Demolition Man story
John Spartan is a risk-taking police officer, who has a reputation for causing destruction while carrying out his work. After a failed attempt to rescue hostages from evil crime lord Simon Phoenix, they are both sentenced to be cryogenically frozen in 1996. Phoenix is thawed for a parole hearing in 2032, but escapes. Society has changed and all crime has seemingly been eliminated. Unable to deal with a criminal as dangerous as Phoenix, the authorities awaken Spartan to help capture him again. The story makes allusions to many other works including Aldous Huxley's 1932 dystopian novel Brave New World, and H. G. Wells's The Sleeper Awakes.
17 total · 2 choice · 4 major · 11 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| security vs. freedom | choice | San Angeles was made into an ultra-safe place to live by making illegal all types of behavior deemed immoral or unhealthy, such as smoking, cursing, and engaging in sexual intercourse the old fashioned way. |
| utopia | choice | Life in San Angeles of 2032 was peaceful and harmonious, and the people content. |
| law enforcement | major | The San Angeles police were trying to apprehend the psychopathic career criminal Simon Phoenix who was on the loose and wreaking havoc. |
| speculative city | major | The film is set in 2032 in San Angeles: a megalopolis formed from the merger of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Barbara. |
| the need for freedom | major | The Scraps preferred to live in underground ruins and keep their personal freedoms, rather than conform to the socially oppressive life on the surface in San Angeles. |
| what if I found myself in the future | major | Both Sergeant Spartan and Simon Phoenix woke up from cryogenic preservation 36 years in the future. |
| boredom | minor | Lieutenant Huxley felt bored in the crime-free San Angeles of 2032 and longed for the good old day of the late 20th century when crime was rampant. |
| cryogenic technology | minor | Both Sergeant Spartan and Simon Phoenix were sentenced to lengthy terms in a cryo-penitentiary for their respective roles in a hostage situation that ended badly. |
| facing a hostage situation | minor | Sergeant Spartan failed spectacularly in his bid to free a busload of hostages from the clutches of the psychopathic criminal Simon Phoenix. |
| mind altering technology | minor | The cryo-prisoners were implanted with career oriented skill knowledge that would help them transition back into society after release. Sergeant Spartan, for example, was surprised to find that he knew how to knit sweaters. |