Snake Plissken is once again called in by the United States government to recover a potential doomsday device from Los Angeles, now an autonomous island where undesirables are deported.
In 1981, John Carpenter released “Escape from New York” and it became a worldwide hit. In 1983, it was released on home media and for those who missed its theatrical outing, they turned it into a cult classic by renting it over and over and over again. I know, I was one of those people, the VHS tape I rented regularly eventually wore out. In 1996, Carpenter, Russell, and Carpenter’s longtime producer and collaborator, Debra Hill, teamed up once more to deliver another Snake Plissken adventure, set sixteen years after the events of the first film.
After a huge earthquake struck the city of Los Angeles in 2000, separating it from Malibu to Anaheim, essentially turning it into an island, Snake Plissken, after having been arrested for committing a series of moral crimes, is forced by a theocratic president who has turned the United States into a totalitarian state, to sneak onto the island and retrieve a weapon. Upon returning safely with it, he will be given a full pardon. Plissken has heard all of this before and refuses but is told he has no choice as he has been infected with a man-made virus known as Plutoxin 7, which will kill him inside of ten hours without an antidote. With the clock ticking, Plissken suits up once more for a fight for his life and his freedom.
Technically, “Escape from L.A.” looks good, Carpenter manages to successfully recreate the post-apocalyptic dystopian ambiance he constructed for its predecessor and many of the action set-pieces play out well, with the exception of “that” terrible CGI tsunami scene (if you know you know), and even Russell slips back into his customary compression shirt, cargo pants, and black leather trench coat with ease. The issue that remains is that “Escape from L.A.” feels like a straight-up rehash of “Escape from New York,” beat for beat, storyline for storyline. We know from the very beginning that Snake will be forced into a mission he doesn’t want to partake in, will try to hate everyone he comes into contact with but will eventually allow his hardened heart to melt for at least one person, and will then accomplish the mission with just seconds to go. I would have had more respect for Carpenter and Russell had they at least tried to go in a completely different direction but with a title like “Escape from L.A.,” I guess there’s only so much Snake and co. can do.
For a long time, there was talk about “Escape from New York” being remade with Gerard Butler stepping into Snake’s sculpted spike-toed boots, and while I think Butler would be up for the challenge, I think the public’s interest has waned over the years. Considering that “Escape from L.A.” bombed at the box office, and a planned video game that was announced was then just as quickly canceled, it’s safe to assume that Snake won’t be stepping onto the big screen any time soon. Now our TV screens are a completely different situation but there is only so many “Escape from” titles that could be used before the public tires of the series, and the same duplicated narratives altogether. “Escape from L.A.” had the potential to be a great film, it’s just a pity Carpenter chose to try and replicate the success of his earlier work, instead of trying to surpass it.
Available on 4K Ultra HD February 22nd
