Why You've Been Wrong About Escape From L.A. All Along

Is Escape from L.A. secretly the coolest John Carpenter movie?
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[@Yezhanium]

From the review of Escape from L.A. by Razorfist: "Escape from L.A. is one of the most underrated, unjustly reviled and mythologically misunderstood action films in the history of this blue cerullian orb. F**k "Kung Fury", because "Blood Dragon: The Movie" already been made folks and it's name is Escape From L.A., having the misfortune of coming out in 19-goddamn-96, and nobody at the time understood what it truly was. Not a chronological sequel, not a dark cyberpunk epic. But one of the finest examples of simultaneous parody and celebration of the action genre as a whole."

[@mikes2622]

I loved Big Trouble in Little China as a kid (still do) before i even knew who John Carpenter was. I saw Escape from LA first and didn't even know it was a sequel at the time.

[@fyreleomh1896]

Same here. I didn't see Escape from NY until 2 yrs later.

[@stephenscuba6284]

Found out who he was because he made all the movies I loved as a kid

[@everlenaoliver6912]

Finally! I'm not the only one who noticed that Escape From L.A was a very underrated gem. 😁👏

[@prole2554]

LOVED "Big Trouble in Little China". Watched it many times.

[@ElliottNest41]

I liked both Escape movies and wish there had been more Snake Plissken movies. Far better than Rambo.

[@fyreleomh1896]

@@ElliottNest41 NY was so dark and gritty. I used to wish he made LA the same way but then I thought about it and NY and LA are 2 very different vibes he had to make it that way.

[@Dizzy-lane]

I wish we got more escape movies too. Snake Plissken is awesome and Kurt Russell is a great actor

[@Vex8ion-1]

Don't worry, we will get a remake soon enough. Complete with "modern themes"...

[@fyreleomh1896]

@@Vex8ion-1 By Who???

[@model84]

would love too, but remember what he did in Escape from LA?:)

[@WhichSpringfieldAmThis]

Into the mouth of madness is a phenominal mind trip.

[@fyreleomh1896]

@@WhichSpringfieldAmThis That movie is a classic masterpiece

[@harryrodd4383]

It was a fun movie and had such a dark ending. Love this film.

[@Deuteromis]

Kurt Russell made every single one of those shots, especially the final one. And also Ghost of Mars was supposed to originally be about Snake going to Mars.

[@spitflamez]

What?? That was a good one too!😊

[@johnf5194]

That’s not true. The next one was called Escape from Earth.

[@michikoclark8602]

Saw Escape from LA at the cinema when it came out and I loved it. Don't care what anyone says about JC's 'bad' films - they are all great in their own way. EfLA is very entertaining and humorous and Pam Grier - what more could you want!!!!

[@lutherheggs451]

the biggest problem with it is that its literally just the first movie all over again but in LA instead of NY. I don't even mind that god awful poop looking CGI surfing scene, its only 30 seconds long. Its hilarious though that they actually tried to talk Disney into letting them film the finale at Disneyland

[@jaywishmaster1984]

I saw this at the theatre with my dad and brothers, we all loved it. I still love it.

[@lostinthemasses]

The makeup they put on Bruce Campbell makes him look like Jello Biafra and I want to believe that was intentional.

[@bozodeathgod]

Man, I knew he reminded me of somebody, good eye.

[@derfox777]

God, now that I've seen it, I hope so. Thank you for that.

[@cane6074]

I didn't know it was Bruce until years later!

[@TheNaturalPatHarris]

I haven’t been wrong, Escape from L.A. has ALWAYS been awesome 😊

[@DavidBrown-ke8cb]

No, you are wrong. It's trash.

[@IHRZGHKIP]

I love this movie. It's got a lot more going on than most people give it credit for. "Big Trouble In Little China" is my favorite movie of all time. It is unlike anything else I've ever seen and is the one movie I can rewatch again and again and be entertained by every time.

[@jcbvortex22]

John Carpenter is one of my favorite directors, but also a multitalented man because he’s written so many soundtracks and perform them!

[@lowkeykarnak]

I don't think Carpenter has done a single film that I didn't thoroughly enjoy on some level. This is actually one of my favorites of his, along with NY, and I probably prefer this one slightly more.

[@patrickmarshall6188]

Big Trouble In Little China is awesome and John carpenter's Vampires is criminally underrated

[@sandmanlogan5ran149]

This movie is totally watchable and it stays true to the character.. but it basically just replaces the NYC tropes with LA tropes and the characters from this movie are just parallel to the characters from the first movie.I also thought infecting Snake with a virus to compel his cooperation ( also derivative) was silly as making him ill compromised his chances of accomplishing the mission.

