08-08-2020, 02:35 PM
Escape from L.A. (1996)
Although it's by no means bad, 'Escape from L.A.' is such a lackluster semi-remake of 1981's 'Escape from New York' that it's not one I've rushed to re-watch from John Carpenter's filmography. The early CGI ranges from iffy, to outright terrible, which is extra frustrating due to how great the practical FX and matte paintings look. Carpenter's score is fine but unmemorable, another one of his later efforts favouring twangy Western guitars, rather than synths. Unfortunately the script doesn't give Snake enough opportunity to be a badass, instead providing plenty of opportunities for him to look incompetent. The satirical elements have remained pretty strong and enduring, like the ultra right-wing nutjob President (with a bad bouffant comb-over) and the twisting of Los Angeles tropes, especially Bruce Campbell's demented plastic surgeon character. Guest stars Pam Grier and Steve Buscemi are great but Peter Fonda is really terrible. The ending moment is so cool, that it doesn't deserve the slightly embarrassing film that precedes it. Released a month after Sci-Fi blockbuster 'Independence Day' with it's huge scale and cutting edge FX (for not a huge amount more money), this felt so dated and still does.
The new Shout! Factory blu-ray comes with a pin sharp 1080p transfer of the 35mm theatrical trailer. It's frustrating to see how much better the film looks in the grainy high-contrast way it was meant to be seen and the CGI looks better integrated too. They've put it up on youtube too:
Although it's by no means bad, 'Escape from L.A.' is such a lackluster semi-remake of 1981's 'Escape from New York' that it's not one I've rushed to re-watch from John Carpenter's filmography. The early CGI ranges from iffy, to outright terrible, which is extra frustrating due to how great the practical FX and matte paintings look. Carpenter's score is fine but unmemorable, another one of his later efforts favouring twangy Western guitars, rather than synths. Unfortunately the script doesn't give Snake enough opportunity to be a badass, instead providing plenty of opportunities for him to look incompetent. The satirical elements have remained pretty strong and enduring, like the ultra right-wing nutjob President (with a bad bouffant comb-over) and the twisting of Los Angeles tropes, especially Bruce Campbell's demented plastic surgeon character. Guest stars Pam Grier and Steve Buscemi are great but Peter Fonda is really terrible. The ending moment is so cool, that it doesn't deserve the slightly embarrassing film that precedes it. Released a month after Sci-Fi blockbuster 'Independence Day' with it's huge scale and cutting edge FX (for not a huge amount more money), this felt so dated and still does.
The new Shout! Factory blu-ray comes with a pin sharp 1080p transfer of the 35mm theatrical trailer. It's frustrating to see how much better the film looks in the grainy high-contrast way it was meant to be seen and the CGI looks better integrated too. They've put it up on youtube too:
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