This article follows the trend of summer “light movies” and since we are chaining together actors, and given that the last one was Tango and Cash, I will propose a movie with Sylvester Stallone.
Demolition man is an action-movie with dystopian elements starring Sylvester Stallone, Sandra Bullock and Wesley Snipes; given that it came out in 1993, it means that it came out exactly thirty years ago – so…Happy birthday I guess. In spite of its age, the ideas it portrayed were actually quite clairvoyant and comparable to our own times.
As for the plot, through a ploy devised by the main villain, a ‘super-cop’ is charged with the murder of innocent bystanders; both the protagonist, as well as the antagonist, are then cytogenetically frozen for their crimes. When the villain escapes his prison in the year 2032 and the police realize that they are not equipped to deal with him, they will be forced to wake up the ‘super-cop’ to deal with the new menace. Good guys win and the plot is pretty much straight forward.
So, why talk about this movie (except for its thirtieth birthday)?
Well, I did mention that the work was quite clairvoyant for its time; some of the details are more subtle and some are interesting nuances of our society, one that is drastically changing. Obviously there are some futuristic elements such as the cytogenesis of prisoners and the reprogramming or conditioning of their brain; there are also more utopian themes such as a nearly crimeless society and their dystopian counterparts given the social divide between higher and lower echelons. Consider that the portrayal of society is that of a peaceful utopia where although every citizen is monitored through microchips to the point that there is even a verbal morality law that automatically fines you for swearing wherever you are, things seem in working order. Furthermore, touching and physical contact are outdated, as well as intercourse which is merely done through an apparatus that connects the brains of the people involved (so, a version of cybersex more or less). There are various other details that are awkwardly represented such as how much commercial adds have permeated everyday life, the need for validation (in this case provided by a computer) and how society is not equipped to deal with something that diverges from the norm.
How does this however compare to our own conditions? This is just a personal opinion, but it made me remember of something that I read some time ago and says something along the lines of:
Hard times create strong men,
Strong men create good times,
Good times create weak men,
Weak men create hard times.
Not only in this movie, but within our society as well I think that the last two sentences are very relevant. Of course, you have to consider several other issues as well and the fact that current circumstances make it difficult for changes to be made, but there are for certain several nuances within the movie that echo within our own reality. I do not wish however to become political or excessively tedious in my analysis; I would simply tell you to watch the movie and decide for yourself.
Oh thing that I did not mention: in 1993 the movie jokingly said that Arnold Schwarzenegger would become president. While that is not the case (yet), it is important to mention that he did become however the Governor of California in 2003. Take that as you will.
I would give this movie a 6 out of 10 “three sea shells”.