Demolition Man

Summary

“Taco Bell was the only restaurant to survive the franchise wars.”

One of the greatest science fiction/action films made in the Nineties was the Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes vehicle Demolition Man. Directed by Marco Brambilla and produced by super producer Joel Silver, Demolition Man was a big success at the box office bringing in nearly $160 million at the box office off of a budget that was less than $80 million. I remember that I was not allowed to see the film when it was released due to my age. My brother did manage to get me the classic theatrical poster of the film showing the two stars facing off. I hung it in my room and waited patiently to see the film. Luckily, I saw Demolition Man as a teenager and immediately recognized its greatness. I have owned the film on every format since VHS, and I am happy to report that the Warner Bros. Blu-ray released in 2011 still looks fantastic a decade later.

The near future – 1996 – Los Angeles – the Hollywood sign is on fire and the city is on the brink of disaster. A military grade helicopter flies above a large warehouse as projectiles fly towards it from below. There are reports of hostages being held in the warehouse. Onboard the helicopter, is John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) who is known as the Demolition Man due to the amount of buildings destroyed as collateral damage in his pursuits of justice. Spartan prepares to bungee towards the ground. He hops out of the helicopter and cuts his cord at the bottom of the rope, landing on top of teh warehouse. He makes his way through numerous bad guys towards his target – the maniacal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes.) Simon has strapped C4 all over the building and as Spartan and him grapple the building begins to explode. Spartan escapes the building carrying the unconscious Simon. The explosion was set up in order to frame Spartan for negligence. He is sentenced to rehabilitation through cryostasis for seventy years. Simon is also frozen.

The future – 2032 – San Angeles (a combination of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Barbara) – The world has changed a tremendous amount since 1996. All crime has been eliminated. The society of San Angeles lives as a Utopian society in harmony and homogeneity. Cursing, red meat, toilet paper, and sexual intercourse have all essentially been eliminated. Simon Phoenix is revived for a parole hearing and quickly resumes his lifestyle of violent crime when he escapes. He also finds that he has new skills that he has gained while in cryostasis, including expert hacking skills. In order to combat a criminal that the world no longer understands they unthaw John Spartan. Spartan is paired up with an enthusiastic female detective named Lenin’s Huxley (Sandra Bullock,) who is also an enthusiastic collector of Nineties memorabilia. As Spartan adjusts to the neutered society, Phoenix gains access to weapons and begins a massive crime spree.

Demolition Man is essentially a perfect popcorn film. Joel Silver’s production history in the Eighties and Nineties is legendary (Predator, Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout,) and Demolition Man is one of his best projects. The script by Peter M. Lenkov, Robert Reneau, and Daniel Waters manages to do an amazing job of world building while also making light of the future. This is not unusual for science fiction films, even bigger budget ones like Robocop, but Demolition Man goes further into the realm of comedy than many other films of its ilk. The comedic elements are all inventive, and the jokes actually land. Taco Bell is the only surviving restaurant from the franchise wars, people no longer use toilet paper and opt for using the inexplicable three shells, cursing causes a ticket to dispense immediately, human contact and exchange of bodily fluids is considered barbaric, people listen to jingles instead of songs – all of these ideas are very funny but also serve a purpose of helping to build a neutered and boring future. Incredibly, the film gets a lot right that exists today – video conferencing exists, self driving cars exist, GPS tracking is prevalent, and people do seem to be more sensitive than they were in 1993. Demolition Man was so willing to be ridiculous that it actually landed on many ideas that became reality. 

The direction by Marco Brambilla is strong. With assistance from cinematographer Alex Thomson, the film has a fantastic look. The opening sequence in the warehouse and burning Los Angeles still looks striking. The camera moves are very stylized and and the camera is constantly moving, which gives the film style and panache. Much of the action in the film was accomplished with talented stuntmen and the effects in the film have aged well. Brambilla brings out the very best in the talented cast. Brambilla has not to this date directed anything on the same level as Demolition Man, but his legacy is secured with me.

Sylvester Stallone is absolutely at the peak of his powers in the film. His delivery is pitch perfect for the role and it may actually be my favorite performance by the actor. Likewise for Wesley Snipes. This is definitely my favorite Wesley Snipes performance. I love him as Blade, but his absolute glee and the energy he brings to the role of the homicidal Simon Phoenix is something special. Snipes relies on his excellent comedic timing that he honed in Major League, but also utilizes his physique and black belt in karate to great effect. Sandra Bullock is charming as the naive and impressionable Huxley. She is well used here. Benjamin Bratt has a small but enjoyable turn here. Denis Leary is great as the underground leader Edgar Friendly. He was obviously fresh off of his MTV promos because he talks a mile a minute like he is smoking while wearing a nicotine patch. The cast is rounded out by veteran character actors Nigel Hawthorne, Bob Gunton, and Glenn Shadix.

Overall – Demolition Man is still about as perfect a science fiction action film as can be achieved. It’s fun, funny, exciting, interesting, and impressively intuitive. If you have not ever seen it, you are in for a treat.

Video

Warner Bros. have provided a great looking transfer of the film using an MPEG-4 AVC codec in 1080p. The film is presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Despite having been released in 2011, Demolition Man still looks fantastic a decade later. Fine detail is maintained very well, and the film benefits from numerous outdoor locations in the daytime. The opening nighttime warehouse sequence features some excellent blue and yellow lighting. Cinematographer Alex Thompson for the most part used wide angle lenses, giving the film an expansive quality. Until we get a 4K UHD of this film, this is a great looking transfer that should please all fans of the film.

Audio

Similar to the video transfer, Warner has provided an English DTS-HD MA 5.1 track that sounds great thanks to the original DTS Surround mix made for the film. The surrounds are fairly active throughout the film. The sound design for the film is very strong. One of my favorite things about Demolition Man is hearing a machine print a ticket nearly every time someone curses, and the sound designers get that and many other things right. 

Supplements:

Audio Commentary by Director Marco Brambilla and Producer Joel Silver – this is an excellent commentary track that discusses the intentional comedic aspects of the film, the ideas behind much of the art direction, and numerous production elements. 

Theatrical Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video: 4.5

Audio: 4.5

Supplements : 3

Overall – 4.5/5

Demolition Man is still just as good as you remember. How many films do you rewatch that actually surprise you with their intelligence? Demolition Man is a film that delivers on every level. I am willing to argue that both Wesley Snipes and Sylvester Stallone have never been better. The script is fantastic and the direction by Marco Brambilla is excellent. The Blu-ray from Warner Bros. still looks fantastic a decade later. I would love to see a 4K UHD release, but this is still an excellent presentation of the film. If you want to buy the film, for a dollar more (currently) you can also own Assassins and Over the Top in a triple feature release, but, as it stands, Demolition Man is well worth owning period. Highly recommended.