertainment.
Grade: A
Review 153
Sylvester Stallone is rogue cop John Spartan, a law enforcement officer from the 90's who is "thawed out" in the year 2032 to track down his arch-nemesis Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes). One-liners and bullets fly at break-neck pace as Stallone and Snipes punch, kick, and shoot their way into a "violence-free" future. Sandra Bullock also shows up as Sly's new partner but her performance is easily overshadowed by the hilarious Denis Leary who pops up in the film's third act. There hasn't been an action movie this enjoyably cheesy since Tango & Cash. The DVD edition offers a commentary track and a trailer.
Review 154
Despite many miles of footage of sci-fi films and TV shows, the best thing about them is to revisit them after they should have happened. I remember my colleagues in school discussing the imminent nuclear destruction of the world on August 29th, 1997 ("Judgement Day" as described in "Terminator 2") and going home bitterly disappointed after physics. Still, I always went home disappointed after physics... Anyway, those of you waiting for Los Angeles to crumble into a sky scraping broken industrial wasteland a la "Blade Runner" might want to take a gander at this - a straight-forward sci-fi actioner but with a bit more underneath the surface.
"Demolition Man" welcomes us to L.A. in 1996, a place where law and order has disintegrated to such an extent that the Hollywood sign is on fire. Cue beret-wearing super cop John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) who ends his two-year hunt for professional psycho Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) by blowing up a building full of hostages, as is his way. Now here's the clever part - both Phoenix and Spartan are sentenced to be cryogenically frozen (what?!?) and rehabilitated in their icy prison but sadly, Phoenix escapes. And the future is not really ready for someone like Phoenix - it is a peaceful utopia, full of quirky inventions and pacifist police officers like Lt. Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock). But it soon becomes apparent that the only man who can stop Phoenix's new reign of terror is the maniac sent to catch him before - Spartan.
Even at the time of release, this was looking pretty dated. Stallone, in all the films he's made, only really acts in one and that's "Copland". Here, he goes through the motions as a foul-mouthed, meat-headed caveman (not really a stretch, is it?) in a world that understand him about as much as he understands it. And the story is terribly old-hat - cryogenics proved little more than an expensive fad (I even recall the subject appearing in an episode of "Star Trek: TNG") and to see it here in all it's neo-modern glory raises a faint smile. Something which most viewers now may find happening quite a lot. Brainless and formulaic it may be but "Demolition Man" is an unusually comic action film with no shame at all. It revels in being futuristically old-fashioned (how's that for an oxymoron?) but has one or two ideas up its sleeve. A good amount of time is spent away from the carnage as Spartan acquaints himself on our behalf in the future and this is time well spent. The fashions have that Gene Roddenberry feel to them but a lot of effort is spent on making this future society as believable as possible and that counts for something.
Acting is mixed as only Stallone and Bullock have any real screen time. Snipes hams it up as the baddie but everybody else isn't taking it seriously at all - another good point as to do so with this film is sheer folly. This is for the popcorn-munching masses at the multiplex, a switch-your-brain-off actioner with all the grace and finesse of a brick being thrown through your car windscreen. The explosions are big, the dialogue is a little clunky, the action is satisfying. It does exactly what it says on the tin and if you're looking for anything deeper than forget it because it's not here. The quest to find a good movie with Bullock in continues but this isn't half bad, not as good as "Speed" (still her best) but it passes the time well enough. With a pinch of salt anyway.
Review 155
Finally we see a action-packed science fiction flick with a little sense for satire and relativity! For this genre (and for Stallone's career) that's a giant step forwards. Both super-villain Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) and LA's toughest cop (Sylvester Stallone) are defrosted in the year 2036. Society turned into a colorless mass, in which forms of physical pleasures like smoking, sex and unhealthy food have been banned. You get fines when you curse and there hasn't been a murder since twenty years! The man behind this entire metamorphosis is Sir Nigel Hawthorne and he also thawed Snipes in order to eliminate the last remainders of rebellion. The extremely exaggerated setting results in constant comedy and one-liners from both Snipes as Stallone. Wesley Snipes clearly has the time of his life as the bad-guy and his old-fashioned madness causes a lot of chuckles among the viewers. Sandra Bullock stars in one of her least irritating roles ever and comedian Denis Leary pretty much plays himself as the anarchistic nihilist Edgar Friendly. There are a few very ingenious dialogues in `Demolition Man', like the joke about President Schwarzenegger, which almost receives cult-value anno 2004. This film is great fun and one of the best genre-efforts in the last 15 years. We especially remember Wesley Snipes moral here: `You can't take away people's right of being a**holes' !
