199’s high-octane futuristic action thriller Demolition Man is coming to high-def this winter. Arrow Video is releasing the Sylvester Stallone/Wesley Snipes actioner on December 10 in a deluxe 4K Blu-ray set loaded with special features. And yes, that does include the three seashells.
The centerpiece of the set is an all-new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Marco Brambilla. That will encompass both cuts of the movie – the American cut, which features Taco Bell as the world’s only surviving restaurant after the “Franchise Wars”, and the international cut, which replaces it with Pizza Hut. It will feature two all-new audio commentaries; one by Brambilla and screenwriter Daniel Waters (Heathers, Batman Returns), and one by film historian Mike White. It will also include an archival commentary with Brambilla and producer Joel Silver. It will also feature interviews with the film’s production designer, stunt coordinators, and makeup artists; a video essay on Stallone; a stills gallery; and the film’s original theatrical trailer. It will also include art cards; stickers with “Edgar Friendly” graffiti and the film’s infamous “three seashells”; and a 60-page booklet with writing film critics Clem Bastow, William Bibbiani, Priscilla Page, and Martyn Pedler. The set will retail for $35 USD, and can be preordered on ArrowVideo.com.
What Is ‘Demolition Man’ About?
The film opens in 1996, where maverick supercop John Spartan (Stallone) takes down maniacal supercriminal Simon Pheonix (Snipes) – with enormous collateral damage. Both Spartan and Phoenix end up sentenced to cryogenic freezing – but when Phoenix is thawed out for a parole hearing and escapes, Spartan is revived to bring him down. Spartan has to adjust to the strange future world of 2032, where cursing, smoking, and sex are banned, and violence is unheard of; luckily, he has a partner in Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock) to show him the ropes. Before long, however, Spartan comes to suspect that the architect of this so-called utopia, Dr. Raymond Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne) engineered Phoenix’s escape to eliminate anarchic rebel leader Edgar Friendly (Denis Leary). As everything builds to a final confrontation with Phoenix, Spartan will have to live up to his nickname – the Demolition Man. The film also features appearances by Benjamin Bratt, Bob Gunton, Bill Cobbs, and Rob Schneider.
The film was a box office success, making nearly $160 million USD at the box office. Although initial reviews were mixed, critics have since warmed to the film for its witty, satirical script (which was heavily influenced by Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World) and its unrelenting action.
Demolition Man will hit 4K Blu-ray on December 10, 2024. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.