The first time I saw this I was appalled. My point of reference was the original. A few years later I re-watch with my standards lowered and I enjoyed it more. It's all relative really. It's not a great movie by any means and you can see Carpenter's decline taking effect. The movie is just a re-hash of the original but set to kitchy special effects and a more lighter fun tone. To be honest, the cartoon CGI, and silly things like surfing a wave, which bothered me the first time didn't this time. He obviously is going for a cheesy look and to a certain degree it works if you forget about the first movie. Some people will love the style, die hard original fans will hate it. It works on some levels but I just can't help preferring the dark, minimalist, sleazy, atmospheric menacing tone of the first. My main issue with this sequel on second viewing is the lightweight villain. It's just an actor in a Che Guevera costume with no real menace at all and therefore any tension and urgency is lacking. Th final scene is also a big set piece that looks more like a universal studios special effects and fire show than an actual place where a story is taking place. A fairly entertaining movie but a far cry of the original

Escape from L.A. (1996) American science fiction action film co-written, co-scored, and directed by John Carpenter, co-written and produced by Debra Hill and Kurt Russell, with Russell also starring as Snake Plissken. A sequel of Escape from New York, Escape from L.A. co-stars Steve Buscemi, Stacy Keach, Bruce Campbell, and Pam Grier.You may have escaped from New York, but this is L.A.A Classic Science Fiction/Action underrated film. A sequel 16 years after the original was released Kurt Russell proved that he can still act. And he Is still Snake Plissken. I know a lot of people hate this sequel to an original classic film Escape From New York (1981) even my friend does not like it. I love it, I thought is the last good action sequel that Kurt Russell did. Still predecessor Is far superior than this film but I still love it. Because of Kurt Russell and his performance, Stacy Keach Is also good in it. Snake on a surf board is awesome. Escape from L.A. is a bad ass underrated sequel. I love it and I don't care what anyone else is saying it. "Draw." His best line.After sixteen years, Snake Plissken is back. A long overdue vacation if you ask me.Escape from L.A. starts off with the new America. After a devastating earthquake, L.A. is now an island on the coast of America. After a new president takes over, L.A. becomes a deportation point to "take out the trash". However, after being apprehended, Snake is forced to go to L.A. The setup beforehand is nice. The interaction with Snake and the local authorities is good stuff. Snake has his mission. The look of the new L.A. is quite something. The land is destroyed, the chaos is frequent, and the locals are quite lethal and always watching their backs. Makes sense. This is not going to be easy.Kurt Russell is great as Snake. He admits that Snake is one of his favorite characters to play. He had fun here. The plot works. Would make perfect sense if this did happen. Cliff Robertson is cold and calculating as the president. The action is fun. The look of the movie is perfect. L.A. looked like a wasteland. Be on the lookout for an appearance by Bruce Campbell. He has a small, but memorable role here.The plot 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.Escape From L.A. isn't the greatest sequel ever made but it is my favorite follow up to a cult classic film Escape From New York (1981) but it is a still a good sequel cause the action scenes are kind of good. I love Action films and this is an Action film and I don't care about the haters of this film. In my opinion is the last good Action film from the 90's. So leave this film alone if you have high expectations. It is my second favorite and best film of Kurt Russell the first one will always be Escape From New York (1981). Escape From L.A. (1996) is very hated and underrated movie, Even my friend did not like this movie I always did and do and I have watch it when I was 13.years old. First I thought it was Escape From New York (1981) but I was surprised to learn that it was a sequel. I haven't saw both of the movies in years until a week a ago I got both of the movies on Blu-ray and after re watching Escape From L.A. (1996) I was stunned from action scenes and how the film was entertaining and fun to watch. The only thing I had the problem with the movie Is that It was a hoax's and he never was infected with deadly virus they screwed him over and that really angered me.Escape From L.A. (1996) is very good underrated hated film from the 90's. Even you can see Hollywood in flames in this movie the same scene was used in Demolition Man (1993) In the beginning of that movie. I like action movies from the 90's and I really like a lot Escape From L.A. (1996) not much as I Love Escape From New York (1981).8/10 Grade: B Paramount Pictures, Rysher Entertainment Starring: Kurt Russell, Steve Buscemi, Stacy Keach, Bruce Campbell, and Pam Grier. Producers: Debra Hill, Kurt Russell Screenplay: John Carpenter, Debra Hill and Kurt Russell Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 41 Mins. Budget: $50.000.000 Box Office: $25,477,365

Escape From L.A. (1996): Dir: John Carpenter / Cast: Kurt Russell, Stacey Keach, Peter Fonda, Cliff Robertson, Steve Buscemi: Crappy excess in filth that rehashes the superior Escape From New York. Here the future Los Angeles 2013 has been separated by an earthquake and anyone who breaks a moral law is sent there. The President sends Snake Plisskin to L.A. to find his daughter, kill her, and retrieve a satellite control box she had. He is injected with a virus, which is another dead steal from the first film. John Carpenter pretty much directs his worst film with this piece of garbage. This is from the same director who made one of the great horror films in Halloween. Kurt Russell reprises his role as Plisskin and appears to be more super human. Stacey Keach plays the stereotypical villain who attempts to render Christianity the bad guy. Peter Fonda has a useless role as a surfer as a bad send off to his Easy Rider performance. Also featured is Cliff Robertson in not one of his best moments. Steve Buscemi plays a character named Map Of The Stars Eddie. If that is the case then perhaps Buscemi should fire his agent. Escape From New York wasn't the best in terms of special effects but it had a genuine futuristic vision and intriguing characters. In this forgettable sequel the special effects are horrible within a film that belonged in a junk yard, preferably burned within a pile of every other existing copy. Score: 0 / 10

I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of Escape from New York. It has a ton of plot holes and none of the characters were all that likable. I usually like Kurt Russell's performances (he was quite good in The Thing, Executive Decision, and Tequila Sunrise) but I didn't really like his performance in EFNY. I thought he was trying too hard to talk and act like Clint Eastwood. But I decided to give Escape from L.A. a chance and I actually liked it quite a bit. And I kind of have gained a bit more respect for the original after watching EFLA. I think the original could have been like this if it had a larger budget. EFLA has basically the same story but its budget allowed it to be far more over the top. There definitely are plot holes in ESLA but I just didn't care.I really like how EFLA doesn't take itself seriously at all. There's this one scene where Snake Plissken surfs off a tsunami onto a car driven by this one guy played by Steve Buscemi. And Kurt Russell is far better here than in EFNY. You'd think a character who unhesitatingly sends the whole world back into the Dark Ages would be unlikable but Snake Plissken was actually a likable character.Some of the special effects are bad and the sets aren't the best. But the story just has a charm that is lacking in other films with far better visuals, like the insanely imbecilic 2009 Star Trek reboot (I really, really, really hate that movie). It's too bad Escape from Earth is probably not going to get made. I'd really like to see what happens to Snake after the events of this movie.