Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock and three clams ensured that “Demolition Man” achieved cult status – and is still a lot of fun today. The science fiction blockbuster is still available for a limited time with a subscription to Prime Video.
The fact that “Demolition Man” was a box office success probably came as no surprise to anyone in 1993. Sylvester Stallone had long since become one of the greatest action stars of all time and was considered the ultimate crowd-puller, Sandra Bullock had already landed her first leading roles and was about to make her big breakthrough – and Wesley Snipes also had plenty of star power. The future “Blade” star was still a long way from tax fraud, imprisonment and direct-to-video blockbusters that were quickly churned out in Eastern Europe…
… nevertheless, the science fiction action thriller did not fare too well with critics. Today, the film is still a cult classic – and the author of this article thinks: quite rightly so! Do you want to give the film, which offers two hours of perfect 90s blockbuster entertainment, a chance or see for yourself how well the now 30-year-old film has aged? Then you currently have a great and convenient way to do so. Because “Demolition Man” is available until August 7, 2024 in the subscription of Amazon Prime Video contain – and is available to all subscribers as a stream at no additional cost:
“Demolition Man” on Amazon Prime Video*
You can expect Wesley Snipes as a bleached-blonde terrorist, whose hair even inspired cult basketball player Dennis Rodman, and a hardened Sylvester Stallone, as always, who doesn’t even know how to use “the three shells”. There is also, of course, a lot of hand-made action, which always reaches its climax when Snipes and Stallone clash – and throw a lot of lead, snappy sayings and more at each other.
“Demolition Man”: Fun, explosive, cool – and as entertaining as a blockbuster can be
This is what it’s about: Police officer John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) ensures law and order in Los Angeles in 1996 – and does not shy away from crossing the boundaries of legality to catch criminals. He even burns down a factory building.
But one day, when he falls into the trap of the crazy terrorist Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), Spartan ends up behind bars for negligent homicide – and is put into cryogenic sleep, from which he is only awakened 36 years later. The reason: Phoenix managed to escape and is causing fear and terror in the city now known as San Angeles. Spartan is supposed to neutralize him once and for all – but at the same time he also has to deal with a number of challenges. Because the world has changed a lot in all that time…
“Demolition Man” works primarily according to one motto: turn off your brain and start having fun! Director Marco Brambilla and his scriptwriters were clearly not trying to reflect the potential image of the real future – after all, it is only nine years until 2032 and there are not too many similarities to reality. And there doesn’t have to be. Because in the end, it is perhaps the many absurd decisions (like Wesley Snipes’ hairstyle) and quirky ideas (the three shells mentioned) that contribute to the film’s high fun factor.
Apart from that, you can expect a fantastic, well-mannered cast of stars – which includes Benjamin Bratt, Jack Black, Denis Leary and Rob Schneider – as well as a dystopia created with great attention to detail, which, as the visual basis of a hand-made effects spectacle, shows a world that is still distant and improbable, but incredibly exciting. You can read about the decision that Sylvester Stallone still regrets to this day here:
“The biggest mistake I ever made”: Sylvester Stallone will regret this sci-fi action film forever
*The link to the Amazon offer is a so-called affiliate link. If you make a purchase via this link, we receive a commission. This article is based on an article that has already appeared on FILMSTARTS.