Review 156
John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) is a reckless Los Angeles policeman, known as the "demolition man" for the destruction he routinely engenders while apprehending big baddies. After a particularly ruthless criminal, Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), sets him up by making it appear that Spartan wantonly caused the deaths of a bus load of hostages, Spartan is sentenced to 60 years or so in prison. The film begins in a not-too-distant future (relative to its 1992/1993 production date) of 1996. Prisons are quite a bit different, and there's a new policy of cryogenically freezing inmates. We cut forward to 2032. Phoenix is up for an obligatory parole hearing when he escapes. The film's 21st Century society is extremely different (worsening cultural chaos, exacerbated by a huge earthquake, precipitated the change), and the "San Angeles" police cannot capture Phoenix or keep him in check. Chief Earle makes a decision to revive Spartan, reasoning that an out of control but effective cop mired in the ways of the late 20th Century may be the only one who can capture the out of control criminal, but he, and the future society, may be in for a lot more than they bargained for by reawakening the Demolition Man.
Demolition Man is one of the funniest, most action-packed and most poignant social satires of at least the last 30 years. It's not necessarily the easiest film to appreciate, as it makes its points through extremely over-the-top "mindless" action and tongue-in-cheek, purposefully cheesy plot and dialogue, but it's well worth trying to acclimate oneself to the style if you're not an action or sci-fi fan, as the satire cuts deep. There are other films with somewhat similar aims, such as Total Recall (1990) and Starship Troopers (1997), which are perhaps just as good as Demolition Man, but they certainly can't top it, and they have aims other than the purely satirical.
The opening scene feels like a typical late 1980s/early 1990s action sequence. At least until we realize that there's not going to be a happy ending for the hostages that Spartan is trying to save. Once we arrive at the future, a lot of viewers might misjudge the performances of the principal cast besides Stallone and Snipes. Sandra Bullock, as Lieutenant Lenina Huxley (a reference to Aldous Huxley's book Brave New World), and Benjamin Bratt, as Alfredo Garcia (a reference to Sam Peckinpah's 1974 film, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia), at first seem to be turning in bizarrely incompetent performances. It's only later that we realize they are spot on for the film's "brave new world", which is basically an instantiation of a staunchly moralist cult run by Dr. Raymond Cocteau (a reference to famed director Jean Cocteau combined with Cocteau's friend, novelist Raymond Radiguet).
Technically, the film is quite impressive. The production design, cinematography, effects, staging of the action sequences, score and soundtrack are excellent. But what sets Demolition Man a cut above the rest are the script and the performances--yes, even from Stallone and Snipes, although Bullock, and especially Denis Leary, in a relatively minor part where he gets to do his motor-mouthed, ranting comedy schtick that made him famous, both threaten to steal the show.
Director Marco Brambilla (who has remained oddly inactive since Demolition Man, which was his first film) and his writing "team" skewer a lot of cultural norms as relatively arbitrary conventions. Radio and television commercial jingles are considered the pinnacle of musical art in the film's world. Strict morality is enforced through constant computer monitoring of behavior combined with fines--a running joke throughout the film is that profanity results in fines. Meat and alcohol have been outlawed. So has physical contact, including sex. All restaurants are now Taco Bells (in some cuts of the film intended for foreign markets, this was changed to Pizza Hut instead). There is an underground, outside of the cultic mainstream society, but they're literally underground, living relatively lawless (well, at least they eat meat and drink beers) in tunnels strewn with utility pipes.
As a result, serious crime is a thing of the past, swept under the rug (or into the sewers) and labeled with Orwellian newspeak. Phoenix and Spartan's reintroduction of violence and mayhem, including "murder/death/kill", results in a reawakening of cultural freedom, analogous to their own thawing out. The anti-utopian, anti-utilitarian political message, like that of Orwell's 1984 and later films influenced by the same, such as Equilibrium (2002), couldn't be clearer. And the message can be extended to situations that are not political. I didn't use "cult" above carelessly. The idea is that the society's warts are necessary for individual authenticity. Yes, things can run smoother under a dictatorship, but who wants to live under a dictatorship, even a supposedly "benevolent" one?
Review 157
The story is basically about to get rid of Wesley snipes as he is the person that caused many death (if I am not wrong) after Sylvester stallone was released from 'frozen' prison so some so called bad deeds. There are many good numbers of explosion and gun fire exchanges but what makes it a good laughing joke is that the police whom are sci fiction personnel in this movie reacted in a 13 dots character. It is still a good recommendation to those whom prefer this genre of movie/film after all. Enjoy....
Review 158
Great casting and superb storyline about a future earth that is drowning in our modern day stuff which is nostalgic to them...like physical sex, weapons, and commercials have all but replaced rock and roll on the radio. Funny in content, serious in delivery, this is a great modern day Sci-Fi classic. Snipes is awesome as the bad guy!!