[@vincevvn]

It blew my mind in mgs2 when I realized he calls himself snake plisken as a nod to this movie.

[@bufordhighwater9872]

Solid Snake calls himself Iroquois Plissken, not Snake Plissken. The character of Solid Snake has always been an homage to Snake Plissken, all the way back to Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2.

[@Ducky2317]

John Carpenter is my King!! I love so many of his films!!!

[@leehervey]

Both escape films are awesome. What an era of movie making and Kurt Russell.

[@spitflamez]

THEY LIVE is one of his best 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@adambradburn101]

I love Escape from LA. I just recently watch Big Trouble in little China and love it too

[@elkor420]

I, personally, have not been wrong about this awesome movie. I used to work in movie theatres as a younger man and I was a projectionist when this movie came out. I remember putting the movie together early just so I could have a private screening with friends. Snake is one of my all time favorite badasses.

[@bufordhighwater9872]

I want to see a prequel with Russell's son as a two-eyed Snake Plissken called Escape from Detroit.

[@Shalanaya]

This is by far Carpenter's greatest film, his magnum opus of mastery of the craft.

[@qthesorrow7899]

Lies! I've always enjoyed this movie.

[@moshecallen]

I've loved Memoirs of an Invisible Man since it came out in theaters, where I first saw it.

[@lisamarie_1987]

we won tickets to the premiere in hollywood from KROQ. they rode up on motorcycles and that was epic. the film is campy.

[@zuembekinder]

Always liked escape from LA . I always wanted to see more adventures of Snake

[@theSnakeDoctor]

I grew up watching Carpenter, absolute legend!

[@chadroberts2814]

Definitely underrated, but I see why bc of some of the campiness that broke people out of the immersion. Don't forget the movie Soldier, where Kurt Russell was incredible in.

[@benpowersguitar]

Other than some bad effects in one or two spots, it's great. I love this film. I saw Big Trouble in Little China in the theater. Still a favorite.

[@bono2406]

I saw Escape from LA in the cinema as a teenager and I was 100% sold on it from the get go. Absolute classic, a little daggy in places but soooooo good and Snake is the MAN! Halloween in my favourite horror film of all time and Carpenter is a genius in my mind, are there some meh films? Yeah, but have you seen Attack of the bloody Clones? Talk about middling...

[@derfox777]

I love both the Escape movies. They are campy and a little weird, but they both play so well. I enjoy NY better than LA, but I won't turn it off, if it is on. My favorite Carpenter movie will always be The Thing. Nothing will top that.

[@rickdiggler9680]

The thing is the goat

[@AaronSarlo]

File under: I’ve been saying this exact thing for decades. L.A. is a ton of fun, and the shoddy CGI is - imho - a feature not a bug. It was making fun of Universal Theme Parks, which I remember being described as artificial and awful. So, I felt like, at the time of release, the CGI was hilarious. 🎉

[@mychunkyjordi7585]

Love this film, it's hilarious especially the surfing scene and I love carpenter. Big trouble is great and I really enjoyed ghosts of mars. Not everyone is wrong about this film most people I talk to love it 👍😊🐾💜

[@ChrissPagani]

Escape from LA is a personal favorite. I first saw it in its original release in a King of Prussia theater with a few people. Most of us loved it but devotees of Escape from NY seemed crestfallen.

[@The_Void_]

John Carpenter is still my favorite director of all time. Hopefully we see another director like this in the future.

[@martinbrown2268]

Fuc*ing EPIC ending! And Pam Grier deserves a mention.

[@NorthernTorch]

I love all of Carpenter's movies. He is related to my best friend and was born in the same town I was!

[@3030Deltron]

I say Wyatt continues the legacy of Snake Blisken

[@hawkeyestegosaurus5680]

I actually love E.A. and Big Trouble, those are some of my favorite films

[@AndreasJohansson-xw7we]

I just released "Escape Artists Vol. 2: Escape From L.A. Interviews" featuring over 60 interviews with cast and crew if anyone is interested. Very nice to see more people understanding and appreciating this movie by the way! Kudos!

[@scloftin8861]

I love this movie, along with the preceding one and Big Trouble in Little China ...I haven't seen a lot of the others, but I really enjoy these three. Kurt Russell really came into his own as an actor with EfNY, EfLA is just icing on that cake.

