John Carpenter's Escape From L.A.

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J H There are some good performances, but the script is essentially just a rehash of the original. The budget was reportedly $50 million; the money is definitely not on the screen. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 04/24/25 Full Review Adam S Ups the world -building and satire from the first film, but lacks in grit and authenticity, giving it a bit more of a cheesy feel. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 04/16/25 Full Review Jacob B Escape from LA isn't that bad. It does rehash the plot of its predecessor with a more conventionally Hollywood look and feel but I'd argue it's closer to Evil Dead 2 in that regard than Hangover 2. It also suffers from issues like some really obvious and very outdated CGI, heavy-handed satire and, while certainly more actionised than Escape from New York, isn't exactly as action-heavy as that film or even to the extent the trailer suggested. What still makes the film watchable despite these shortcomings are Kurt Russell's performance, the side characters are still enjoyable (never thought you'd see Steve Buscemi get to have his big action hero moment, did you?) and scenes that would sound ludicrous on paper such as Snake Plissken taking up surfing are directed in such a way that they still manage to make him look badass. And last but not least, the ending. No spoilers but it's certainly a ballsy choice and the lack of a third film makes it stick out all the more since, as far as we know, the world of John Carpenter's Escape is still like this. And since there WERE plans for a third film, it's pretty obvious that this wasn't supposed to be an attempt to deliberately kill the franchise like that Planet of the Apes sequel from 1970. The film entertained a risky idea...and stuck to its guns. And that's why, while these movies aren't my favourites from John Carpenter's filmography, I think Escape from L.A. is a decent sequel, even if it lacks the "impressive vision for a small budget" charm, for lack of a better term, of NY. Still wish this film could've gone easy on the CGI. This came out the same year as Independence Day, you know. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/05/25 Full Review Brad S. R A pale imitation of its predecessor and a generally wasted opportunity. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/12/25 Full Review Richard L As a weird semi-reboot, Escape from LA doesn't have the same 'visionary' feel of NY, and unfortunately Carpenter hasn't suddenly become a better director (or screenwriter) in the mean time, but LA turns the 'cool(?)' up to 11 and that alone, combined with the higher production values and slightly more likable characters, makes it a real joy to watch. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/12/24 Full Review alan g Looks like any major American city today. Freaks weirdos and criminals. Carpenter was prescient. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 10/03/24 Full Review Read all reviews

John Carpenter's Escape From L.A.

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