I'll Have The "Total Destruction" With A Side Of Cheese, Please

Well, chalk up another movie on the “heard of but never seen” list.  I just watched Demolition Man for the first time.  I love action movies, so I was very much looking forward to watching it.  Overall, I was pleased with the film.

Demolition Man is the story of an officer who gets revived out of suspended animation to hunt down an old enemy. I liked this movie.  Personally, I do not always need action movies to be on the level of “Terminator” or “Rambo”.  I am perfectly happy sitting in on a Saturday night and watching movies like Judge Dredd, or in this case Demolition Man.  Demolition Man is a great example of an average, cheesy action flick.  When I say it is average, I do not mean that in a degrading way.  This is a movie that does not pretend to be anything more than what it is.  It does not take itself too seriously, and there is nothing wrong with that.  That being said, I think this movie could have done without the cheesy hand gestures.  I understand that the people of 2032 do things a bit differently and have never experienced violence, but to suggest that they have never shaken a person’s hand is just ridiculous.  Also, at one point Sandra Bullock’s character gets security footage for John Spartan because he asked for it…even though we never actually seem him ask her to get it for him.  This is a minor plot hole that honestly did not detract from my enjoyment of the movie.  Speaking of enjoying the movie, there is actually a B-story involving Denis Leary that is integrated quite well alongside the main story.

I have always been a fan of Sylvester Stallone because of the “Rambo” series and the “Rocky” series.  The man is a legend, and to think anything less would be disrespectful.  He helped usher in an era of action movies, and we should all be thankful for that.  In Demolition Man, he plays John Spartan.  Spartan is a man out of time, not familiar with the era that he lives in.  Knowing this, Stallone actually brings a wonderful sense of humor to the role that I honestly did not know he had.  Typically in a movie like this another character would provide the levity, but seeing Stallone do it is quite pleasantly surprising.  At the end of day, though, it is always great to see Stallone do what he does best: cause mayhem and destruction as only he can.

Wesley Snipes is someone that I have also been a huge fan of for years.  In this movie, he plays Simon Phoenix.  Phoenix is a one-man killing machine, which is perfect for Wesley Snipes.  He oozes charisma and confidence, so much so that you might actually find yourself rooting for him.  It is also great to see him unload his 5^th Degree Black Belt on his victims.  Also for all you EXPENDABLES fans like myself, the final showdown between Stallone and Snipes is awesome, even though this movie was released years before.

Marco Brambilla is the director of Demolition Man.  He does a good job of blending the cheesiness with full-blown action.  He also captures the look of the future very well.  I love the designs of the vehicles and buildings. This movie is also edited to perfection thanks to the legendary Stuart Baird (I’m not kidding, look him up). 

If you want to have the guys over for pizza one night and watch a movie, Demolition Man is a great choice.  It has great action, great humor, and even a couple inside-the-industry jokes concerning some future Expendables.  I would recommend this just for the star power of Stallone and Snipes alone.