My interest in The Demolitionist was aroused on discovering that the UK BBFC had cut nearly four minutes from this film before granting its 18 certificate. What were the scenes that were too outrageous for British sensibilities? What were the cinematic threats to civilisation as we know it? In eager anticipation I pressed the 'Play' button.

Comparisons with Robocop are inevitable. Both films are about cops who die and are re-animated by the use of modern technology although Nicole Eggert's Alyssa Lloyd is kept going by regular doses of Prof. Jack Crowley's (Bruce Abbott) blood-substitute plasma. With her high-tech armour and armoury, she pursues Mad Dog Burne (Richard Grieco) and his criminal biker gang, engaging in the requisite shoot-outs and explosions. There is humour in this film but of the unintentional kind; her guns never run out of ammunition and despite the film being set in the future, the police cars look as if they came out of the 1950s.

I think that the BBFC cuts are as follows (but cannot confirm). There is a torture scene when Alyssa's cover is blown but it doesn't compare with Reservoir Dogs. Mention is made by one of the gang members about "ripping her tits off" but dubbing over this would solve that problem. A young girl is menaced by Mad Dog Burne in a bank raid but comes to no harm. I would guess that the cuts would be re-instated if the film was to be resubmitted but you can never tell with the BBFC.

This film was entertaining and fun but not a patch on the original Robocop. The acting by some of the cast was a bit over-the-top and the special effects left a lot to be desired. A few squirts of tomato ketchup would have been more convincing as blood than the red powder. Finally I disagree with the run time. The cover of my USA-R rated VHS says 100 minutes but the film actually runs for only 93 minutes. I give it 3 stars.

Granted, as I sat down in 2022 to watch the 1995 action sci-fi movie "The Demolitionist", I wasn't harboring much of any expectations to the movie. I remember watching it back in 1995 on VHS even, because my brother had purchased it, as he was a fan of the ladies from the "Baywatch" series. However, I have to admit that I couldn't remember anything from this movie, aside from it existing.

At first glance, then I feel that "The Demolitionist" from writers Brian DiMuccio, Anne Kurtzman, Robert Kurtzman and Dino Vindeni felt somewhat akin to the 1996 movie "Barb Wire", which also starred a former "Baywatch" star. But putting that aside, then I will say that "The Demolitionist" was watchable, albeit a rather cheesy and campy action sci-fi movie.

Perhaps the storyline was good back in 1995, but in 2022 it felt cheesy and campy, and not really a very well-thought through storyline and plot really. But hey, it makes for some brainless entertainment, and that counts for something.

While the storyline was mediocre, then I have to say that I found the cast list to be rather impressive. There were some very memorable 1990s performers popping up in this movie, with the likes of Nicole Eggert, Bruce Abbott, Peter Jason, Sarah Douglas, Heather Langenkamp, Richard Grieco, Jack Nance, Tom Savini, Nils Allen Stewart, Derek Mears, Greg Nicotero and Bruce Campbell himself.

The effects in the movie were actually fair enough. Not effects that have aged all that well, but they still are passable today.

"The Demolitionist" is probably a guilty pleasure for a great many viewers out there, probably former fans of "Baywatch".

Ultimately, then I am rating "The Demolitionist" a four out of ten stars.

In the future, Metro City is overrun by crime. While Mayor Grimsbaum (Tyrrell) attempts to make herself look good in the midst of this epidemic, most of said crime seems to be masterminded by the Burne Brothers, Mad Dog (Grieco) and Little Henry (Vasquez).

On the eve of their electric chair execution, Mad Dog escapes and reconnects with his old gang in the city. Undercover cop Alyssa Lloyd (Eggert) infiltrates Mad Dog's gang, but is recognized and then assaulted and left for dead. However, thanks to Professor Jack Crowley (Abbott), Alyssa is regenerated and then put into a nifty skintight black Kevlar suit. After singlehandedly lowering the Metro City crime rate, Alyssa Lloyd is rechristened "The Demolitionist". Though, to be fair, if you're looking for buildings to be demolished, Alyssa isn't really your gal. Anyway, the final battle between The Demolitionist and Mad Dog inevitably materializes...who will demolish who? Or...whom?

Starting with the obvious, The Demolitionist is a low-budget cross between Robocop (1987) and Darkman (1990). Or, more in our wheelhouse, it's better than Robo-C.H.I.C. (1990) but not as good as Cyclone (1987). We believe the Darkman comparison is especially apt, because director Kurtzman - an associate of Sam Raimi thanks to his being the "K" in the KNB EFX group and having worked with him in the past - really seems to be Raimi'ing himself in here. Perhaps the closest comparison, really, is to Raimi's short-lived M.A.N.T.I.S. TV series. The Demolitionist has a very similar plot to that, but instead of Carl Lumbly in the super-suit, it's Nicole Eggert.

Further comparisons could be made to Barb Wire (1996) and Point of No Return (1993), but that's just it: there's almost endless movies we could compare The Demolitionist to. Lack of originality in a comic-book movie like this isn't, alone, such a bad thing, but The Demolitionist is missing the wit and sense of pacing that a Raimi movie has. We have to wait a long time for her to really become "The Demolitionist".





On a more positive note, the idea of Nicole Eggert as a supersoldier who wants unending revenge on her enemies is a strong one. She walks away slowly from an explosion, which is good, and her Revenge Outfit is pretty cool, but are her guns so high-powered they cause a pinkish chalkdust to arise from her targets? What's that all about?

One of the best things about this movie is the cast. It's chock-full of B-movie names we all know and love, and there's even a cameo by, you guessed it, Bruce Campbell. As if the Raimi comparisons needed further enhancing. It would take too long to list everyone involved, but one Rosey Brown as Big Frank steals the movie despite his brief appearance.



As much as we enjoyed watching Nicole Eggert take on this type of role, we can't help but wonder what would have happened if PM made a movie like this and cast Cynthia Rothrock as the heroic avenger in the shiny black suit. We can only imagine the result would be stronger than this, because The Demolitionist has a junky look to it that does it no favors. It really shows what a low budget DTV product this truly was, but that should have been easily sidestepped by the cast and behind-the-scenes makeup dudes who masterminded this whole misadventure.

Featuring the end-credits song "Demolition" by Paul Blubaugh, sadly The Demolitionist will never boast an endless series of sequels, a TV show, a toy line, a comic book, and mass-market pop culture appeal. We assume that's what the filmmakers were going for, but it's missing a certain "it factor" that would cause it to be the latest superhero sensation. But, then again, not everything can be a Green Lantern (2011).