[@KaiCrafted]

Super Mario Bros movie! the very moment you let go of connecting it to the game it becomes a wildly fun ride

[@jyveturkey1894]

I saw this in the theater and fucking loved it then! This is an awesome movie.

[@jamesgwoodwork]

Don't forget Captain Ron: the most quotable Kurt Russell movie of all time.

[@knickydymondz33]

You should do a video on John Carpenter's Vampires. I think it's another very underrated film.

[@benrent6625]

They Live is an underrated classic that many people sleep on

[@FrunkAsADuck]

"Under appreciated" and Carpenter do not go in the same sentence. There are countless documentaries and directors and screenwriters who have all expressed what tremendous work he has done.

[@Soda_and_me]

this is now a reality everyone wants to escape LA and NYC

[@stefanpp1155]

It's funny cuz Bruce Campbell in his role as a plastic surgeon looks A LOT like Matt Gaetz here, lol

[@SmashBrosAssemble]

It’s very much a Home Alone 2 situation, they just remade the first film, because of that it’s a good film, it’s just pretty inferior to the first film.

[@SolCresta3405]

Same thing with Rambo IV, which borrows a lot from Rambo III. And Top Gun: Maverick, which borrows a lot from the original, except it was a very good sequel unlike others.

[@IceWolfLoki]

James Cameron did the same with his Terminator movies - T2 is just a more polished version of the Terminator.

[@vladobuster3281]

Escape from NY is better, but LA got best soundtrack you can get. BTW LA is for me guilty pleasure.

[@neiladams3042]

Come for the excellent commentary, stay for Ewan's jumper selection ✌

[@vashani]

Don't sleep on Body Bags. Carpenter takes on the role of the horror host for a mixed bag anthology. It's a lot of fun.

[@gabriellaskey6798]

I always thought the effects in LA was meant to feel like a comic book.

[@ElliottNest41]

@@gabriellaskey6798 I thought the same thing.

[@derrickholm]

Funny story I didn't know this was a sequel when I was a kid but watch this movie alot.

[@davidalan528]

Yet again, Ewan illuminating a gem of my youth my friends mocked me for liking.

[@vampiro-teatronocturno]

"Welcome to the human race" as it faded to black... BEST movie ending EVER...

[@brianonley]

Michelle Forbes was in "L.A." who went on to BSG as Admiral Cain, which was a great role and story as well. Not to mention Steve Buscemi who just came off Desperado & Fargo. All good :)

[@mikegallagher8131]

John Carpenter's films are entertaining. He had his own style for Sci-Fi and horror. I don't care if critics didn't like his films. He had his fun with "They Live" with that. Too bad that Snake didn't make it to Mars.

[@shallendor]

Prince of Darkness is my favorite John Carpenter film! In the mouth of madness was his last really good movie!

[@JOECURR1488]

IN CASE YOURE WONDERING... SNAKE PLISKEN WAS SENT TO A KEKISTANI PRISON WHERE HE PASSED AT THE AGE OF 83. THERE WAS NO ESCAPE.

[@Pucknuckle]

Escape From LA is disregarded? It's probably my favourite John Carpenter film...

[@michaelrue1400]

Big fan of Big Trouble in Little China, Vampire$ (as the book title is appropriately spelled), and Memoirs of an Invisible Man. Never thought Escape From L. A. was a departure from its original, rather very much the same. Enjoyed both, but maybe not as much as the others mentioned.

[@cesarmedina7080]

Vampires is underrated in my opinion. Its not great but its good, much more entertaining than i thought it was gonna be.

[@jameskiely2788]

Outside of Ghosts of Mars i don't think I ever didn't enjoy a Carpenter movie. For a long time the two escape movies and Big Trouble were a holy trinity of a kind for action. (I was still scared of the Thing to complete Russel's work) I always wanted a part 3 to escape... maybe just called Escape where the aftermath of LA is gone into.

[@1400IntruderVS]

Bombed movie I love ; Hudson Hawk. You either get itoryou don't.

[@jotaferreira4848]

I've never been wrong about it. Love the movie since the first time I saw it

[@lutherheggs451]

Its biggest problem is its almost EXACTLY the same story all over again but in LA instead of NY with small changes

[@PoliteWerewolf]

I like Escape from LA. The only thing I'd change is that, instead of LA being another prison like NY, I'd make it a live reality show. It makes sense based on its setting, with Hollywood's link to entertainment. The entire island could be covered in thousands of cameras that broadcast to the mainland. And Snake's adventures through LA could cause the show's ratings to rise and inspire people to revolt against the President's regime.