The plot of this action film begins in 1996, with Los Angeles in a violence-crazed conflagration. One of the LAPD's most notorious cops, John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone), known as "the demolition man," is in hot pursuit of blonde-haired psychopath Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), who is so nasty he even kills sometimes just because he feels cranky. John captures Simon, but not before Simon kills innocent hostages. John is blamed for the deaths of the hostages, and both he and Simon are cryogenically frozen to remove their brand of ultra-violence from a society that is simply just violent.
The film shifts to the future world of 2032, where Los Angeles has become a megalopolis called San Angeles. There is no poverty, Arnold Schwarzenegger was (at one time) President of the United States, and Taco Bell is the sole survivor of the Franchise Wars. Into this peaceful and bland society, Simon is summarily defrosted by reigning benevolent dictator Dr. Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne) to have Simon murder Edgar Friendly (Denis Leary), the leader of a group of underground rebels.
But Cocteau bites off more than he can chew when the melted down Simon proceeds to go on a murder and looting spree. Reluctantly, Cocteau defrosts John to hunt down his old adversary. As John adjusts to self-driving cars and having sex wearing helmets, he pairs up with Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock), a bored cop with a nostalgic fascination for 20th-century culture.
Review 159
This movie is greatest. I like he swearing right by the wierdest
maching. He keepen doing that. I love when does. He said, Thanks alot you piece of sh@!$ you little ba#!# you fu!#@ c#@!, Iam gonna cut your f#$@% b#@#! you stupid duck f!#@. pian in ass. he is so good when does that. why did he do that? I love it!
(laughing)
Review 160
Initially, when I saw the preview for this movie back in 1993, I will be the first to admit that I thought this movie was going to be terrible. However, I was convinced to watch this movie when it came out on video and I must say that this is one of the best sci-fi/action movies I have seen.
Demolition Man takes place in the year 2032 in the city of San Angeles, which encompasses the current day cities of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and San Diego. The society closely mimics the society described in the book "The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells. Most of society resembles the "Eloi". Society has turned into a utopia of political correctness. Most everyday things have been made illegal including swearing, sex, spicy foods, and salt for example. The city has no violence or firearms of any kind. Rather than prison, criminals are frozen and rehabilitated during their "hibernation". However, there is an underground "Morlock" type society known as "scaps" in the movie. The "scraps" are the free thinkers, which I would compare to modern day Americans.
The leader of San Angeles secretly releases a violent criminal, Simon Phoenix (played by Wesley Snipes) to kill the leader of the "scraps", Edgar Friendly (played by Dennis Leary). The police release another "cryo-con", a maverick 20th century cop named John Spartan (played by Sylvester Stallone) who originally captured Phoenix in the 20th century and was framed during the arrest of Phoenix. Spartan is partnered with a bored officer named Lenina Huxley (played by Sandra Bullock), who is a naïve police officer obsessed with the 20th century.
The result is an awesome action film with a shaky plot. This movie reminds me a lot of "The Last Boyscout", a loud movie with a lot of shootouts. However, this film is also filled with many laughs, as Huxley rattles off many 20th century clichés but manages to screw most of them up. Product placement in the movie is everywhere. Despite the frequent referral to brand names that would become nauseous in most movies, the product placement works very well in this movie and adds to the comedy and charm. The movie also makes references to a couple of 20th century actors such as Arnold Schwartzenegger and Jackie Chan.
If you enjoy an occasional pointless, loud, violent action movie, this is definitely the movie for you. While I would not rate this movie as a masterpiece, I do think this is one of the few movies that pull action and comedy together exceptionally well. I thought the mix of actors worked exceptionally well in this movie and complimented each other beautifully. I would definitely say this is a must see movie! I think the movie is even better now as it brings up a lot of memories of the late 80's and early 90's.
Review 161
Sylvester Stallone has been in some really bad movies; most notably Cobra and, of course, Rhinestone.
In 1993, Stallone made a breakthrough, a breakthrough meaning that he made movies that people didn't walk out on! First off that year, he made Cliffhanger, which was a big domestic and worldwide box office success, and then he followed that with Demolition Man, which was his best breakthrough movie since...well, Cliffhanger.
The movie mixes the usual action with humor. Sandra Bullock cuteness and Wesley Snipes' whacky hairdo and funny oneliners makes this movie watchable. Stallone plays bad-boy cop John Spartan who is frozen in time for irresponsibly taking the lives of innocent people after a bust to catch bad guy Simon Phoenix, played by Snipes, who is caught and put in an ice cube also. 36 years later, the world is a much safer place. Crime is at a rate of zero and people are well-behaved. What happens next? Simon Phoenix escapes from his prison and he is out in search of destruction and since there are no equally demented cops to catch this sort of criminal, they release Spartan to pursue him. And the fun begins! Bullock plays the role of a 90's obsessed cop who becomes Stallone's partner. Her quotes are the funniest in the entire film. ... The movie also features funny cameos by Denis Leary and Rob Schneider.
