IN THE YEAR 2032, PSYCHOPATHIC CRIMINAL SIMON PHOENIX IS THAWED FROM A CRYOGENIC STATE FOR A PAROLE HEARING. BUT HE ESCAPES AND BEGINS A RAMPAGE THROUGH THE PEACEFUL CITY OF SAN ANGELES. ONLY JOHN SPARTAN A '90S KIND OF CO... more »P, CAN BE THAWED TO FACE PHOENIX, A '90S KIND OF CRIMINAL.« less
90's Sci-Fi entertainment with Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Denis Leary, Sandra Bullock and others shining in this ahead of its time flick that goes from past to present with a resemblance to some of the clowns of today. A must watch!
Russ B. (Happyfeet) from BENSALEM, PA Reviewed on 10/22/2014...
I loved the action but the little girl's comment in the beginning to the reporter makes me laugh everytime.
1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
David N. (teenagewerewolf) from GADSDEN, AL Reviewed on 10/7/2011...
I thought this was a "Great" movie. Wesley Snipes plays the bad guy perfect. This has alot of comedy in it. If you're a SF fan, you might like this - David
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Talyn R. (Talyn) from DORCHESTR CTR, MA Reviewed on 6/24/2010...
I love this movie.
All around "Saturday movie", for guys! Plenty of action, good vs. evil, and destruction, just good fun.
Don't expect any awards from this, but just who cares.
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
Not your typical police action flick.
Ben Riddle | Cuyahoga Falls, OH USA | 11/27/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"1996: The city of Los Angeles is an absolute wreck. Crime abounds, with the most notorious bad guy around, Simon Phoenix(Wesley Snipes) taking it all in like one big joke. John Spartan (Stallone) has been after this guy for several years, but in the process of finally arresting Phoenix, the building around them explodes, appartently taking several innocent hostages up with it. Spartan is stripped of his rank and sentenced to cryogenic imprisonment for 70 years.2032: Spartan has served 36 years of his sentence. Phoenix, who was imprisoned in the same facility, escapes and begins to reinvigorate his reign of terror. The only problem is that the LA that Spartan, Phoenix, and the rest of us all know and love has turned into a megalopolis called San Angeles, a politically correct paradise where there is absolutely no violent crime---correction, no crime of any kind---whatsoever. (There is also no profanity, and anyone who swears is fined for violations of the Verbal Morality Statute.) Consequently, people have forgotten how to deal with a fugitive like Phoenix. The only solution is to bring Spartan out of the freezer, which is exactly what happens.This movie introduced me to action movies, particularly Stallone movies, and the movie soundtrack genre. The special effects will blow you away all by themselves. This was also the first movie I ever saw with Sandra Bullock. Perhaps it's because of her airy portrayal of Lt. Huxley that made me think of her as my favorite actress for a while. But that's another story.I think that San Angeles is a funny bone-tickling example of political correctness gone to far. Either that or it's social conservatism. Sometimes I wonder if San Angeles is the kind of world people in the family values crowd would like to live in. In any case, even if you don't like action movies very much, I think you will like this one."
SANDRA BULLOCK STEALS THE SHOW....
Lawyeraau | Balmoral Castle | 12/08/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is an enormously entertaining film that is slyly intelligent, chock full of action, and quite humorous. The time is the future, 2032 AD. The location is California, and the police just ain't what they used to be, as the future is a sanitized, politically correct world, where only the most benign behavior is the standard by which all live. Even bad language is a no no. The police of the future have nothing in common with the police of the past. Guns are outlawed, as is all physical violence. Los Angeles is no more, having merged with San Diego into a new entity known as San Angeles, which is ruled by the architect of the new society, Dr. Raymond Cocteau, who is played with sage aplomb by the late Nigel Hawthorne. He is not, however, all that he seems.
This is, indeed, a "brave new world" and Lenina Huxley, played with delicious comic abandon by Sandra Bullock, is a police woman who waxes nostalgic for the past. The LAPD is now the SAPD. Her colleague, Alfredo Garcia, played with Eagle Scout earnestness by Benjamin Bratt, epitomizes the new order of things. He is a Dudley-do-right without the wherewithal to set right what is soon to go wrong. His is a future where everyone's whereabouts are known to the police, as all are tagged with a device that allows the police monitor their whereabouts. His is a future where all obey instantly, and civility is the standard of the day. His is a future where all address each other by their full names. His is a future where meat is no longer a food item, the use of salt is illegal, and corporate franchise wars have left Taco Bell to reign supreme as THE restaurant of the time. His is a future where sex is a non-contact activity.
