Sylvester Stallone Stands by Controversial ’90s Sci-Fi Classic

Sylvester Stallone recently opened up about his 1993 sci-fi action film, Demolition Man, defending it against critics who called it strange and overly violent. Speaking to GQ’s Iconic Characters series, Stallone described the movie as ahead of its time.

The film, which starred Stallone alongside Wesley Snipes and Sandra Bullock, is set in a futuristic Los Angeles where crime is nearly nonexistent. Stallone said, “I think it was a great movie. It’s one of the few films that really hold up. And it’s almost close to happening. There’s a certain kind of mannerism… we call it the ‘gentilization of society.’ I thought it was just very contemporary. I thought it was really well done.”

Despite its later success, Demolition Man had a difficult production. Stallone admitted the script went through many rewrites, and he wasn’t even the first choice for the lead role of John Spartan, Steven Seagal was originally attached.

Stallone also revealed some of the most dangerous stunts he performed, including scenes with a giant mechanical claw and a freezing chamber filled with oil. “Those are the two most dangerous stunts I’ve ever done… if it goes longer than 30 seconds, it’s going to go to here [point to his mouth], and you can’t get out,” he explained.

Directed by Marco Brambilla in his debut, Demolition Man tells the story of John Spartan, a reckless police officer frozen in 1996 after failing to capture the criminal Simon Phoenix, played by Wesley Snipes.

In 2032, Phoenix escapes, and Spartan is thawed out to stop him. The film references classic dystopian works like Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and H.G. Wells’s The Sleeper Awakes.

When the film was released on October 8, 1993, it earned $159 million worldwide but received mixed reviews.

On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 64% rating, while Metacritic scores it 34 out of 100, indicating generally unfavorable reviews. Critics were divided—Gene Siskel gave it a “thumbs down,” while Roger Ebert praised its satirical edge and action sequences, giving it a “thumbs up.”

Others like Peter Travers of Rolling Stone criticized it as “sleek and empty as well as brutal and pointless,” and Emanuel Levy of Variety called it “a noisy, soulless, self-conscious pastiche.” Still, Levy praised the movie’s visuals, including the high-tech metallic look created by production designer David L. Snyder and cinematographer Alex Thomson.

Today, Stallone sees the film differently. He values its unique style and action sequences and stands by its vision. “I thought the set design was brilliant. It was what we call a practical set. Those things really worked,” he said. The movie, he believes, still resonates in today’s world and remains a relevant piece of sci-fi action.

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