Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Escape Plan 2: Hades Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 18, 2020

The original Escape Plan may have been an agreeable enough “popcorn flick”, even if not an unabashed classic, but when a studio is looking at a $137 million dollar box office take on a budget a little bit more than one third of that figure, it’s not hard to figure out what’s coming next: another agreeable enough “popcorn flick”, albeit this time one consigned to a direct to video release regimen. It’s notable that Lionsgate was evidently never really interested in “officially” promoting Escape Plan 2: Hades, at least in my own personal experience, with this particular reviewer never receiving one word of PR hype about it, let alone a review disc provided by the label. That may indicate as well as anything that those associated with Escape Plan 2: Hades knew they had a project that would probably connect with enough fans of the first film that they didn’t need to worry about any perceived critical take on the proceedings. What some of those nasty critics may have pointed out is the fact that, while top billed, Sylvester Stallone (reprising his role as security expert Ray Breslin) is largely shunted to the sidelines in this follow up, leaving a lot of the heavy lifting (and/or butt kicking) to other, younger, types.

As my colleague Brian Orndorf pointed out in his review of Escape Plan 2: Hades during its brief (largely overseas) theatrical exhibition, the original Escape Plan’s success in the Chinese market in particular may account for the fact that one of those younger types assuming the center stage spotlight from Stallone is Huang Xiaoming as Shu Ren, an acolyte of Ray’s who of course ends up getting into a predicament from which he needs help to escape. There’s an obviously much smaller budget being utilized for this effort, with at times fairly minimal production design. That said, for those who want lots of hand to hand combat, Escape Plan 2: Hades at least attempts to deliver some regular adrenaline rushes with just that activity.

Escape Plan 2: Hades Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Escape Plan 2: Hades is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb lists various Arri Alexa models as having captured the imagery, with a 2K DI. As can probably be gleaned from several of the screenshots accompanying this review, this is a presentation bathed in blue and green tones, and some of the more aggressive grading and/or lighting choices can mean fine detail levels can ebb and flow, at times rather noticeably. The bulk of the interior prison sequences tends to play out in shadows anyway, though a prevalence of close-ups probably helps to mitigate things, and fine detail is at least reasonably intact throughout. A couple of scenes featuring Stallone are graded more toward yellow, which helps to elevate detail levels, though it appears that Sly may have been shot in soft focus some of the time.

Escape Plan 2: Hades Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Escape Plan 2: Hades features an intermittently effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The kind of weirdly echo-y confines of the prison are well rendered on this track, with some good discrete channelization of individual effects like clanging doors or the whir of machinery. Dialogue is cleanly presented throughout. There are occasional bursts of LFE, and decent surround activity with regard to ambient environmental effects, but the sound design here may be another example of this entry's less than fulsome budget.

Escape Plan 2: Hades Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making Escape Plan 2: Hades (1080p; 9:57) is more standard issue EPK fare, with some brief interviews, clips from the film and behind the scenes footage.


• Creating the Look of Escape Plan 2: Hades (1080p; 3:32) addresses the film's production design and general aesthetic.


• Building the Robot of Escape Plan 2: Hades (1080p; 4:04) is a kind of fun look at this "character", with lots of behind the scenes footage.


• Cast / Crew Interrviews (1080p; 53:55) include Director Steven C. Miller, Dave Bautista, Wes Chatham, Jaime King, Jesse Metcalf and Director of Photography Brandon Cox.

Escape Plan 2: Hades Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Escape Plan 2: Hades is in some ways really not that much of a "real" sequel to the original Escape Plan, and I'm almost wondering if it would have worked better as a standalone property without any sign of Ray Breslin (or some of the other returning players from the first film). It's obviously done on a much smaller scale than the first film, and Stallone's kind of intermittent presence means this sequel doesn't even have the same consistent level of star power going for it. Technical merits are generally solid for those considering a purchase.