Escape from L.A. is fairly campy and ridiculous, which has its charms. However personally I found this much less than interesting than the first film, which was tighter and smarter. Escape from L.A. is basically the same movie as Escape from New York, but much dumber. There's also something less pleasing about a much larger, bigger-budgeted version of the same story. The cheaper, more grimy original had a bit more character. This one is filled with bad CGI and a less interesting visual texture. Carpenter's sturdy craftsmanship is still present, but it's much less effective. Thematically the film continues Carpenter's anti-authority streak, set in a theocratic, conservative US where the government rounds up and imprisons undesirables. The film's other antagonist is a Shining Path terrorist, which is a curiously specific reference. Escape from L.A. is okay I guess. It's satirical and occasionally fun. Yet it doesn't have much else going on and struggles to excite.

John Carpenter Ranked