Escape from L.A. (1996) Review

"Welcome to the Human Race."
-Snake Plissken


After an earthquake turns Los Angeles into an island, the President (Cliff Robertson) turns it into an exile for anyone he declares to be morally decadent.  After his daughter, Utopia (A. J. Langer), steals a super weapon and flees to Los Angeles, the President forces the recently captured Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) to enter Los Angeles to retrieve the weapon.


What Works:

I actually like the idea for how Los Angeles is used as a prison.  In the last movie, New York was a prison for criminals, but this time around the prison is for people who smoke, drink, eat red meat, and worship different religions.  Most of you reading this blog, and even myself, would be shipped off to Los Angeles.  That's an interesting twist, I only wish more was done with it.

At the beginning and end of the film, Snake spends a lot of time interacting with the President and the two people in charge of Los Angeles security.  They are played by Stacy Keach and Michelle Forbes. They, Robinson, and Russell are all talented actors and I really enjoyed their interactions.  

Finally, the ending of the movie is very satisfying.  Disgusted with society, Snake triggers the EMP and destroys all technological activity on the planet.  It's a great way to end the film and society deserves what it gets.


What Sucks:

This isn't really a sequel to Escape from New York, but a remake.  The problem is; it's worse in every way.  It doesn't do anything new or exciting.  It's basically just the same movie.  Why would I watch this when a better version already exists?

Everything that happens in L.A. is pretty boring and dull.  We've seen it all before and done better.  None of the new characters are very interesting.  None of them come close to some of the supporting characters in the first film.  

The CGI is frankly embarrassing.  It's some of the worst I've ever seen in a big budget movie.  Yes, I get that this was made in 1996, but do it practically instead!  This is simply ugly.

Finally, the basketball sequence, which was probably the most original sequence in the movie, kinda sucked.  It lacked any tension and it was shot in jarring slow-motion.  They could have done something much more exciting than Snake shooting baskets.


Verdict:

Escape from L.A. has a few moments, with a solid ending and talented actors, but it's a crappy remake of the first film with terrible CGI, uninteresting new characters, and stunning lack of originality.

 3/10: Really Bad 

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