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Escape from L.A. More at IMDbPro »

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197 reviews in total

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39 out of 50 people found the following review useful:
Snake is Back, baby, 24 January 1999

Author: Shawn Watson (gator_macready@yahoo.com) from The Underverse

This movie is very unfairly under-rated. Just because when it came out America was in a feel good phase with the 1996 Olympics and the release of Independence Day. A lot of people have criticized the visual effects but the surfing scene ain't that bad and are far superior to that of the flames in the tunnel in ID4.

Kurt Russell is brilliant as Snake, his most iconic character and the whole movie is kind of lighthearted. The music especially. I have also never seen a film with an ending quite like this. Now for the announced Escape from Earth, it may not happen due to the dark nature of the series and studio reluctance to not do anything but kiddie crap, but it would be a wonderful finale.

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33 out of 45 people found the following review useful:
Entertaining Follow Up, 21 July 2004

Author: The_Void from Beverley Hills, England

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Escape from LA follows almost exactly the same plotline as Escape from New York; A city has become a colony for criminals, something gets lost in the city, the government don't have anyone but Snake Plissken that is able to get it back, so he goes in, has a few misadventures with the locals and eventually brings it back.

This film very much lacks in originality, mostly due to it completely ripping off its predecessor. In fact; it could be said that this film is a remake of the first. However, what it lacks in originality is made up for with a great cast of support characters, which includes Steve Buscemi, Pam Grier, Peter Fonda and a great little turn from the god of B-Movie, Bruce Campbell himself. Kurt Russell returns of course, as the film's anti-hero; Snake Plissken, complete with a very cool new look; courtesy of a long black leather coat and leather trousers. Kurt Russell's performance in this film is pretty much the same as in the first movie, whereby he is only required to look cool for the duration; and that is something he does well. The support characters, however, are this film's main asset. Obviously Kurt Russell is the star of the show, but it's the colourful characters around that really make the film interesting.

The effects in Escape From LA, considering it was made in 1996, are awful. Whether or not the effects are bad on purpose as a tribute Escape From New York, I don't know; but I really felt that they could have done more regarding the effects. Escape from LA is a very silly film that many people will find hard to take seriously, however if all you want is to enjoy yourself for 100 minutes or so, and not use your brain too much; Escape From LA is your movie. Originality aside, I would say that this film is on par with Escape From New York.

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73 out of 132 people found the following review useful:
THE BEST SATIRE ON America EVER FILMED BY AN American!!!, 18 January 2005

Author: Thespin from United States

I don't think there's a better movie describing today's atmosphere in America and you can easily forget Escape From New York cause its political themes are pretty much restrained. Also Escape From L.A. is kind of timeless in a way that it satirizes all what America is known for, from motorcycle gangs, hookers, Hollywood agents, face-lifts, politics, freedom, violence TO implied peculiar American (created) all movie genres (sci-fi, action, comedy, western) to movie characters (typical US movies bad guys/good guys), music (typical western score, typical US orchestrated score), dialogues, typical US action movie scenes and especially parodying Hollywood stupid copycat sequels. You can find so much about America through this film, you just have to know how to watch it.

Also i think the fact that the story of this film is only borrowed from EFNY is done partially on purpose because Russell & Carpenter wanted to do it with familiar story and highlight especially those aspects only characteristic to contemporary America and make fun of them. Carpenter did surely one of his best films ever that already no doubt surpassed his inferior classic Escape From New York. Gee what amazing piece of work Carpenter created do you even realize that? And personally i think Escape From L.A. over time will definitely gain well-deserved status as one of the greatest master-pieces in American movie history!

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53 out of 93 people found the following review useful:
greatest movie ever, 6 June 2004
Author: from NJ

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

When I saw escape from New York starring Kurt Russel I thought that they could never begin to make a better movie than what i had just seen. The amazing special effects were exhilarating and got my heart racing. When a friend told me about Escape From LA i was going crazy. I must have watched it 10 times in that one day and every time it got better. When Snake hits the three pointer hook shot from half court my jaw dropped. When he got shot in the leg, stood up, got on a surf board, road the tsunami, and jumped off the tsunami to catch someone, it was as if my life was complete. WELCOME TO THE HUMAN RACE was the perfect end to a perfect movie. Thank you Kurt, and everyone who was a part of insanely incredible movie.

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14 out of 18 people found the following review useful:
snake's back, 9 October 2004

Author: anandblr from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

SNAKE'S BACK!!!!! in the real world, its been almost a generation since snake got out of new york... but some things just don't change... snake's still the meanest baddest dude out there.

i don't know why this film was received as poorly as it was... because it is- quite simply- the greatest movie ever... there has never been any movie ever with so much attitude!

!!!SPOILERS!!!

firstly... if you've seen escape from new york, then you know what's going to happen in this movie... almost. ... but that's not the point... this movie is neither a rip-off nor a remake of the original movie... its just that snake's been updated for the 90's. the ending of the movie is a comment on the dependency on electronics that we are faced with. this movie is intelligence disguised in pure testosterone.

the most amazing thing about this movie is its attitude.... just watch the scene where snake has a gunfight with the bad guy's goons and see what i mean.