Despite the movie being a mixture of action and comedy and not solely comedy, this is one of Stallone's funniest roles to date.
The DVD features only include the trailer and shot-by-shot commentary by the film's director Marco Brambilla. But for the movie's sake, this DVD is worth keeping!
Recommended
B
Review 162
Sandra Bullock kills every movie she's ever in, so that is my
reason for the 4 stars instead of 5. She really just gets on my nerves. The story has been talked about already, but I will say that some of the ideas presented were as interesting as the action itself. For instance, in the car they listen to the most popular radio station in town which is really just commercial jingles, getting the public to sing along about products being sold. Scary to think we are halfway to that reality as it is. This movie is full of useless one-liners that almost every american action film is required to have. They aren't as annoying as arnold's movies, and the delivery is pretty funny so it isn't too bad. The action scenes are clearly the standout moments, the one in the museum being the best in the film. Definitely worth seeing, i picked it up on vhs for 2 bucks at a used record store, can't beat that.
Review 163
'Demolition Man' is a lot of fun to watch. A lot of things in the movie don't make any sense but those things create opportunities for some nice action and some funny moments. I am not sure if all the laughs in the movie were meant to be funny, but if you laugh, what does it actually matter.
In the future in the city San Angeles (the area from San Diego to Los Angeles) after the earthquake people live in a perfect world. For a long time no murder has committed. Then Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes)escapes. Over 40 years ago he was a criminal arrested by John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone). Spartan killed a lot of people during Phoenix' arrest, so he was punished as well. They both were frozen, possible in 1996 in a cryo-prison. Now Phoenix has escaped (how he does this is a secret that will be revealed later in the movie) the police can't handle him because they are not used to his violent behavior. The only thing they can come up with is Spartan. With the help of Lt. Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock) he must catch Phoenix and learn to know the new world.
The story above sounds ridiculous which it sometimes is. But you can understand there must be a lot of funny moments. Almost everything Spartan used to do is illegal now and he just can't get used to it. Snipes is a great villain, Stallone is nice as long as he is in this kind of movie and Bullock has some fine lines. I enjoyed it very much.
Review 164
Early 1990's vision of Los Angeles in the future 2032-AD. Good funny futuristic atmosphere that doesn't seem all too serious of a thriller these days but when this movie came out, it was a big hit. If the future is really how this movie depict it to be, then i don't want to be part of it. Come on now, the future seem so cheesy in 2032 that i look forward to being frozen in time until the next millenium. Sandra Bulluck is a happy go lucky goodie too shoe cop as a sidekick that irritates Sly Stallone to such a degree that he be screaming '..cut me mick cut me' and 'Adrianne!!!!' in no time at all. One thing i do find hard to believe is taco bell winning the fast food war to be the only food franchise existing in the future....blahhh!!!!! One more thing....Sly, stop it with the one liner comebacks because it's getting old no matter what century were in.
Check this out for Sly fan's...it is one of his best nevertheless and i enjoy watching it when it came out on the big screens. I find it funny viewing the movie now but still...
Review 165
I like this movie. While Stallone has proven repeatedly he is not a great actor, he does manage to make some entertaining films. This is one of 'em.
Ya got a futuristic society where criminals are frozen. Great idea. Thawing them out for parole hearings then drowning them again seemed to be a bit on the 'cruel and unusual' side of things, though. Sparton (Stallone) was a cop unjustly frozen while capturing Phoenix (Wesley Snipes). Phoenix escapes and Sparton is thawed to help capture him.
Snipes should not have gotten a dime for doing this movie. In fact, he should have forked over some $$ to the producers. It is obvious he is having a ball here being the bad guy while doing an entertaining impersonation of Dennis Rodman. (Am I the only one who saw this?) He is bloody perfect in the role. If Rodman could act (and I did see him in a movie, no, he is definitely NOT an actor) he'd have been a good Phoenix, too. Still, Snipes, ever the crook, steals all the scenes in which he appears. Not difficult when he's playing against Stallone, but still very good.
Bullock got a great part, did well in it, and worked wonders for her career. She owes whoever picked her for the part a big thank you. Honestly, any cutie could have done her role. Just as any of a hundred Hollywood types could have done Stallone’s. Snipes was the only perfectly cast actor in the bunch.
