The post-apocalyptic genre is just as full of misses as it is hits, but nobody can deny that John Carpenter’s Escape from New York is one of the undisputed greats. However, when the legendary filmmaker reunited with Kurt Russell to bring Snake Plissken back 15 years later for Escape from L.A., the results were nothing short of shambolic.
While the second installment has gained a reputation as a cult favorite over time, it was an unmitigated box office catastrophe that could only recoup a little over half of its $50 million budget from theaters. Meanwhile, reviews fell off a cliff, and it still holds the distinction of featuring some of the worst CGI you’re ever likely to see in a major Hollywood production.
New York is a certifiable classic that hasn’t lost any of its impact, whereas the best way to get the most out of L.A. is through an ironic lens tinged with nostalgia. Hammering that point home, a Reddit thread questioning why Snake’s sophomore outing gets so much hate has led to an outpouring of renewed negativity that covers everything from calling it “a trainwreck” to dubbing it as downright blasphemously bad compared to its illustrious predecessor.
The opener might be getting a fresh coat of paint after the team behind Scream VI dubbed their in-development retread a “requel,” but the smart money would be on the sequel remaining untouched regardless of how the next Escape from New York turns out, unless of course it embraces the silliness in a Scream-type way.