The violent past intrudes on this sanitized future in the persona of Simon Phoenix, played with over-the-top abandon by a blond Wesley Snipes, who, like a phoenix arising out of the ashes, is freed from his cryogenic prison and unleashed upon an unprepared SAPD. Clueless in the face of such testosterone charged violence, the SAPD arrange to have twentieth century super lawman John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) released from his own cryogenic prison in hopes that he will be able to deal with the chaotic nature of Simon Phoenix and stop his senselessly violent rampage. Lenina Huxley is teamed up with Spartan in order to help him adjust to this brave new world. She is over-the-top with happiness at this development, as her fondness for nostagia will be sated by the opportunity to get up close and personal with a blast from the past.
Needless to say, Spartan and Phoenix clash, as old warriors are wont to do. There is enough violence, mayhem, and action to satisfy the most die hard fans of this genre. What happens will not disappoint the viewer, as old scores are settled, inequitable situations are righted, and a brave new world gets a little fine tuning for the better. This action flick, sci-fi crossover does not fail to entertain, and it does so more intelligently than most films in this genre. Make no mistake, however, while Wesley Snipes gives her a run for her money, it is Sandra Bullock who steals the show with her drolly delivered dialogue, her deft comedic timing and innate charm. Sylvester Stallone, as wooden as ever, is not even a blip on the radar."
Smart action film with great fight scenes and lots of humor
Kevin Wolf | Lawrenceville, Georgia United States | 03/03/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Demolition Man is one of those rare action flicks that seem to have intellegence beyond the guns and explosions. Sylvester Stallone plays John Spartan, a reckless cop who has made it his mission to bring down his arch-enemy Simon Phoenix. Phoenix is a crime lord who has kidnapped 30 bus passengers. John Spartan rushes in and attempts to save them and apprehend Phoenix, but the passengers apparently die in an explosion set by Phoenix. John Spartan is arrested for the deaths of the passengers and charged with involuntary manslaughter, and both men are sent to a cryogenic prison, and frozen. But decades later in the year 2032, Phoenix escapes, and all hell breaks loose. The world has become peaceloving, and there are no more violent weapons on the streets, and physical contact of any kind is frowned upon. So you can imagine the kind of time a criminal like Phoenix would be having. The only way to stop him is to thaw Spartan, and soon the 2 enemies go at it all over the futuristic city of San Angeles. Sandra Bullock also stars as the cop who becomes the partner of Spartan in the future, and she starts to question everything she has been brought up to believe in.This is where the film becomes an intellegent satire as well as an action film. The future, while bright and crime-free, has left the world without freedom. Salt, red meat, and even sex has become illegal. The police encode chips into peoples hands so they can keep track of them wherever they go. But once Spartan is released, he takes an immediate disliking to the brave new world. Interlaced in all of this is plenty of humor in the dialogue, as Stallone's character does and says things that freaks out the people around him who have never seen behavior like that before. As for the action, this film has some incredible action scenes. There is a brawl between Phoenix and Spartan on a futuristic highway going 70 miles an hour, and plenty of shootouts. This DVD doesn't offer much in the way of extras, but there is a good commentary by the director, and standard/wide picture sizes of the film, and a trailer. One of the best action movies of the 90's, right up there with T2."
A Fun Diversion
John Noodles | A Field in ND, USA | 09/04/2000
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Predictable action fare with Stallone playing a super cop from 1996 awakened from an unjust cryogenic jail sentence to capture super psycho Snipes (also frozen in 1996) who has escaped the liberal-totalitarian utopian San Angeles (used to be LA) in 2032.None of this movie makes any sense, but its running jokes are amusing. The futuristic society is the apotheosis of political correctness and pacifism, and the only weapons are those on display in a museum...and fortunately for Snipes' character, the pacifist nimrods displayed fully functional firearms, with plenty of of ammo. Fortunately, this movie doesn't take itself too seriously. You know how it's all going to end, and there are no real surprises along the way, but the running gags (that every restaurant is Taco Bell--the only one to survive the Franchise Wars--that toilet paper has been replaced by three seashells, that people receive demerits for cursing) and comic-strip action are enough to sustain the movie."
Wesley Snipes takes over the movie and makes you forget Sly.
Lucifer | Sheol | 12/17/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Wes usually takes the hero role but maybe he should consider taking more villians. He makes Simon Phoenix a vibrant crackling character that really owns this movie. Everyone does a game job and seems to be having fun in this one. Even Sly is tolerable!
The film begins in present day and then catapults into futuristic LA after the world is nearly destroyed by our violent tendencies. As Phoenix opines "the world has turned into a bunch of robed sissies". How do our hero and villian get transported into time? Well it seems a mix up back in the day got our two leads locked in cryo-prison where they stayed frozen in their distinctive eras. At a parole hearing Phoenix escapes and the new world is needless to say ill equipped to handle a criminal as violent as he is. This leads to the reanimation of Stallone and the chase is on.
They do a good job with the fish out of water element and as I said they have some good supporting work. Bullock, Leary, and Bratt do good jobs in their roles and the story while a little flat at times never bogs down too much. The movie knows it is here to entertain and it does that in spades."