Anyway, you have Spartan and Phoenix fighting their way through the movie, along with a cameo by Jesse the Body (Why? No one knows.) The ending is predicable, the good guys win.
Go ahead and buy the thing. It ain't Shakespeare, but it ain't boring either.
Review 166
I'm just going to go ahead and say it - 'Demolition Man' is the best action movie of all time. It's got everything you want - explosions, humour, violence, Taco Bell, a cameo by Jesse Ventura and killer performances by Stallone and Snipes. You WILL feel the need to speak like the citizens of San Angeles after the movie is over. "What's your boggle?", "Fellow Greetings", "Joy-Joy Feelings", "Be Well" - ALL will be used by you after seeing this film.
Snipes kills me in this movie. His best delivered lines are:
"It's like two for the price of one!" and,
"Put another log on the fire!"
Review 167
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
Sylvester Stallone has walked three paths most action stars attempt to thread, yet he did so with success : pure gun-blazing action, drama & comedy. Needless to say, the last two are blended in with the first. Drama was most prevalent in D-TOX, Comedy was the key word to STOP OR MY MUM WILL SHOOT!. Toutches of both can be found in DEMOLITION MAN. The culture clash between John Spartan and the San Angeles community of 2032 obviously provides the comic relief while his less outspoken moral judgment on the future counts as drama. As for the action, there's nothing like the Dirty Harry cop to make Sly kick ass !
Sandra Bullock's first major performance is questionable. She adequately embodies the 2032 citizen, which makes her downright annoying, but on the other hand it's not far from the silly-girl-next-door attitude we love her for in her later work. Her voice didn't have to be so artificially high-pitched, though. Wesley Snipes is over-the-top. Nowadays it feels like a waste to cast such a competent actor in your standard psycho role which is a small shoe to fill. The others are fine cardboards, only Associate Bob would've benefited from a third eye.
The sad thing about this movie is that its premise & setting are more fun than the story. The culture clash, the underground life & the Stallone-Bullock dialog are more enjoyable than various fights, chases & the final showdown (JUDGE DREDD's was very similar but way better)
Review 168
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
This is awesome fun all the way, I really enjoyed it, when you have Stallone, Snipes and Bullock you can't go wrong!. All the characters are just great, and the story is really cool, plus Stallone, Snipes and Bullock are all simply amazing in this!. I found the whole swearing tickets thing to be hilarious, and I also loved the three seashells thing, plus I thought Stallone and Bullock had fantastic chemistry together. It's very well made and written, and Snipes clearly was enjoying himself as the main villain, plus it had some great fight scenes as well. Stallone and Snipes really play off each other well, and I loved the set pieces as well, plus I thought it was cool that Bullock's character learned to fight by watching Jackie Chan!. All the characters are extremely likable, and I feel this is one of Stallone's most underrated films, plus Snipes and Stallone both had some fantastic lines. It's great that none of the actors take this film that seriously and I thought the opening was especially cool, plus the ending was cool too. This is awesome fun all all the way, I really enjoyed it, when you have Stallone, Snipes and Bullock you can't go wrong, and I say it's a must see!. The Direction is great!. Marco Brambilla does a great! job here with awesome camera work, cool angles, and lots of other cool shots as well, plus he kept the film at a very fast pace. The Acting is a lot of fun!. Sylvester Stallone is amazing as always and is amazing here, he is extremely likable, hilarious, played off Snipes really well, had fantastic chemistry with Bullock, brought his usual fantastic charisma, kicked that ass, played one of his coolest characters, and just did an amazing job overall! (Stallone Rules!!!!!!!). Wesley Snipes is also amazing, he is hilarious, was wonderfully OTT, clearly was enjoying himself, is one of the fastest fighters I have ever seen, and I feel this is one of his best performances. (Snipes Rules!!!!!). Sandra Bullock is stunningly gorgeous and is also amazing, she is very likable, had a cool character, was wonderfully perky and bubbly, and was just fantastic overall (Bullock Rules!!!!!). Nigel Hawthorne is good as the evil Doc I liked him. Benjamin Bratt is a bit goofy but pretty likable I liked him. Bob Gunton is very convincing as the asshole Chief and did his job extremely well. Denis Leary is funny as always, and played a cool role here, I just wished he had more screen time. Rest of the cast do fine. Overall a must see!. **** out of 5
Review 169
Another great Stallone movie after "Cliffhanger"!
I've seen this movie many times on VHS and just bought it on DVD. I really enjoyed watching this movie again.
This movie has it all: Big action, humor, some funny one-liners etc etc.
The story is simple:
Stallone plays a cop named John Spartan, nicknamed "Demolition Man", because...well, the name speaks for itself. His "nemesis" Simon Phoenix is played (with sadistic fun) by Wesley Snipes. They both end up in the future (2036) to battle it out again.
