Escape from New York

Embassy Pictures | Release Date: July 10, 1981

7.6	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 84 Ratings

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ahmedaiman1999Jul 20, 2019

It's no secret that John Carpenter is the master of atmosphere. And here he's at the top of his game. He symbolizes the actual pulse of the viewer, as well as the characters' pulses in the film, through this simple, yet dramatic heartbeatIt's no secret that John Carpenter is the master of atmosphere. And here he's at the top of his game. He symbolizes the actual pulse of the viewer, as well as the characters' pulses in the film, through this simple, yet dramatic heartbeat pulse sound. The murky dystopian atmosphere that every single scene in the movie is drenched in is also quite convincing. This is probably would make many people angry, but I couldn't help but feel that this film might have an influence on Ridley Scott's masterpiece, Blade Runner!

Unfortunately, I was bored to death watching Escape from New York, for many reasons. First and foremost, the film is cheesy and slow-buring a the same time, and I just couldn't digest that. Hence, I found the movie very silly and slow-paced for its own good.

Secondly, all of the characters are extremely flat, including the bad-ass protagonist, Snake Plissken. Kurt Russell is not to blame, though. He's as cool as always. The rest of the cast also did a good job. I digged the characters of Maggie and Brain, though. I liked how untrustworthy and unreliable they are.

Thirdly, the plot is underdeveloped, unoriginal and stretched out. That made me feel that the film never ends despite its short runtime.

I know it's an unpopular opinion, and the fans may get so pissed off. But unlike all the other Caprenter films, I really didn't enjoy this at all.

(5/10)… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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imthenoobJun 16, 2020

I feel like this movie is more hyped up by the cult-like following it has rather than it actually being a good movie. The cast does a solid job but the plot is just too straightforward and too slow-paced for me to really get into.

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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DawdlingPoetNov 27, 2021

This is very much a 1980s film. It has the look and feel (plus the sound, I suppose) of a 1980s sci-fi film. I couldn't help but smile at some of the outdated technology shown in this film and I imagine for fans of it, there's quite a lot toThis is very much a 1980s film. It has the look and feel (plus the sound, I suppose) of a 1980s sci-fi film. I couldn't help but smile at some of the outdated technology shown in this film and I imagine for fans of it, there's quite a lot to be nostalgic about. I thought it was interesting that in the film, the main character goes into the World Trade Center to try and locate the president, having been involved in a crash nearby (thankfully the president wasn't killed in 9/11, obviously). I wonder how they managed to film it - large urban sets with a desolate backdrop. The sense of fear and distrust is fairly strong. It has quite an underworld type feel to it too. Yes its kind of cheesy but its an ok watch, especially/particularly if you like destruction and not full out explosive type destruction but things being smashed into other things type destruction. For me, this is ok but not an especially good film as such. I know its a bit of a cult hit - fair enough but I wouldn't outright recommend it as such, no.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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HellHoleHorrorApr 3, 2022

I enjoyed this serious film. It was not at all like the sequel which was really a campy version of this film but with a more detailed story. I absolutely loved the effects in this film. They were just these great real effects that had anI enjoyed this serious film. It was not at all like the sequel which was really a campy version of this film but with a more detailed story. I absolutely loved the effects in this film. They were just these great real effects that had an ingenious design and a complete lack of fake computer aided effects. There weren't many interesting characters in this except the exciting Snake. It was a good fantasy action film but sadly lacking the intensity of a bigger budget which they had to make up with talking. It was a very entertaining film but I would have liked to see a touch more action.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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royalguy07Aug 18, 2022

All time wonderful galaxy brain concept, Loomis as the president was hilarious and terribly miscast. Unfortunately the lighting in half the movie is so dull that it became pretty frustrating.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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