Follow up to the PG-13 discussion with a particular look at Demolition Man (1993)

Any critic, professional or amateur, that originally dismissed Demolition Man (1993) as a silly sci-fi action film needs to reconsider that assessment in light of where  Western civilization is headed. In light of my discussion on the age of PG-13 blockbusters I decided to take another look at this film which I remembered because of its satire directed at what was expected to be a futuristic  Los Angeles society (renamed San Angeles in the film). The action aside, since they had to provide entertainment, this satirical viewpoint coincided with what I was saying about blockbusters being dominated by films rated PG-13. The beret Stallone wears in The Expendables series is clearly reminiscent of his portrayal as Sergeant John Spartan in Demolition Man who wore similar head dress.

Firstly, according to the film the future is a sanitized, technologically enhanced, physically weakened environment. According to Simon phoenix (Wesley Snipes) the people are  ‘pussy whipped’. Most of the people are very dependent on technology, physical contact is avoided in order to preserve a clean environment and reduce the risk of disease or germ transmission and contraction and the moral code is strictly regulated. When you curse you’re fined. One important prediction in this film is that the society is cashless and everyone has an assigned code which provides information on the various credits which they use to conduct transactions etc. This is similar to the trend in society today particularly from a moral point of view where there is increased regulation of profanity or ludicrous behavior which is seen as a shocking act or something from the sewers. We are trying to make this world quite harmonious from a pg-13 perspective when we step outside. Every act of violence in the bourgeois world above is portrayed as savage or barbaric i.e. acts with no purpose and there is no such thing as conflict. Everything must be in harmony.  This has always been the case when the ruling class wishes to dominate and create a sense of harmony in a world where their rules prevail but with the pg-13 blockbusters the trend is clear. The barbarism in some blockbusters in the‘80s and ‘90s is being replaced by a high technological and sanitized portrayal that is very cerebral. In Demolition Man the cerebral element is made fun of when sex is turned into strictly mind to mind contact. There is also the mystery of how to use the three sea shells after taking a shit, no let me say defecating, instead of toilet paper which is considered primitive. Well  this prediction is timely because it is claimed internationally,  and here in Jamaica, that some toilet papers carry bacterial agents. They need to hurry up with the three sea shells.

Secondly, in Demolition Man the R-rated element is portrayed as a criminal, savage class that lives underground.  They are led by the rebel Edgar Friendly who is only about survival. They are the rebels that refuse to be dominated by the bourgeois dictator Dr. Raymond Cocteau and the highly stylized and technological way of living.  They represent the source of conflict  in the film because Cocteau decides to release Simon Phoenix to kill Friendly. In order to stop Phoenix the modern police force  bring back John Spartan, an old fashioned cop from the barbaric ‘90s because they are incapable of handling the type of savage violence that Phoenix is capable of. This is quite similar to how R-rated blockbusters have been taken over by the PG-13 element as discussed previously. The R-rated blockbusters have been submerged underground and those of the past are considered guilty pleasures in light of the rampant CGI on display where actors hover in front of a green screen to appear grandiose and outrageously fantastic.  If you read a lot of reviews of the old  R-rated blockbusters there are many critics that describe them in the same manner as the enlightened bourgeoisie in Demolition Man describe the subterranean rebels led by Friendly. A lot of these critics describe these old R-rated blockbusters as mindless, savage in their excess violence, or stuck in a bygone era. We are told to embrace the dawn of the superheroes over the cowboys. We are told to embrace gross CGI, cerebral spectacle that has no bearing on reality over more gritty presentations of more down to earth, realistic violence.

One final reason why Demolition Man should be reconsidered is in its prediction about Schwarzenegger.  The icons of the great R-rated blockbusters have become holy political figures and have turned their back on what made them great. Schwarzenegger in this film was predicted to become president although in reality he was only made governor of California. If you watch the film again you will laugh out loud when it’s mentioned especially when you consider the rivalry between Stallone and Schwarzenegger in those days. In these days the stars of R-rated blockbusters are viewed as expendable but holy for those that grew up in that era. However  in the pg-13 generation the trend will be, by some, to view them with revulsion. Just like the demolition man was viewed in this film.