Stallone is obviously having fun playing this part and the same goes for Snipes. There are some hilarious parts in the movie. Maybe some social satire too? Also some great action, with a highlight in a nice car chase. Movie looks great too, set in the future with some ingenious gadgets/things.
I only have one complaint: The movie has parts/jokes that are hard to understand for non-Americans. Like the radio-tunes and some names, because we (I) simply don't know them.
So a fun action movie that 12 years on still is highly enjoyable.
But how about the three sea shells???????
Review 170
This is Huxley's (everyone alive back then remembers where they were & what they were doing on the day Aldous Huxley died) Brave New World on rat meat, and it's a dish best eaten hot. Which brings us to Sandra Bullock ... if only she'd let us come in and play.
It's said in another review that she steals the show, but that's actually done by a beautiful blonde, Wesley Snipes. He and she and even Stallone are having a real good time in this movie, and I had a marvelous time watching them get it together. Especially enjoyed Alfredo Garcia and his up-beat reverence for teevee's greatest hits.
And it's true beyond reasonable doubt that everything is going to be Taco Bell.
Review 171
Loved this movie always have. Make's me feel 19 all over again!!
Taco Bell and Schwarzenegger as president is just priceless. A must have.
Review 172
Oh this was such a great movie. The sci-fi world is looked at from the comedics point of view and man does it work. This movie has the same of action comedy element like die hard 3.
The director does a good job of making everybody look bad ass and you really don't know what snipes is capable of. Throw is some really cool stuff, and a lot of things breaking and you will have a fun ride with this
Review 173
Oh this was such a great movie. The sci-fi world is looked at from the comedics point of view and man does it work. This movie has the same of action comedy element like die hard 3.
The director does a good job of making everbody look bad ass and you really don't know what snipes is capable of. Throw is some really cool stuff, and a lot of things breaking and you will have a fun ride with this.
Review 174
Here I am again at the keyboard contemplating why I am so up on "Demolition Man". Could it be the science fiction? The action scenes by both Mr. Sylvester Stallone and Mr. Wesley Snipes (pre-BLADE)? The comedy sparsely yet satisfyingly set in the story? The romantic interest portrayed by a young Sandra Bullock (Sandra you look MARVELOUS!)? I guess it has to be all the above! Oh and the plot line has a nice twisty curvy touch to it! One last note who couldn't fall for a thawed action hero who can knit!
Review 175
This actioner was one of Sly's last big hits, and a step away from the Rocky/Rambo noose. Everyone in the cast has a grand time with the action and the comedy in this very fast, very funny film. Big action comedies don't come any better, and Wesley Snipes lets himself go gleefully as Simon Phoenix, the big, bad villain of the piece. Stallone plays, for the most part, straight man, but he does wrap himself around some very funny lines and Sandra Bullock when possible in this way, way too PC world. Is this our future? Hope not. Great character names: Spartan for the cop from a more violent age, Phoenix for our risen-from-deep-freeze villain, Huxley for the female SAPD officer (yes, it IS a "Brave New World") and Cocteau for the evil one behind all the PC mystery. Great cast: besides the aforementioned folks, Denis Leary, Rob Schneider, Nigel Hawthorne, Benjamin Bratt, Glenn Shadix, Bill Cobb and Bob Gunton all throw themselves into the action and the fun. Watch for a very quick turn by Andre Gregory of MY DINNER WITH ANDRE, and Jack Black, Jesse "the Governor" Ventura and Dan Cortese in small roles.
The disc is mastered nicely in all its widescreen splendor, or if you want, you can flip it over and watch DEMOLITION MAN in pan and scan. Bonus commentary by director Marco Brambilla and producer Joel Silver is fairly informative and a nice addition.
All in all, DEMOLITION MAN is a hoot, packed to the rafters with action, and everything blows up real good. Bring on the popcorn!
Review 176
Boy, Sylvester Stallone made a lot of money for awhile there making some dumb action-packed films...but, generally-speaking, they were fun to watch so I guess he himself is no dummy.
The dialog is the movie is dumb, I can tell you that. There are also precious few nice characters to root for, including the annoying Sandra Bullock, an actress who consistently made stupid movies herself.
In here, witness the typical: Stallone showing of his body; Snipes being the fast- talking profane "hip" bad guy and Bullock, who only knows how to say OMG and nothing else.
There are some nice special-effects in here making it pretty high-tech in spots. Too bad writing is so low-tech.
