"Somebody put me back in the fridge". When John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) utters that line about half way through this film, it really symbolizes (unfortunately) the kind of tone "Demolition Man" takes.
For a brief plot synopsis, "Demolition Man" begins in Los Angeles circa 1996, where policeman John Spartan is trying to corral wacko criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes). Long story short, they both end up incarcerated and flash-frozen in hopes of psychological parole 40 years into the future. When that time comes, Phoenix escapes and begins to wreak havoc on a benevolent civilization that is now not capable of handling such violence. Thus, Spartan is taken "out of the fridge" to try and stop Phoenix by all means necessary.
Now, here is the problem with this film: Imagine the plot of a great science fiction tale (like, say, Minority Report) done in a tone like the 1960s Batman television show...pure "camp". At its core, this movie isn't all that bad at all, featuring a very intriguing plot, interesting characters, plenty of action, and some legitimately funny comedy. Unfortunately, the entire film was played for purely "camp", thus leading to groan-inducing one-liners, characters that start off interesting and quickly turn one-dimensional, and a plot that kind of meanders around without ever really delving into the interesting issues (what cryostasis is like, how the future became what it is like, morality, etc.).
Don't get me wrong...this is a fun little movie to watch. But, once again, to use the Batman analogy, who is considered the "real" Joker: the puffed-out Caesar Romero of TV fame, or the dark, gritty Heath Ledger of Christopher Nolan's silver screen adaptation? I thought so. Had "Demolition Man" taken itself a bit more seriously, it could have risen that critical notch from novelty "eh" to "hey, that was a good film".
For a brief plot synopsis, "Demolition Man" begins in Los Angeles circa 1996, where policeman John Spartan is trying to corral wacko criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes). Long story short, they both end up incarcerated and flash-frozen in hopes of psychological parole 40 years into the future. When that time comes, Phoenix escapes and begins to wreak havoc on a benevolent civilization that is now not capable of handling such violence. Thus, Spartan is taken "out of the fridge" to try and stop Phoenix by all means necessary.
Now, here is the problem with this film: Imagine the plot of a great science fiction tale (like, say, Minority Report) done in a tone like the 1960s Batman television show...pure "camp". At its core, this movie isn't all that bad at all, featuring a very intriguing plot, interesting characters, plenty of action, and some legitimately funny comedy. Unfortunately, the entire film was played for purely "camp", thus leading to groan-inducing one-liners, characters that start off interesting and quickly turn one-dimensional, and a plot that kind of meanders around without ever really delving into the interesting issues (what cryostasis is like, how the future became what it is like, morality, etc.).
Don't get me wrong...this is a fun little movie to watch. But, once again, to use the Batman analogy, who is considered the "real" Joker: the puffed-out Caesar Romero of TV fame, or the dark, gritty Heath Ledger of Christopher Nolan's silver screen adaptation? I thought so. Had "Demolition Man" taken itself a bit more seriously, it could have risen that critical notch from novelty "eh" to "hey, that was a good film".