Escape From L.A. [1996] [DVD]

The film is brilliant. The dvd quality is good enough. Brand new dvd. No complaints.

I love these old films I think studios are running out of ideas now.

The worse of the two Snake Plissken character movies, released in 1997, which has a huge feel and poorly failed attempt to reboot the 1981 'Escape from New York' classic story line.However strangely this 90's movie is not awful and is an entertaining watch, as the other movie was.So this movie is worth watch, or possible purchase, if you a Snake fan....

Gosh I love Kurt Russell as he is, but as Snake Plissken he is even more of a dish.The storyline though very futuristic, and kinda ewwie in some parts(wacky beverly hills surgeons*scary*lol) still very believable, loved the surfing hehe.Anyways this is a short review, but it is so because i have nothing bad to state, Ive watched this film over 30 times and still id go back for more, but then K.R. also is one of my two favourite actors.lol.The characters are awesomely chosen like in NY, Im really glad Kurt was Plissken again, as S.P. simply would not have been the same without him.The accent Kurt puts on is just sexy and nothing but.Kinda hate the fact the poor guy always gets to walk away with a terrible limp.Nice touch he sets out world electricity in the end, it summons his character up again from tearing the tape in Escape from NY to this, its the sort of thing Snake Plissken would do.*swoons* Truely wish S.P. was "real" lol, he is like the guy you have always desired or always wanted to be.

Summer 1996 really was NOT the right moment to bring back Snake Plissken. America was caught up in Olympic fever and was riding the mad, patriotic wave extremely high with the release of ID4 and other huge action hits such as Twister and Mission: Impossible. A sobering reality check of the grim, forthcoming future instigated by a hypocritical government with a cynical, outcast anti-hero was NOT what anyone wanted.I remember sitting in the foyer at the now-demolished ABC cinema in Edinburgh on September 21st 1996 (we had to wait a month after the US release) waiting for the screen to open. A couple of young women exited the previous screening loudly proclaiming "That was the worst film I have ever seen."Bad Boys II had not been made at this point.I don't think that Escape from LA is a bad film, but it is a failure on many levels, not the least of which are the shoddy CGI effects which look like they came from a mid-90s CD-ROM.Since the massive spike in crime in America in the late 1980s, and the subsequent transformation of Manhattan into a prison colony, the United States Police Force and their religious lunatic Head of State has slowly but surely erased all liberty from the American people, denying them the rights to swear, have sex, eat red meat, smoke, or drink alcohol (all for their own safety of course), while at the same time expanding their empire by pushing into foreign territories.Any of this sound familiar?In 2000 a massive earthquake strikes Los Angeles and the city is transformed into an island, declared no longer part of the United States, and becomes the new, west-coast prison colony. Whether you're a murderer or an atheist, you lose your citizenship and are dumped on LA Island. Unless you opt for a quick electrocution before deportation.It had been 15 years since his famous escape from the Big Apple, but Snake had remained a strong cult character and had a big following. This time he's dropped into the Big Orange in 2013 with the promise that if he retrieves a doomsday device he will be able to walk free."Freedom? In America?" asks Snake. "It died a long time ago."This was 1996!Carpenter and Russell could clearly see the dark path their country was heading down. If only they conveyed their ideas and satire in a more cohesive, intelligent fashion. Escape from LA has big ideas, huge ideas even, but a cheap 101 minutes is not the best way to fully explore and develop such satire. As with his previous movies, Carpenter's vision is epic, but the execution is implied. This may work with horror movies like Prince of Darkness but it fails here. It really, really fails.When Snake shuts down the Earth at the end of the movie do we see the effects of such devastation on the planet? Do we see highways and cities go dark, do we watch mankind revert to the stone age as the juice he has relied on to keep him warm runs dry? No. Instead we see a couple of lights go out in a drab police compound. Wow! That's so not freakin' exciting, Carpenter! So much potential, so much disappointment.At the very, very least it works as a trashy action movie but it should have been so much more.The 2.40:1 1080p picture doesn't exhibit the anamorphic Panavision photography so good. The Dolby TrueHD sound fares better. There are no extras other than a trailer.

John Carpenter and Kurt Russell team up again to tell another story about the crazy and daring exploits of "Snake Plissken", criminal renegade supreme. The story which is set in the near future is along similar lines as "Escape from New York" but is set on the West coast of America in Los Angeles instead. The plot is slightly different to the first film and can be considered formulaic by nature but is no less enjoyable. The costumes and sets are very good and make the dystopian feel of future L.A. completely believable and engrossing to experience. This film is a Sci-fi romp with a little gore and black humour thrown in for good measure, as only John Carpenter can deliver it. If you love John Carpenters other films then chances are that you will love this one too. If you haven't seen any of John Carpenter's films then this film is a great introduction to crazy world of John Carpenter's mind and it will bring you many hours of enjoyment. I you loved "Mad Max" then this is right up your street!

Yet again another cool action sci-fi from the master of genre movies John Carpenter, although its not quite as good as the original its still allot of fun and certainly still stands up as a cult classic sequel, the story is pretty much the same as before accept its L.A that's now also been sectioned off and the whole island is now a prison, the presidents daughter with the black box has fallen into terrorist hands within the walls of L.A and only one man can save the day, Snake is captured once again and promised a full pardon for the bad things he's been doing between movies, this time around there's plenty more action and shootouts and going underwater, flying, and lots of crazy effects, some of the effects are a tad cheesy but its the mid 90's and they still look cool, the cast has a few more famous faces this time with Steve Buscemi, Valeria Golino, Pam Grier, Bruce Campbell. if your a fan of the original then certainly pick it up.Blu-ray picture looks great in HD (USA import)Features are a little lacking there is only a trailer,Region Free plays in the UK, 100-mins, 1996.