Demolition Man

Produced during at the height of the big-budget action renaissance, Demolition Man (1993) was another concoction from uber-producer Joel Silver whose Die Hard and Lethal Weapon franchises had the run of the board in Hollywood.  And his “spend money to make money” mentality is on full display here, with Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes sharing above the title billing in a sci-fi concoction with a severe case of creative schizophrenia.

In a hackneyed prologue, Det. John Spartan (Stallone) attempts to take down supervillain Simon Phoenix (Snipes) but winds up blowing up a busload of hostages instead.  Both men are sent into cold storage rehabilitation, then unfrozen 30 years later to continue their dick-swinging contest in future San Angeles, a liberalized city state that has abolished all crime and immorality.  Teaming up with the only officer on the force - Lt. Huxley (Sandra Bullock) - with a taste for 20th century style violence and mayhem, Spartan’s resurrected career might be over before it even begins.

 

Stallone has never had a gift for comedy, but that hasn’t stopped him from trying again and again…and again.  Luckily, Demolition Man gets a self-aware upgrade from screenwriter Daniel Waters (Heathers) who had already helped make Batman Returns into one of the most subversive superhero movies ever made.  And he juggles a lot of balls here, turning what was obviously a straightforward action vehicle into a satirical take on political correctness and macho cliches.  Besides abolishing sex, swearing and toilet paper, San Angeles politicians have brainwashed their citizens into appreciating retro TV jingles as fine entertainment and Taco Bell as fine dining.  Meanwhile the free-thinking “undesirables” – led by Edgar Friendly (Denis Leary) – are starving beneath the city streets.

 

Demolition Man is incredibly fun…when it’s not being incredibly stupid.  The Stallone-Snipes rivalry brings the movie to a screeching halt whenever some furthering of the plot is demanded.  It’s the witty fish-out-of-water observations – and Bullock’s enthusiastic delivery – that save the day.  And the film wisely plays up the “Californication” of the future for all it’s worth.  It may have been designed as just another notch in Stallone’s heavyweight belt, but Demolition Man probably would have been even better without him.

 

Arrow gives the one lots of love in their new 4K Ultra-HD limited edition starting with a brand-new 4K restoration from the original negative.  And it’s paired up with a slew of new extras, including two commentary tracks (plus the archived original), interviews with everyone from the production designer to the stunt coordinator to the make-up man, and a new visual essay charting Stallone’s action evolution.  Included by not available for review in a collector’s booklet, poster, art cards and stickers.  Too spicy?  Then check out the “international version” which swaps out Taco Bell for Pizza Hut via seamless branching.

 

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