Twenty-seven years after the original film came out, Sylvester Stallone recently confirmed that a Demolition Man sequel is in development. Given the news, this seems like the perfect time to take a look back at the first film. Was it a good sci-fi film or was it a letdown?
Interestingly Jean Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, and Jackie Chan were once considered for the lead roles. However, none of them wanted to play a bad guy. Eventually, we got Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. Great choice! Here is why the movie is a sci-fi gem, and why it’s bad.
Underrated: Predicted The Future
A lot of sci-fi movies are full of unrealistic ideas but the 1993 film actually predicted the future in more ways than one. In one scene, the police watch instructional videos to learn “How to arrest a‘maniac.” YouTube instructional videos would become a thing many years later.
Most of the appliances are also commanded using voice. Years later, Google Voice Search and Siri have become popular. The movie also talks about President Schwarzenneger. He would at least come close to that as he eventually became a governor. There was video calling too as well as self-driving cars.
Bad: Same Old Utopia And Dystopia Story
A future where rules are different, certain groups are rebelling and the citizens have chips in their bodies? It’s been done time and time again. Demolition Man gets plenty of things right except the plot. This is probably the reason why film critics initially panned it.
Stallone and Snipes were not known for appearing in complex, artistic movies, so we can understand why the screenwriters didn’t make any attempt to go that route. The fact that Stallone had to approve the plot and casting might have been a problem too.
Underrated: Magnificent Quotes
The movie doesn’t just aim at portraying futuristic scenes. The dialogue is well-written too. It has some of the best quotes you will find in any sci-fi flick. Stallone and Snipes were never really known for so it was nice seeing them talking smart for a change.
There are quotes such as: “Enhance your calm!” and “You’re gonna regret this the rest of your life… both seconds of it.” There was also Edgar Friendly’s, “I wanna run through the streets naked with green Jello all over my body reading Playboy magazine.”
Bad: The Shocking Moments Are A Bit Overdone
The weird VR sex scene where Huxley and Spartan pleasure each other without touching each other stands out the most. Since sex had been outlawed in the future, they figured out a way to make it work. Sadly, the whole activity looked more awkward than impressive.
Phoenix took out his eye with a pen and there was also the moment when Spartan eats a rat burger before confessing that it’s the best burger he has had in years. For a moment, you could have thought you were watching Tom & Jerry. But even Tom doesn’t eat rats. He just chases them.
Underrated: Pop Culture References
In the movie, Bullock’s character Lenina Huxley happens to a fan of a lot of 20th Century things that happen to be banned in the future. She has a Lethal Weapon 3 poster on her wall (the movie hadn’t even come out when Demolition Man was released).
She also has a Batman figurine and a poster of the rock band Bomb. She also has a Ronald Reagan poster. To add to that, Bullock’s character is named after Aldous Huxley, the author of the dystopian novel Brave New World. Some elements of the novel’s plot are identical to the film.
Bad: A Major Unrealistic Plot Element
The movie implies that the future is so peaceful that even the police don’t know about the deadly weapons of the past. And the people have no idea what criminals are like? But how is this the case when it’s been less than 40 years, not 1000 years?
Isn’t anyone interested in history? Plenty of people in the movie must-have been alive too when the world was chaotic, so they should at least have an idea what to do when unusual circumstances pop up. Instead, they are made to look so unintelligent.
Underrated: Blending Other Genres
What makes Demolition Man a great sci-fi movie is that it’s not just a sci-fi movie. It blends comedy and action quite perfectly, thus making it watchable for people who aren’t really into the idea of utopias, weird outfits, and complex technology.
The opening scene alone sets you up with the type of action you might expect. Wesley Snipes also outshines Stallone in the hand-to-hand combat scenes but that’s a good thing because audiences had already seen too many Stallone fight scenes at the time.
Bad: Numerous Continuity Errors
The movie is packed with more continuity errors than usual. For example, Simon Phoenix’s shoulder pads keep shifting throughout the movie. They look different so it’s easy to tell. His eyes which are of different colors also keep on switching.
And during the chase scene between Phoenix and Spartan, Phoenix shoots at Spartan’s car and shatters the rear window. However, when Spartan jumps on top of the car, the window is unbroken. These are only but a few of the numerous continuity errors.
Underrated: A Unique Villain
Most sci-fi movies have mad scientists as villains. Even those that aren’t scientists are normally big bosses that spend their time behind closed doors and let others do all the dirty work. That wasn’t the case with Simon Phoenix.
Part of what made him great was the look. The dyed hair that inspired Dennis Rodman’s own look and the muscles all gave a ‘wow’ factor. Not only was he funny and smart but he was also a fighting antagonist. He did manage to give Mr. Spartan a hard time before he was brought done.
Bad: Plenty Of Filming And Editing Mistakes
There are also plenty of filming and editing mistakes in the movie. There are just too many of them to ignore. This can be blamed on the fact that it was director Marco Brambilla’s first movie. He only went on to do two more films after that.
After the first explosion, the crew can be heard shouting and clapping. Oops! Also, when Spartan speeds through a police station sign, the rig that’s lifting his car can be seen. The glass also shatters before being hit by the car. And when Phoenix falls into the museum, safety ropes can be seen lowering him down.
