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 Escape From L.A. 4K
                review by Bobby Blakey

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In 1981 director John Carpenter teamed up with Kurt Russell to bring the iconic character Snake Plisken to life in the film Escape From New York. For years there were talks of a sequel but it wasn’t until 1996 that the they teamed up once again for Escape From L.A. co-starring Stacy Keach, Steve Buscemi, Bruce Campbell, Peter Fonda, George Corraface, Cliff Robertson and Pam Grier. Now Paramount is giving the cult classic the 4K treatment for the first time. 

Escape From L.A. follows Snake Plissken who takes on Los Angeles after a 9.6 earthquake decimates the city. His job: wade through L.A.'s ruined landmarks to retrieve a doomsday device. Don't miss the excitement as Snake surfs Wilshire Blvd., shoots hoops at the Coliseum, dive bombs the Happy Kingdom theme park, and mixes it up with a wild assortment of friends and foes.

It’s been sometime since I revisited either film in this franchise so was excited to dive back in. I remember seeing this one in the theater and it not being well received, but I can’t lie I dig this flick. Sure I love the original, but it feels dated when you re-watch it and not near as exciting or action packed as I had remembered. This one offers up some ridiculous moments and not overly good CGI, but way more action and fun. While this one is campy at times it feels like there was an attempt to add more darkness to the film that just didn’t end up coming across.

I totally understand why people may not like this one and it for sure doesn’t offer up the iconic aspect of the original, but it is a damn fun film even with all its dumb moments. This new 4K release doesn't offer up any of the bonus features, but does bring it into glorious high definition so if you are a fan of the film its worth grabbing. 

Grab your copy of Escape From L.A. when it hits 4K for the first time ever on Febraury 22nd from Paramount Home Entertainment.

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