Demolition Man | 1993 | Final | UK Quad

Demolition Man was released in 1993 and is a science fiction action film directed by Marco Brambilla in his directorial debut. It was produced by Joel Silver, Michael Levy and Howard Kazanjian with the screenplay written by Daniel Waters, Robert Reneau and Peter M. Lenkov. Some aspects of the film allude to Aldous Huxley’s 1932 dystopian novel Brave New World. Demolition Man stars Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock and Nigel Hawthorne.

The storyline is set 2032 where mainstream society has changed and all crime has seemingly been eliminated. Simon Phoenix, an evil crime lord and cryogenically frozen in 1996, is revived for a parole hearing well into the 21st century. At the parole hearing he escapes after uttering a secret password, without knowing exactly how he had gained such knowledge. Phoenix then resumes his murderous rampage, and no one can stop him. John Spartan, the police officer who captured Phoenix in 1996, has also been cryogenically frozen, this time for a crime he did not commit. In 2032, the former cities of Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Barbara have merged into peaceful, utopian San Angeles. Unable to stop him with their non-violent solutions, the police release Spartan to help recapture Phoenix. Now after 36 years, Spartan has to adapt himself to the future society he has no knowledge about.

During production General Motors provided 18 concept vehicles, including the Ultralite. The Ultralite is a low emission vehicle concept intended to demonstrate the benefits of advanced materials and low fuel consumption. More than 20 fiberglass replicas of the Ultralite were produced to portray civilian and SAPD patrol vehicles in the film. After filming had completed, the remaining Ultralites were returned to Michigan as part of General Motors concept vehicle fleet.

One of the focal brands used in Demolition Man is Taco Bell and had become the sole surviving restaurant chain after “the franchise wars”. As Taco Bell doesn’t have a wide presence outside the USA, the European releases substitute it with Pizza Hut with lines re-dubbed and logos changed during post-production.

When Demolition Man was released it received mixed reviews from the critics. On Rotten Tomatoes it currently holds a rating of 60% with the general consensus being, “A better-than-average sci-fi shoot-em-up with a satirical undercurrent, Demolition Man is bolstered by strong performances by Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, and Sandra Bullock.”. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film fails to give action fans what they desire, instead substituting out-of-place satirical commentary. During an Instagram Q&A with Sylvester Stallone, he confirmed that a sequel is currently in development.

Commerically Demolition Man proved to be a hit. Having been made on a production budget estimated at $57 million, it took $15,973,850 in its opening weekend at the US box office and debuted at No. 1 in the charts. Demolition Man went on to gross $58,055,768 by the end of its box office run in the USA and $159,055,768 worldwide.

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