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27 out of 46 people found the following review useful:
a new word: SNAKE-TASTIC!!!!, 12 March 2003
Author: mrmikemaxfield (mrmikemaxfield@hotmail.com) from Hollywood, CALI.

this movie is fan-friggin-tastic!!! yet everyone in the world disliked it, and forced the movie industry to call it, "a bomb." do you even realize how much that sucks? this movie is so great. snake plissken is one of the COOLEST characters in film. he's one of those bad-ass guys, who can't lose. the movie is done in much more of a "comic-book" way than the first was. in fact, the first one is in more of a serious tone, whereas "L.A." is like reading a "Punisher" comic book. which this may be why a lot of people disliked this one. and now, we probably won't ever see an "Escape From Cleveland" or "Miami" or "Earth" or Escape From ANYTHING, because the industry called it a bomb, and therefore production companies wouldn't want to put money into another Snake installment. yet we are forced to see sequels to crap, like "Legally Blonde 2" or "Airbud: Golden Receiver." i mean come on, what is going on in this world o' film!!!!! (well actually, "Legally Blonde" wasn't all that bad, i just couldn't think of another bad movie that we are being forced to see a sequel to... hahaha) the point is: I WANT ANOTHER SNAKE PLISSKEN MOVIE!!!!!

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46 out of 84 people found the following review useful:
one of the most audacious films of the 90's, 27 August 2004

Author: chambara8112 from Europe

At first i love both Escape films but this film is the real proof what Carpenter movies are really about and that's the story. It reminds me the fact that those who constantly complains about EFLA didn't get even Escape From New York – this visual style, atmosphere and other great surrounding stuff, as everyone praising these days, doesn't make a good movie, it was, is and will be the story, and as for the richness of this Escape From L.A. is definitely far better including that it's the most personal Carpenter movie ever that is kind of philosophy on the freedom and also today's real problem in modern America. For these elements it‘s unforgettable and only waiting for its time to be reevaluated again.

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14 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
Less of a sequel; more of a remake, 20 January 2006

Author: imjudelaw from Canada

This movie is what would've happened if Carpenter had just left Escape from New York as a stand alone. It would've been remade into a hyped-up overkill Hollywood remake.

But instead, he did it himself. I love this movie, it doesn't take itself seriously like Escape from New York did. People who loved Snake's camp in New York will love this. People who loved Snake for his bad-ass charm and the creepy moments in New York wont be as pleased.

Snake's a regular action-here in LA. One-Liner's and angry sneers all the way. And the creepiness has been replaced with campiness... this is essentially a polished B-movie.

Gotta love the villains. With a main baddie who looks like Che Gueverra, where can you go wrong? Okay, so the rest of the characters are extremely ridiculous (Map to the Stars Eddie, Hershey Carmichael, Bruce Campbell as the Surgeon General) but who cares? This movie isn't meant to be serious. It's meant to be a ridiculous laugh-out loud film.

This film was just the tip of Carpenter's sarcastic action movies. Vampires and Ghosts of Mars followed.

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8 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Welcome To the Human Race, 16 July 2000

Author: Hassan (gabbarterror@yahoo.com) from Dubai, U.A.E

Escape from L.A has been classified by many people as being a low-budget and off-the-hook type of movie. Well, this is what I gotta say to those people; watch it again. The direction, cinematography, screenplay, and acting are not that bad. Can't low budget movies be good movies. What about Dark City? An interesting science fiction classified as "low-budget" and "okay" by many critics and people. What has happened to the movie lovers? Does the good always have to be perfect? Escape from L.A is a movie which does have a certain amount of symbolism in it; as far as I see it. And the ending can change much of the movie. Blade Runner and the Sixth Sense for example. Kurt Russell plays the main role of a courageous, clever, wise, and calm individual, Snake Plissken, also a well-known criminal. But its for you to decide in the movie; for who is the criminal and who is the hero, and it's a disgrace that its rated even below the half line.

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7 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
"Sounds familiar.", 5 August 2009

Author: Grann-Bach (Grann-Bach@jubii.dk) from Denmark

That sums up one of the most undeniable aspects about this flick: It is enormously reminiscent of the first. Whether or not that's a negative thing is up to the individual. It still holds great surprises, and is definitely a fun ride. There is more satire in this than the first. The tone of this is often overdone and campy, in stark contrast to how serious that of "New York" was, and there are those that will miss that. This is humorous, if a few gags and jokes fall flat. Everyone but Russell(who nails the part again) is newly cast, and the choices are all fitting. This has some rather memorable occurrences(a couple of them for sheer weirdness and imagination), and certainly puts several breathtaking visuals up on the screen. The effects vary, though there are excellent ones herein. Dialog has quotable lines, and is well-delivered. The music is cool. Cinematography and editing are marvelous. The acting holds good performances. While it does bear a striking resemblance to that of the original movie, the script of this is interesting, creative and well-done. It has a nice pace, and you gotta admit that it's packed with action. Each sequence is exciting and intense, and differs from the rest in some way. There is strong violence and language in this, as well as disturbing content. This is bigger than the '81 film. Unfortunately, it also cost a larger amount of money, and only made about half back. It's too bad that Carpenter's work has a tendency to not be appreciated by the masses(only the fans and/or cult following) when it is initially released. I recommend this to anyone who wishes to watch it, the two aforementioned groups in particular. 6/10

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