Ah, the early '90s big budget escapist films. Tim Burton's Batman films, _Terminator 2_, _Bill & Ted_, _Army of Darkness_... _Demolition Man_.

Realistically, a 6/10 as far as visions of the future go, but bumped to 8/10 for just how well all its parts come together, and how well it has aged despite the simplicity of the script.

On my most recent re-watch of this (one of the few films I've found myself re-watching over the years) I was awed at just how gorgeous the lighting and cinematography are in this, especially in the sci-fi interior shots. The casting, the acting, the punchy, quotable dialog just make this an immensely enjoyable film on every watch, and with the action and budget involved, though you could ask for a more complex treatment of the subject matter, it would likely have never made it through the first draft, and they even acknowledge this in the end of the film by ending on a "you'll figure out a good balance" line. It's self-aware, and knows what it can get away with within the confines of a 2-hour film.

This decade was about the last time Hollywood took on a serious subject in a sci-fi treatment and was able to tell an honest story while actually having fun with it instead of taking itself too seriously. An American Sc-Fi/Action gem from the last decade that got the comic book movie right. Since then the grasp of tone and any semblance of relevance has gone out the window, along with the writers, in lieu of pseudo-intellectual, grim-dark seriousness and MCU humor, and this film functions as a metaphor for the kind of shakeup Hollywood needs right now.


ps
It's an updated Hollywood action movie version of _Brave New World_ (**_Lenin**a **Huxley_**) for those who might think the premise is too _Over The Top_.

Wesley Snipes ("Simon Phoenix") is deep frozen in 1996 for heinous crimes - as is the police officer who apprehended him (Sly Stallone) who also managed to kill 30 innocent folks in the process. When Snipes is thawed out for his parole hearing 35 years later, he discovers that his former playground is now a crime-free utopia, designed by Sir Nigel Hawthorne ("Dr. Cocteau") and the new citizens have no way to combat the crime spree his can easily inflict upon them all... What to do? Well, they defrost Sly ("John Spartan"), of course, and together with Sandra Bullock ("Lenina") they set about tracking down and stopping the destruction. It's got a few twists and turns - all is not as it seems in this peaceful, law-abiding city - and Snipes is actually quite good, with his tongue firmly in his cheek and his 90's style dyed blonde coiffure as the baddie, but the dialogue is pretty ropey and the film frequently suffers from a lack of imagination as it rumbles along for almost two hours.

_Demolition Man_ may not exactly be the perfect movie, but the core idea behind the plot is something I've never ever seen done before or since. It's pretty mindless and fairly hammy, but it's fun and enough of an experience to get me across the finish line, no worse for the experience.

_Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._