Review of Demolition Man (1993) by Seth Y — 04 Jun 2013

1993's Demolition Man is cheesy, action-packed and full of lame one-liners. With that being said, all those things make it one awesome movie.

In 1996, LAPD cop John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone), also known as "the demolition man", is in pursuit of notorious criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes). After being blamed for the deaths of innocent hostages, both Spartan and Phoenix are cryogenically frozen to rid society of their violent ways. Flash forward to 36 years later in 2032, where Los Angeles has been transformed into a megalopolis called San Angeles. Simon Phoenix is defrosted by Dictator Dr. Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne) to murder Edgar Friendly (Denis Leary), the leader of underground rebels who are causing crime on the clean streets. When Phoenix erupts on murderous rampage, John Spartan is also defrosted to hunt him down.

One quick look at the plot synopsis will give you an idea of what you are getting into. The story is silly and over-the-top, but that's why it's so fun. Stallone is his usual bad-ass self, and it's a complete blast watching him try to adjust to the future while hunting down Wesley Snipes, who is absolutely awesome. Every time these two characters go face-to-face you can't help but to be intrigued.

The action scenes are surprisingly excellent. There is no shortage of guns, explosions and death. Not only that, but this movie is actually pretty funny. You take two guys from the 90's and throw them into a future that forbids swearing, violence, and anything else that is deemed "bad." As you could imagine, they don't know how to react, which is the comedic aspect of the whole thing. If you don't take it too seriously, Demolition Man is a fun ride and a memorable film from the 90's. 4 stars.