Review 177
Soylent Green (1973), The Handmaid's Tale (1990), and Demolition Man (1993) are three movies about roughly the same future timeframe, the first third of the twenty-first century. Together they give a rather discouraging view of the future, but each is a good portrayal of what might happen if a current trend is carried to an extreme. In 2022 (Soylent), Charlton Heston is a New York City police detective (Thorn). New York is now populated by 40 million people, food is scarce and so is space. In this society, women are part of the rented furniture. Corruption is rampant. Natasha Richardson (Handmaid) is a young women capable of bearing children. This is very rare in Gilead (the United States of the future). Only 1% of the women of Gilead can bear children. Kate is sentenced to become a Handmaid whose function is to bear a child for the infertile wife of a powerful leader (The Commander). This is based on a Bible story (Genesis 29:31–35; 30:1–24). This is a society controlled by fear and repression. It does not have the overpopulation and resulting scarcity found in Soylent but is not an encouraging view of the future. Sylvestor Stalone (Demolition) is detective Spartan who was cryogenically frozen in 1996 and then thawed in 2032. The world into which he finds himself is discouraging in its lack of freedom and extreme social control. Foul language, meat, smoking, anything stimulating has been outlawed. Sex is accomplished through the exchange of mental sexual energy rather than exchanging messy body fluids. The degradation of women seen in Sylent and Handmaid is not found in this sterile vision of the future. Sandra Bullock's character (Huxley) is no less free than her male co-workers. This society does not have the lawless corruption and scarcity found in Soylent or the fear and repression found in Handmaid. However, it is sterile and stagnant. These three views of what the future might be are each well done and together make an enjoyable movie marathon unless you find these three views of the future too depressing.
Review 178
A sometimes awkward mix of action, sci-fi and humor, Demolition Man was one of many big-budget Sylvester Stallone efforts panned by critics. But it's really not that bad; in fact, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how entertaining it all is. Sly again plays a tough-as-nails cop, only this time he's frozen for 36 years as a punishment after being crudely framed by his nemesis. When he's thawed out, he must deal not only with his old enemy (played by an effectively hateful Snipes), but also with a world that has turned into a real-life version of Brave New World. Between the chases and explosions one would expect, the film tries (and to a small degree succeeds) to be a social commentary on the dangers of trying to form a Utopian society. As Snipes' character so eloquently states at one point, it's simply wrong to take away people's rights to be "a**holes."
Review 179
"Demolition Man" it is one of the only and rare cases that the actor Sylvester Stallone managed to do a film at least fun, after all, almost all that Sly no longer passes of garbage, but that film, as some other few, it manages to be a former. The woof of the film is very interesting, nothing too much, only an action and fiction junction, it has those news invented for the future, finally, it is a script that is not perfect, but that does not at least doubt of spectator's intelligence. The director Marco Mambilla gets some good and action exciting scenes, what help very the film. In the cast, Stallone is not very bad as of habit, but also it does not end up to have a good performance; Sandra Bullock is horrible and exaggerated, certainly the actress has very best performances; Wesley Snipes is who it finishes standing out, being a funny and charismatic villain. "Demolition Man" it is not any great film, only an action production, without much content, but that is extremely fun, and sincerely, in the today's days, that is a rarity.
Review 180
I saw this on cable at a friends house one night we had nothing to do and he recommended it. After I discovered the B-action movie plot that would soon be borrowed from Austin Powers I was pleasantly surprised by the Post Modern Ideas explored throughout the movie, like that the Top 100 songs are all old commercials. Then I was surprised by how close it's future was to ours; Schwarzenagger could unfortunately run for President one day, Taco Bell has gone from a McDonalds alternative to one of the Fast-Food leaders, and fear of new diseases and old ones like AIDS have become modern fears. Also, with the announcement of Rocky 6, Stallone has become the next Chuck Norris as far as cult-like popularity goes. I wouldn't be surprised if a Demolition Man Unrated Directors Cut Special Deluxe Edition DVD is in the works.
Review 181
This movie I think is underrated for the simple fact that it poses as your standard run-of-the-mill action flick, it has two of the biggest action stars playing opposite against each other and looks to be another mindless silly blockbuster film.
The great thing about this film is that it is disguised like that but it is actually very clever, it has an almost to the T look at the future (Schwarzenegger, Taco Bell, the people living in the sewers etc.)
The film is also quite funny, Sandra Bullock is extremely cute in this, Sly Stallone actually plays his character well & Wesley Snipes is a riot. Trust me this is heavily underrated, a highly enjoyable and fun movie, a little like what Total Recall was.
Highly Recommended 8/10
Review 182
Demolition Man is the kind of an action comedy, which at the first viewing seem as hilarious and well done, but after the second viewing turns out as very standard action film, which isn't even that funny anymore. Not the only film of that type, but DM get's old very quickly, a bit like 'Armageddon'.
