Back in 2011 I had watched Escape From New York which was a classic movie from 1981. It was set as a thrilling tale of an anti-hero’s quest to save the President of the United States in New York City which had been turned into a mega-prison. I loved it, but I waited a good bit to the see this sequel that was made 15 years later.

Escape From L.A. takes place many years after the events in New York. In the year 2000, a huge earthquake hits California and Los Angeles drifts off the mainland and becomes an nearby island. During that year a Christian theocrat is elected president and soon given a life-term and unlimited power thanks to an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. America soon becomes purged of all people deemed unworthy by the President to Los Angeles which has become a super-prison.

Then in 2013, Snake Plissken is easily convicted of violating many of the “moral” laws set forth by the new government and is up for deportation to L.A. But before he is sent there, the President himself offers him a full-pardon if he can complete an important mission. The president’s daughter had been brain-washed into giving a Peruvian Revolutionary a device that could change the lives of every person on the planet. With little options Snake agrees, and sets out to enter and escape from L.A.

The story-line may be a lot of deja-vu from the original film, but I found it hard to hate Escape from L.A. Snake is still pretty cool and there is never a dull moment. The plot sometimes doesn’t take itself seriously and there are a few bizarre moments but I loved every second. The first film was a masterpiece, and while the sequel may not be as awesome I didn’t feel very disappointed.