Demolition Man, 1993. My Journey into Science Fiction Part 36.

Hello, and welcome to My Journey into Science Fiction Part 36. It feels fitting that a Sylvester Stallone film should follow my recent review of The Running Man, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Unfortunately, after only two movies, the last action heroes have left me yearning for something more meaningful in my science fiction, but more of that later. Demolition Man, 1993 is an American science fiction action film that was the directorial debut of Marco Brambilla, who directed such classics as Dinotopia and Excess Baggage. The movie stars Sylvester Stallone as John Spartan, Wesley Snipes as Simon Phoenix, Sandra Bullock as Lenina Huxley, Nigel Hawthorne as Dr Raymond Cocteau and Denis Leary as himself, I meant Edgar Friendly. Demolition Man was considered a success for Warner Bros and Sylvester Stallone, despite the film falling behind schedule, going over budget and receiving mixed reviews upon its release.

Before discussing the story, I would like to talk about the visual delights of Demolition Man. I was surprised that the movie was directed by Marco Brambilla as everyone else involved in the production had a lot of experience and success around them. However, I predict that Joel Silver might believe that the talents lie beyond the director alone. Silver had already produced a handful of blockbusters, including Weird Science, Commando and Predator, so who am I to argue? Alex Thomson, Labyrinth, Legend and The Krays also add a vast amount of craftsmanship and technical ability to the screen. I watched the 4K release of the movie, and it was a beautiful experience. I am not the type of person to discuss aspect ratios, frame rates, and colour corrections, but I was so impressed with the quality of the film that I found it hard to believe Demolition Man was not filmed digitally, only the year in history correcting my mistake. The opening of the film takes place in 1996, and the city of LA allowed the filmmakers to demolish an abandoned water and power building in downtown Los Angeles and take about making a grand entrance. The explosion was beautiful and wildly entertaining, but also a reminder that we may have just reached our peak within the maximum carnage era. Shortly afterwards, John Spartan is cryogenically frozen, and everything beyond the cryogenic chamber is breathtaking. The city of San Angeles, an idyllic utopia in 2032, is visually stunning, believable, and a fantastic achievement for a movie from the early nineties. The concept cars, the beautiful and rich glossy sets and the meticulous detail of the futuristic technological advancements all add to the story’s authenticity. Okay! Maybe San Angeles looks like a studio back-lot, but I was happy to believe in this world.

The script, unfortunately, felt a little bit lacklustre than the action on screen. Alternatively, it does everything it has to do and more. The original story was written by Peter Lenkov, a writer heading to Hollywood Hills for his first big break. Inspired by the action movies of the era, celebrities being cryogenically frozen and listening to The Police song of the same name in his car, John Spartan’s ice-laden journey to the future was beginning to reach boiling point. Director Marco Brambilla felt some changes were needed for the story, and he and writer Daniel Waters started to rewrite the script, adding comedy to a movie that was a straight-up action film. I always feel like two or more writers on a screenplay often yield negative results, especially when the differences are there for all to see. Demolition Man spent six years in the hands of different writers during its “development” before filming began.

The premise of the film is simple. John Spartan is the demolition man, and regardless of the chaos he creates, he gets the job done. However, Simon Phoenix is about to bring his heroics to an end. Another destructive arrest takes place in an abandoned warehouse. Later, Phoenix claims that Spartan knew about the hostages in the building but chose to let them die in the carnage to apprehend his man. Spartan and Phoenix are both sentenced to serve time in the California Cro-penitentiary, where they will both be exposed to subliminal rehabilitation techniques. Phoenix is thawed for a parole hearing in the year 2032, but he escapes the prison and kills several police officers in a city that has never dealt with violent crime. Police Lieutenant Lenina Huxley, on the other hand, knows a man who has! John Spartan awakes to a world of peace and tranquillity, but utopia always comes with a price, and who will be the ones to pay? Some stories will leave you lost with mystery and intrigue, others will gently hold your hand, but Demolition Man will headbutt you and drag you along the floor for the fight. There is no rhyme or reason. Each dilemma settled with heavy punches, athletic roundhouse kicks and guns, lots of guns. I arrived at a scene and thought about some interesting and creative ways the writers could have explored these beautiful settings. Unfortunately, there were no inspiring interactions, just pure brutality. Looking back at those meticulous cryogenic sets made me wonder what a more talented director and storyteller could have done with such riches.

However, I did have a lot of fun and enjoyment watching Demolition Man. The comedy, actually made me laugh and it wasn’t down to the professional, and quite repetitive ability of Denis Leary. It was Sandra Bullock’s one-liners that stole the show, as she proclaims John Spartan “Just licked his arse” or saying “Let’s go blow this guy”. Highly immature, but it works very well. Looking back, it is surprising that Stallone aligned himself with Schwarzenegger so much. In many ways, they are like chalk and cheese. I always found Stallone to be a much more thoughtful and compassionate actor. He understands the complexities of humanity in a far more unique way. First Blood and Rocky, study the human condition in more complex ways than one might believe. Demolition Man could be the last great action movie for me. Yes, they exist today, but the impact Stallone had on society was special. Unfortunately, their individual qualities eventually merged into the same idea and profit seemed to be priority number one. And who can blame them?  Not me, that is for sure. The World has changed and a movie like this could be frowned upon in today’s climate. It is hard for me to say, as I do belong to that past somehow, and I celebrate its existence. In the late seventies, Sylvester Stallone felt, there was no hope in society, a statement that could easily be shared today. Thankfully, his vision helped bring the feel-good factor back for movie-goers, and an achievement like that is why he will always be more than just an action hero to me. One of a kind, and I hope his hunger to keep producing movies doesn’t take anything away from the magnitude of his early work. Somehow, I know that can never happen.

I suppose the one thing I never discuss properly on this project is the journey I am taking, and what I learn from each film. I need to change that and start looking more closely at my choices. In the case of Demolition Man, the answer is simple. As a science fiction film, I know my tastes are forever changing, but this film reminds me to always remember the past. I love the complexities of 1984, the beauty of The Man Who Fell to Earth and the horror of a movie like Flatliners. However, Demolition Man is also a part of the building blocks that introduced me to science fiction and a reminder to not disappear up my backside. Science fiction can and should be fun when needed. The sex device used in this film could be the very reason why I started looking into the work of Philip K. Dick. The utopian dilemma may be the inspiration I needed to seek out Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I cannot say I was overly impressed with Nigel Hawthorne’s portrayal of Dr, Raymond Cocteau in Demolition Man, and it feels like he was looking for a nice little paycheck, and rightly so. At the beginning of his career, putting food on the table was a difficult thing to achieve. Memoirs of a Survivor, 1981 is a British science fiction film directed by David Gladwell and is based on the novel by the same name by Doris Lessing. The film is set in a future vision of England under economic collapse and may involve time travel. Honestly, I do not want to learn too much before I read the novel and review the film for the next part of my journey. However, the connection between this and Demolition Man is Nigel Hawthorne, who plays a Victorian Father in the movie. So, thank you Demolition Man, for leading me to a new destination in science fiction again. I said earlier that I was yearning for something new, and Memoirs of a Survivor looks like the perfect film for me to explore. I love this project, and I cannot wait to get started. I hope you can also join me next time on My Journey into Science Fiction Part 37.

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