The genre of the film is satire, but as it is the fast food restaurants, graffiti painters, silly laws and such make you laugh only so many times, as they all very worn subjects to parody. Alos the predictable plot doesn't help much, as it doesn't bare any surprises in it's sleeve after the huge explosions.
Stallone does a nice job as a police of the past who must stop his nemesis (Snipes) in new future utopia and the settings and direction are just fine.
Review 183
This movie just gives another reason why Stallone is a bad ass. It could also be a precursor for Wesley Snipes in Blade. The storyline is original and even though it doesn't make you think too much it still keeps you watching. One of the few really decent action movies that came out of the '90s (aside from the Van Damme & Schwarzenegger flicks) and I will never get tired of watching it. At this point I'm just waiting for the special edition to come out. Not only is Stallone still a bad ass, but Snipes is almost the perfect villain. The only thing that bothered me is the music selection for the future. Are we really going to only be able to listen to stupid commercials tunes in the future? What also made it entertaining was how Spartan seemed so out of place and everyone jumps when he does something small like a punch. I recommend this to anyone who is in dire need for a kick ass action flick.
Review 184
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
This is awesome fun all the way, I really enjoyed it, when you have Stallone, Snipes and Bullock you can't go wrong!. All the characters are just great, and the story is really cool, plus Stallone, Snipes and Bullock are all simply amazing in this!. I found the whole swearing tickets thing to be hilarious, and I also loved the three seashells thing, plus I thought Stallone and Bullock had fantastic chemistry together. It's very well made and written, and Snipes clearly was enjoying himself as the main villain, plus it had some great fight scenes as well. Stallone and Snipes really play off each other well, and I loved the set pieces as well, plus I thought it was cool that Bullock's character learned to fight by watching Jackie Chan!. All the characters are extremely likable, and I feel this is one of Stallone's most underrated films, plus Snipes and Stallone both had some fantastic lines. It's great that none of the actors take this film that seriously and I thought the opening was especially cool, plus the ending was cool too. This is awesome fun all all the way, I really enjoyed it, when you have Stallone, Snipes and Bullock you can't go wrong, and I say it's a must see!. The Direction is great!. Marco Brambilla does a great! job here with awesome camera work, cool angles, and lots of other cool shots as well, plus he kept the film at a very fast pace. The Acting is a lot of fun!. Sylvester Stallone is amazing as always and is amazing here, he is extremely likable, hilarious, played off Snipes really well, had fantastic chemistry with Bullock, brought his usual fantastic charisma, kicked that ass, played one of his coolest characters, and just did an amazing job overall! (Stallone Rules!!!!!!!). Wesley Snipes is also amazing, he is hilarious, was wonderfully OTT, clearly was enjoying himself, is one of the fastest fighters I have ever seen, and I feel this is one of his best performances. (Snipes Rules!!!!!). Sandra Bullock is stunningly gorgeous and is also amazing, she is very likable, had a cool character, was wonderfully perky and bubbly, and was just fantastic overall (Bullock Rules!!!!!). Nigel Hawthorne is good as the evil Doc I liked him. Benjamin Bratt is a bit goofy but pretty likable I liked him. Bob Gunton is very convincing as the asshole Chief and did his job extremely well. Denis Leary is funny as always, and played a cool role here, I just wished he had more screen time. Rest of the cast do fine. Overall a must see!. **** out of 5
Review 185
This film is phenomenal! Funny, action packed and in some ways has almost proved prophetic (check reference to Arnie Presidential library, a terrifying possibility which is looking almost possible!! Bear in mind that this movie was made well before Arnie was heavily involved in politics)! Wesley Snipes is at his hottest in this movie as the evil Simon Phoenix and Stallone is amazing as the "troubled past gunslinger" Spartan. When you factor in a cute and funny Sandra Bullock and Nigel Hawthorne as a fascist dictator, it is hard to see how this movie could have been any better. Also the vision of the future provided is both insightful and believable. Ending is a bit corny and "Hollywood" but really I think that such a minor flaw is balanced out by the sheer entertainment value of the rest of the film. A brilliant Sci-Fi, much overlooked.
My Demolition Man review
This is a good movie that I keep watching. I liked the
society where they ban smoking cigarettes. I can't stand it when other people are smokers. That would be interesting to have comics on people like Denis Leary's character or any of the cops not shown who pursue Simon Phoenix in a city wide manhunt. I have seen this movie a countless number of times. Especially there it is illegal to crack gum. Now that's rude and annoying. It's even illegal to chew gum in this society. One thing is that they never showed Sylvester Stallone vs. Jesse "The Body" Ventura just like we saw Arnold Schwarzenegger take on Jesse Ventura in the Running Man. They should have prequel and sequel books and comics.
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