54
Metascore
21 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertJohn Carpenter's Escape From L.A. is a go-for-broke action extravaganza that satirizes the genre at the same time it's exploiting it.
- 88San Francisco ChroniclePeter StackSan Francisco ChroniclePeter StackThe movie is so cleverly entrenched in its sardonic style that Russell's toughest act must have been keeping a straight face. Escape From L.A. is surprisingly effective in picturing a former nirvana clenched in the twisted rubble of its own excess.
- 70Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonCompared to Escape From New York, the weapons are bigger and the violence is more extensive, although it’s toned down by today’s excessive standards. There are also greater special effects this time, involving holograms and nuclear-powered submarines. But Escape From L.A. is more enjoyable in a playful way.
- 67Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovAustin ChronicleMarc SavlovLoud, rollicking, alternately ultra-violent and hilarious, Escape from L.A. is Snake redux, and what more do you need, really?
- 60The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayEscape From L.A. is a mild letdown. It repeats the basic plot of the original, with a lighter tone, cheaper-looking (yet actually more expensive) special effects, and a grunge soundtrack.
- 58Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanCarpenter never was the filmmaker his cult claimed him to be, but in Escape From L.A., he at least has the instinct to keep his hero moving, like some leather-biker Candide.
- 50TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineGood, dirty, escapist fun.
- 40EmpireKim NewmanEmpireKim NewmanA monumentally misconceived sequel, Escape from L. A. is the huge, shonky blemish on the magnificent history of John Carpenter and Kurt Russell.
- 40Time Out LondonTime Out LondonAfter 15 years of computer-generated effects, apocalyptic sci-fi and Arnie movies with flippant kiss-off lines, the sequel feels hackneyed and pointless.
- 40IGNIGNThere is a good story to further the violent adventures of Snake along; this is far from it. There are awesome, in-joke-with-your-friends guilty pleasures, and then there's Escape From L.A..