[@razieltalos]

This movie is better than it gets credit for, which sadly happened too much with Carpenters work. Also, I wouldn't exactly question Van Cleefs earring while wearing that sweater.

[@TheRealCoolDude1989-nt5ed]

Also the ending of "Escape from L.A. " rocks ! Cause the Escape from movies , are not happy ending movies .Where everyone wins in the end ! Nope kinda pushing out a story , with some badass action in it . And I remember watching with some buds , in the late nineties on video .Well their biggest complaint was the CGI Choppers used by Federal Police force ,which did not see as that big of deal . Since the rest of the movie was pretty sweet .

[@GarthShaner]

Would love to see a defense of Hudson Hawk! I love that movie for its absurdity and sheer fun! And what a cast! I double-dog dare you!

[@amstel5468]

In the mouth of madness is a fricken masterpiece.. 🤌

[@plaztik767]

The sewer surfing scene is ridiculous. and really makes the movie quite campy totally kills the tone

[@VitaEx]

It definitely feels very shadowing or cyberpunk style grit and humour

[@bogdawson2323]

LA was a little goofy for my taste, but how could it had been any different? It's LA, and John was spot on! And that is why he is the goat!

[@aliejosephvalente]

The CGI Shark was Bruce (Jaws) from the ride!

[@leechang6896]

"They Live" is the best movie

[@thechicagobox]

Kurt Russell is an American treasure

[@cane6074]

One of the most '90s action movies ever made! And one of the biggest acts of defiant f*** you at the end of the movie, which was awesome!

[@W9HJBill]

I'm a John Carpenter fanatic, but honestly, Escape from LA is one of his worst films. Sorry. The CGI was HORRIBLE ... the surfing, gliders, and subs were so, SO, bad.

[@smalls-ii1zd]

Hudson Hawk is one of the funniest Bruce Willis movies no one has seen

[@fabianmorales4203]

Evolution. Funny and is always mistaken for a ghostbusters clone. If they had watched it they would realize how wrong that is. Funny flick. Ivan reitman. Hence the comparison.

[@alswearengine4867]

Escape From LA rules! Older Snake rules!

[@davidcraig8805]

i wish they wouldnt have left it too long between efny and this, and i wish john would have done a sequel to the thing

[@SuperMoshady]

I really like this movie. Underrated

[@GlenLentz]

That was a good essay but there were like 10 ads in this video man, come on. I was almost ready to click off of it

[@JoshLeal-m9s]

Lifetime fan of John Carpenter... Escape from LA definitely has the best film ending of all time!😂

[@chaos120m]

In the mouth of madness was brilliant

[@sirpunkalot7135]

Love kirk work🤙

[@ZetaOmega1456Gamma]

honestly I would have loved more of this, but it is all up to Carpernter tbh

[@lucaskobain]

Snake didn't just "disabled electronic devices" as in no more cell phones and video games and hairdryers. He EMP'ed the whole world - which includes airplanes, elevators, medical devices, etc. He is directly responsible for the death of millions. That's some supervillain shit. Even worse than Thanos.

[@Shalanaya]

Snake was designed as an anti-hero and sociopath, literally described that way in the script. Protagonists do not have to be purely good or purely bad. Free yoruself frim dualistic thinking and you start to understand humans are far more complex.

[@lucaskobain]

@@Shalanaya thanks for you condescending words, doc. I wonder how you reached the conclusion that I don't see things in the grey spectrum. Snake is a mass murderer. I like anti heroes, Snake is a supervillain (he was likable until that point, but every analysis of the movie forgers the EMP detail).

[@vampricramen]

I went as Snake Plisken for Halloween last year. Controversial opinion: Escape from LA is in my top five Carpenter films, but Halloween isn't.

[@krishuffaker4517]

Love both of these movies. The campy is with them. No, there not your big action blockbuster of quality. More like just awesome popcorn movies. You can just sit and have a fun watch, no big brain thinking necessary.

[@DigiDjinn]

In the mouth of madness, event horizon & Lost highway are my top 3 mind twist films. Would you be able to cover Lost highway?

[@ashroskell]

Ernest Borgnine was never called, “Ernst.” Was that just a mispronunciation by accident? It undermines the sense of your knowledgeability.

[@guardsmanom134]

Dumb question... What is with the Crash Bandicoot theme music in the background? 😂😂😂