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    • WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

    Demolition Man
    Genre:Action Adventure

    Reviewed In Issue 08 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
    Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock.

    WSR Review Scores
    Picture Rating: 5
    Sound Rating: 4.5
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    Reference Systems
    Critics' Composite Score:
    Internet Links

    Supplementals

    DVD General Information
    (Studio/Distributor): Warner Home Video
    (Catalog Number): 12985
    (MPAA Rating): R
    (Retail Price): $34.98
    (Running Time In Minutes): 115
    (Color Type): Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
    (Closed Captioned): Yes
    (Theatrical Release): 1993
    (LD Release Date): 02/01/94
    (THX® Digitally Mastered): No

    Credits Information
    (Director): Marco Brambilla
    (Screenplay/Written By): Daniel Waters, Robert Reneau & Peter M. Lenkov
    (Story): Peter M. Lenkov & Robert Reneau
    (Music): Elliot Goldenthal
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer): David L. Snyder
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor): Stuart Baird, ACE
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers): NA
    (Co-Producers): James Herbert, Jacqueline George & Steven Fazekas
    (Producers): Joel Silver, Michael Levy & Howard Kazanjian

    DVD Picture Information
    (Principal Photography):
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 2.35:1
    (Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 2.46:1

    DVD Sound Information
    (DVD Soundtrack): Dolby Surround
    (Theatrical Sound): Dolby Digital
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (Remastered Dolby Digital):
    (Remastered DTS Digital Surround):
    (Additional Languages):

    WSR Narrative Review
    Story Synopsis:
    Demolition Man is an all-out entertaining blend of action and humor which takes place in a prissy utopian future devoid of the violence of the 21st century. But as the story goes, one of that century’s most evil psychopaths, Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) mysteriously escapes from a 35-year deep freeze during a parole hearing in Cryo-Prison to find a serene, violence-free Southern California ready for his brand of destruction and mayhem. The year is 2032 and the police services are ill-equipped to deal with Phoenix’s intended rein of violence. City officials and the suspicious Governor of the society decide that the situation requires an old fashion cop. Who do they pick? No other than Sgt. John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone), an infamous crime fighter who is serving a long sentence in CryoPrision because of a setup engineered by Phoenix over forty years ago.

    LaserDisc Picture:
    The picture image has been cropped to a 2.46:1 aspect ratio. Images are extremely sharp and clean, and free of distracting video noise or other artifacts. The picture exhibits excellent shadow detail in the night scenes and deep blacks. Flesh tones are accurate and natural in their appearance. Overall the transfer is impeccable. It appears to have been mastered from a pristine interpositive.

    LaserDisc Soundtrack:
    The soundtrack, theatrically released as a Dolby Stereo Digital six-track discrete mix, has an enveloping surround and powerful bass extension down to 40 Hz! Fidelity is veiled and the frontal stereo spread is restricted overall. Dialogue, however, is always intelligible and extremely natural sounding. Elliot Goldenthal’s excellent score provides the essence of the surround envelopment, otherwise the sound field jump collapses to the front. A more imaginative mix, perhaps would have produced a much more spaciously defined sound field. Dynamics are limited when compared to the very best mixes. Nonetheless the soundtrack is effective in its support of the high energy action.
    (Surround Bass Below 50Hz):
    (Aggressive System Surround):
    (Intense 25Hz Bass):
    (Deep Bass Challenging):
    (Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
    (Holosonic Soundfield):
    (Aggressive Split Surround):
    (Center Back Surround Imaging):
    (Directionalized Dialogue):
    Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
    Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
    Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
    Superb Color Fidelity:
    Superb Cinematography:
    Reference LaserDisc:
    Collector Edition: