I was barely aware of this flick when it was new. Only in adulthood did I encounter people talking about it, not so much for the demolition as for the nanny state sendup. I got curious whether it had more to offer than a particular line summarizing the scenario and a curious, semi-tasteful bathroom gag.
In 1996, LAPD Det. John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) is effective at crimefighting but destructive enough to earn the titular moniker. When his arrest of master criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) leads to the explosion of a building full of hostages, both men are sentenced to decades in cryopreservation. At a 2032 parole hearing, Phoenix breaks loose, discovering that this peaceful era has pushover police and he's become mysteriously knowledgeable and badass. Lt. Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock), a big fan of the 20th century, persuades Chief George Earle (Bob Gunton) to thaw and reinstate Spartan to take on Phoenix, but authorities worry that Spartan's just as bad.
You may think that a city that hasn't seen a murder in 22 years sounds more utopian than dystopian, but I must say the drawbacks outnumber the advantages. Swearing, with or without any human listeners, automatically nets you a fine, tho a few instances I noticed don't get dinged. People rarely touch each other anymore; only VR sex is allowed, and lab-based procreation is highly restricted. Non-health food and even non-educational toys have been banned. Many people seem happy with the arrangement and dictator Dr. Raymond Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne), but those who aren't, called Scraps, choose to live in the sewer and steal to survive. Cocteau secretly plans to be less pacifistic with them.
You'll have to get used to some odd turns of phrase, whether from natural linguistic evolution or lexical regulation. This, more than anything else, makes the characters alien to me. Spartan often sees fit to correct Huxley's butchery of traditional sayings. Nonetheless, I can see why the two of them grow close.
If the presentation weren't so facetious, I'd feel very sorry for Spartan. He did not deserve such a severe conviction under the circumstances -- and why did Phoenix get a parole hearing sooner than he would? Spartan reports being trapped in a nightmare for 36 years. Then he learns that his wife died in an earthquake big enough to lead to metropolis renaming to "San Angeles." He puts off tracing his daughter for fear that she'll regard him as a barbarian, like nearly everyone else. Not that he has a higher opinion of them either.
There sure is a lot of absurdity beyond the standard early-'90s action tropes. Most of the technological advances aren't too far-fetched, but did people really think they were only three years away from cryo-prisons? Why are commercial jingles and TV theme songs all the music left? I assume the end of TP is environmentalist, but the alternative doesn't look hygienic, and they're hardly paperless with those swearing tickets. Why are the guns in the museum (not available anywhere else) still functional? And considering how many people in 2032 would have been adults in 1996, why do they act like '96 is practically prehistoric?
If DM were remade today, the stated years would not be the only changes. Just having a Black main villain against a White hero doesn't fly anymore, tho I suspect that Snipes enjoyed himself apart from the dye job. I thought Cocteau would prove the bigger villain, but at least he means well for innocent people; Phoenix has his heart set on felons running amok for fun. Also, while Spartan is no early James Bond, he is a little too assertive in his desire to kiss Huxley.
Realistically, DM doesn't lend itself to a remake any more than to a sequel, but it is pretty engaging. What it lacks in smarts, it makes up for in amusement and cues to ponder the possibilities.
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