Just call me Snake ‘I thought you were dead’ Plissken is back on Blu-ray from the folks at Scream Factory in a two-disc collector’s edition that is sure to please any Carpenter fan. Read on to see what you are getting into with this awesome must buy of Escape from New York…
PRODUCT INFORMATION
DISCS: 2
RUN-TIME: 98 min
ASPECT RATIO: 2.35:1
RESOLUTION: 1080p
AUDIO: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0
LANGUAGE: English
SUBTITLES: English
REGION: A
RATING: R
PRODUCTION DATE: 1981
PLOT SUMMARY
“DARK AND DANGEROUS” – Newsweek
A thrilling landmark film that jolts along at a breakneck pace, Escape From New York leapt to cult status with high-octane action, edge-of-your-seat suspense and the mind-blowing vision of lone warrior Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) battling his way out of a post-apocalyptic Manhattan!
In a world ravaged by crime, the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a walled prison where brutal prisoners roam. But when the US president (Donald Pleasence) crash-lands inside, only one man can bring him back: notorious outlaw and former Special Forces war hero Snake Plissken (Russell). But time is short. In 24 hours, an explosive device implanted in his neck will end Snake’s mission – and his life – unless he succeeds!
MOVIE
Honestly, what can be said that hasn’t already been said about the wonderful, awesome and fantastic movie that is John Carpenter’s Escape from New York. It’s got a macho Kurt Russell channelling Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef getting up close and personal with Snake, Tom Atkins just being Atkins, Donald Pleasence in a blond wig, Isaac Hayes driving around in a car with a disco ball in it and finally Adrienne Barbeau’s boobs hanging out for all to see. It’s a classic action film and there ain’t nothing wrong with this movie.
Seriously, I can’t think of one negative thing to say about this fun piece of cinematic history. It’s full of action, awesome special effects and the acting from everyone is over the top and just plain fun. Kurt Russell obviously steals the show with his gruff, don’t give a damn performance as Snake Plissken and the intense, down to the wire ending gets me every time. Combine the acting and story with a wonderful soundtrack by Carpenter and Alan Howarth; you got a triple threat of brilliant bliss. I love this movie folks! Enough said.
BLU-RAY
Escape from New York was previously released on Blu-ray from MGM, but I don’t own that copy, so I can’t say for sure if the Scream Factory beats it. I will tell you the SF release is looking fantastic and I’m not noticing any issues popping up. Now, I’m not sitting up close to my screen with a magnifying glass, but with my bespectacled eyes, I’m thinking this disc is looking wonderful. It’s also sounding great with a choice of a two different audio options, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The 5.1 mix is a little lacking in the rear channels, but there are times where it does utilize them.
Scream Factory has also gone and put together a giant helping of special features. First, the main disc houses the movie and three commentaries. You’ll be days listening to all of those. Mind you, the only new commentary is the one with Adrienne Barbeau and Director of Photography Dean Cundey. The others are carry-overs from previous releases. The second disc is where the rest of the special features live and we got five new interviews to check out and a few old ones as well. The features aren’t overly long, but there is a lot of information to see and hear. I especially loved the new feature Big Challenges in Little Manhattan. The amount of time and effort that went into building that model New York was very impressive. Overall all, this is the definitive version to own on Blu-ray for sure. (Although you might want to hold on to the cool fold out DVD copy with the comic book if you have it.)
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- NEW 2K High Definition Scan Of The Inter-Positive, Struck From The Original Negative
- NEW Audio Commentary With Actress Adrienne Barbeau And Director Of Photography Dean Cundey
- Audio Commentary With Director John Carpenter And Actor Kurt Russell
- Audio Commentary With Producer Debra Hill And Production Designer Joe Alves
- NEW Big Challenges In Little Manhattan: The Visual Effects Of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK
- NEW Scoring The Escape: A Discussion With Composer Alan Howarth
- NEW On Set With John Carpenter: The Images Of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK With Photographer Kim Gottlieb-Walker
- NEW I Am Taylor: An Interview With Actor Joe Unger
- NEW My Night On The Set: An Interview With Filmmaker David DeCoteau
- Deleted Scene: The Original Opening Bank Robbery Sequence
- Return To Escape From New York Featurette
- Theatrical Trailers
- Photo Galleries – Behind-The-Scenes, Posters And Lobby Cards
VERDICT
I’m not going to waste anyone’s time here. This is a must buy from Scream Factory. It’s got a ton of special features and the video and audio are looking and sounding fantastic. The price is right and the quality is high. As for the movie? Uhh, it’s Kurt Russell as Snake ‘Freakin’ Plissken! What do you think!?! Pick it up today!
RATING
