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# Demolition Man (1993)
- URL: https://the-midnight-screening.ghost.io/demolition-man-1993/
- Published: 2026-08-23T11:10:33.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-23T11:10:33.000Z
- Author: David Weathersby

Sometimes all a movie needs to do is be a great time. 1993’s Demolition Man fits that definition. It was Sylvester Stallone’s other big movie of the year, behind Cliffhanger, and was the lesser hit of the two. Wesley Snipes is at his over-the-top best as the villain Simon Phoenix. Set in the “future” of 1996, when criminals are cryogenically frozen for their crimes, Mr. Stallone’s police officer character is frozen alongside Mr. Snipes for causing too much damage in catching him, hence the Demolition Man title. They get unfrozen in 2032 where society doesn’t understand violence, and Mr. Snipes finds himself in his own personal Disneyland. A young Sandra Bullock is as charming as ever here. And even in 2026, the joke about the three shells still resonates online. While movies aren’t always great at predicting the future, Demolition Man does a fairly decent job of it, including the idea of self-driving cars, and a proto-YouTube where people listen to old commercial jingles for entertainment. Younger audiences won’t like the romantic subplot between Ms. Bullock and Mr. Stallone because of the age difference. But Demolition Man is the perfect movie to just watch and not think about. The action is great and a beautiful example of what practical effects can do for realism that digital still cannot. It only made about $58 million at the box office and while still good for 1993, it wasn’t the hit the studio would have expected with Mr. Stallone attached. It’s also one of those great 90s conundrums where an R-rated movie had a toy line, asking again the question of who did the studio think was the target audience? Still, it’s a great look at when big set pieces took tons of stunt workers and planning, not a big green screen. It shows on screen because the stakes feel real because of it. There may be a message here about being soft on crime, but it’s not at the surface level. What you’ll remember most is how much fun it is.