Classic Stallone film! (Demolition Man (DVD))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Demolition Man (DVD)
Date:	17/09/09 (10 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stellar action and great characters

Disadvantages: None

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room

Demolition Man is an extremely underrated cult action film that ranks as one of the best films that Sylvester Stallone ever made - it's a lot more clever and prescient than people give it credit for, and it's also a whole lot of fun as a daft bit of science fiction.

The film opens as a notorious terrorist named Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) has taken a busload of people hostage. LAPD Sergeant John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) is sent in to diffuse the situation, but unfortunately things go awry and the passengers wind up dead. Phoenix is arrested, but claims that Spartan was at fault also, so both men are placed in Cryo-Storage as a means of punishment.

However, some time later, Phoenix is thawed out for a parole hearing, and kills everyone in sight and escapes, emerging in a new version of Los Angeles where violence has near enough been wiped out, sadly also along with most nuances of human emotion. The police see no other option but than to unthaw Spartan, and reinstate him as a temporary member of the LAPD. He's unwilling at first, but meets Lieutenant Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock), a cop obsessed with 20th century pop culture, and so the two form something of a bond.

This is a film that's quite a disturbing look at a future, where emotion is all but limited, but never gets overly self-serious and is frequently hilarious, particularly in observing Stallone's Spartan as an absolute anachronism of the time in which he now finds himself.

Say what you want about it, but through and through this film is everything high-concept 90s action films should be. Stallone and Snipes have interesting chemistry and seeing the two face off is quite exciting. The film is pretty hilarious at times (namely the sex simulator and the profanity credit machine), and it's pretty action-packed. A great film.

Summary: A daft, fun sci fi romp!