Genre: Science Fiction

from ahafilm.org

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Great genre-movie, a must see for fans
This was a real gem! A small movie that really made the most of its budget. It was a great thrill-ride and a lot of fun. I have to admit that the basic story is a total ROBOCOP rip-off, but still the movie knew exactly how to play the story and make it into something genuine and fun. There were a few scenes that were a dead-on copy of the original ROBOCOP and I would have rather see the makers give it an original twist, which they shamefully didn't. Nonetheless this is a great movie with tons of in-jokes and funny cameos. Especially Tom Savini and Bruce Campbell are absolutely brilliant. There is also a lot of sick twisted humor in the movie that gives it the stuff to be a cult movie. The best thing in the movie tough is Nicole Eggerd. She makes a much better super-hero than her Baywatch ex-costar Pamela Anderson did in Barb Wire. The biggest difference; Nicole can act! Next to that, this movie has the balls to be dark, in stead of sexy. Great directional debut by KNB-EFX-master Robert Kurtzman too! An absolute must see!!!

By Tall Man from the IMDB

To the list of failed cinematic action heroines like TANK GIRL (1994) and BARB WIRE (1996), now add THE DEMOLITIONIST, an ambitious but fatally derivative and tepid sci-fi thriller.
THE DEMOLITIONIST marks the directorial debut of Robert Kurtzman, who first conceived and was originally to helm 1996's FROM DUSK TILL DAWN. Unfortunately, the script by Brian DiMuccio and Dino Vindeni (from a story by Kurtzman and his wife Anne) amounts to a carbon copy of 1987's ROBOCOP, from its basic plot to individual scenes (Demo being blasted down by the cops she's supposedly in league with, a key villain's meltdown death, etc.). What DEMOLITIONIST lacks is its inspiration's satiric viewpoint, or enough of a budget to create any memorable action scenes.
Indeed, the film takes way too long to get to Demo's war on crime, frittering away nearly half its length on well-intentioned but ineffective character drama involving Alyssa's transformation and her relationship with Dr. Crowley. Genre fans will get a kick out of all the familiar faces in the supporting cast (Tyrrell, Tom Savini, Heather Langenkamp, Reggie Bannister, and an uncredited Bruce Campbell), but they're no substitute for the movie's lack of honest thrills or imagination. (Graphic violence, nudity, sexual situations, extreme profanity.)

From TV Guide

Overall, not a bad film but not that good either. Shades of Robocop here, a bit of Borg technology there, but I thought it failed to gel into an enjoyable whole. Richard Grieco was nasty, but not nasty enough. The mayor was a joke. The acting on the whole was below par. The heroine wiped out the bad guys too easily (doesn't she ever reload?). She should have at least been stabbed or shot a few times to show her super quick healing powers in action. No chance of that though with her armour. I guess given a low budget they didn't do too badly, but the outcome was merely average. Watch out for the grisly ending!

From the IMDB

 Robert Kurtzman is best known as the K in the KNB EFX Group makeup effects workshop, who of course have provided work for films `The Evil Dead' sequels, `Lord of Illusions' and `Spawn' to name but a handful. Kurtzman earlier provided the story for `From Dusk Till Dawn'. And with `The Demolitionist' Kurtzman joins an increasing number of makeup effects artists who have also branched out as directors (Kurtzman having since has gone on to direct `Wishmaster' (1997)). Although the sad truth is that the body of makeup effects artist-directed films - which so far include Stan Winston's `Pumpkinhead' aka `Vengenace: The Demon' (1987) and `Upworld' aka `A Gnome Gnamed Gnorm' (1991), Screaming Mad George's `The Guyver' (1991), James Cummins' `The Boneyard' (1991), John Carl Buechler with `Troll' (1986), `Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood' (1987) and sundry Charles Band productions, Chris Walas's `The Fly II' (1989) and `The Vagrant' (1992), Bob Keen's `Proteus' (1996) and Gary J. Tunnicliffe's `Within the Rock' (1996) - has failed to yet produce a single memorable or even worthwhile film. The most watchable to emerge has perhaps been Tom Savini's `Night of the Living Dead' remake (1990) but that was still a pallid shadow of its predecessor. One might think that when these creative talents get behind the camera they might be capable of producing some really way-out makeup effects that no other director has yet been capable of but even in their own specialist regard, these films remain remarkably routine.
And sadly `The Demolitionist' proves no different to any of these others. The plot has been shamelessly stolen from `RoboCop' (1987) - a frontline police officer is brutally killed by a gang then resurrected as a law enforcement cyborg where they must fight official interference/corruption to finally despatch the gang. Although as much as`RoboCop', `The Demolitionist' reminds of `Barb Wire' made the same year as this which likewise featured a `Baywatch' bimbo in a anarchic near future action setting. In both cases the films' seemed to have some sort of fetish with seeing their lead actresses' pneumatic bodies encased in black leather. Both `Barb Wire' and `The Demolitionist' want to be comic-books of films, although only really `Barb Wire' achieved this to any kind of absurdly unreal regard.
`The Demolitionist' has its odd moments - like one scene where Richard Grieco introduces his "negotiator" - a Doberman which spends the duration of the "negotiation" barking its head off at leash length from the cowering opposing party. But mostly the film is really bad. Some of the dialogue is appalling - a line like "After you're cooked, shall I serve you with potatoes or stuffing ?" falls utterly flat. Bruce Abbott introduces his resurrection device, "In the age of bio-molecular mechanics, this [chair] is God." Richard Grieco overacts badly in the villain part, although in the awful acting stakes has the honours stolen out from under him by Susan Tyrrell who gives the appearance that most days she turned up for shooting drunk. The film's low budget tends to get in the way of any effectiveness - the city of the future is represented by a single night skyline, and the action stunts look threadbare and cheap where they should have given the film a real kinetic charge.

By Richard Scheib

  Come On, now, people!!!
Look, this film is a SATIRE!!!!! Get It???? It's a CAMP FILM!!!! It was done *beautifully*! Nicole was GREAT, Great, Great, and so was the rest of the cast, especially the Mayor and her "accomplices. The whole feel of the film was exquisitely "dark" and "ominous", and is so effective. I have watched it several times, and i recommend all to view it again, in the light of a SATIRE. Then, you will really appreciate what this film accomplishes! And, enjoy the heck out of it!
BTW, it was originally supposed to be the 1st in a series, but unfortunately was insufficient in the box office to justify a sequel. That's a shame. Watch it again, you'll see, it's addictive!

By The Fool from the IMDB

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NICOLE'S LOOK: Good look for Nicole with short hair, unfortunately, her face is covered in most of the scene of the second half of the movie, my rating:

NICOLE'S NUMBER OF APPEARANCES: Nicole is, once more, the first leading role of the movie, we have to wait the five/ten first minutes to see her for the first time, but after she's present everytime, my rating:

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VIDEO: You can buy the american VHS tape at:

DVD DETAILS: no regional code
LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
SUBTITLE: no
SPECIAL FEATURES: Movie Factoids, The Making of Demolitionist
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VIDEO: Ce film est sorti directement en vidéo en France sous le même nom, Demolitionist, et avec la même couvertue que la couverture américaine. Il est relativement facile à trouver.
Vous pouvez l'acheter à:

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