Escape from L.A. 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Escape from L.A. 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 16, 2022

Paramount has released the 1996 sequel film 'Escape from L.A.' to the UHD format (for those interested, the original classic, 'Escape from New York,' has yet to grace the UHD format). This is certainly a vastly superior presentation compared to the visually lackluster 1080p Blu-ray that Paramount released back in 2010 (note that Shout! Factory re-released the film in 2020 with significantly improved Blu-ray video). This UHD disc features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5. 1 lossless soundtrack (compared to the 2010 Blu-ray's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless presentation). Sadly, the only extra from the 2010 disc -- a trailer -- is all that's included here (again, note that the Shout! disc included a vast array of worthwhile bonuses).

By the year 1998, Los Angeles had become a bastion of immorality. A U.S. Presidential candidate (Cliff Robertson) predicts a massive earthquake will, at the turn of the century, remove the city from the U.S. proper. He's proven right, and the Constitution is amended to allow him to rule for life. His first act as lifetime President is to quarantine the now-island of Los Angeles and proclaim it separate from the new Moral America that he's created. All undesirables are sent to live and fend for themselves in the remains of the City of Angels, but when the President's daughter, Utopia (A.J. Langer), hijacks Air Force Three, she demands those people wrongfully accused be set free and threatens to unleash the powers of a mysterious black box should her wishes not be met. Her escape pod has crashed somewhere inside Los Angeles, but the President is only concerned about retrieving the technology in her possession. The notorious criminal Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell, The Thing) -- convicted of no less than 27 moral crimes -- is injected with a slow-working poison and forced to retrieve the black box at all costs. Inside, he must face the dangerous ringleader of L.A.'s largest and most powerful gang, Cuervo Jones (George Corraface), with whom Utopia has allied herself.

For a full film review, please click here.

Escape from L.A. 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from the 2010 1080p Blu-ray disc.

What a difference a decade, a format, and some TLC make. Paramount's 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD release of Escape from L.A. blows its previous 2010 effort out of the water. It's a textbook definition of a night-and-day comparison that will leave fans yearning for a vastly superior release of this film more than satisfied with the end result. The 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation proves its worth from the beginning. Gone are creamy white numbers ("1998") and the flat green map, replaced here by brilliant and stable white and a bold, neon green that punches out of the screen with limitless vividness and vitality. Overall color depth is greatly improved; even dull grays and blacks are beneficiaries, offering a strikingly more robust scale and contrast and color accuracy that sees the UHD wipe the floor with the Blu-ray. Those improved blacks – here beautifully inky and true – greatly overshadow their 1080p SDR counterparts, which is vital considering how dark the movie is. Yet even through all that darkness the Dolby Vision grading thrives for balance between light and shadow and the pinpoint accuracy with which it handles those various shades of gray and black. Of course, bursts of high yield color are not lost to the darkened depths; Eddie's red car, for example, looks exquisitely full and rich while explosion fireballs are no challenge for punch and color depth and intensity. Dolby Vision is a great friend to this film, even considering its dark nature.

Not to be outdone are the improvements to detail, clarity, and filmic faithfulness. The picture holds to a healthy grain structure, far superior to the uneven, unnatural, and blocky appearance found on the 2010 edition. Minor clean-up has been performed as well to remove mild, but still unsightly, print blemishes. The result is a handsomely organic cinematic image that boasts impeccably sharp details, including Plissken's facial scruff, pores, and lines and certainly all of the dilapidated content around the wasteland that is Los Angeles. The picture now assuredly resembles its best-case scenario and probably loos even better now than it did in theaters about a quarter of a century ago. This one teeters on perfection; fans are going to be delighted and even non-fans will want to watch just to see UHD done right.

Escape from L.A. 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Escape from L.A. released to Blu-ray with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack in 2010. Here, Paramount has released the film to the UHD format with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack, and it's a good – borderline great – one. The familiar opening score is certainly lovely in delivery, offering seamless width married to surround immersion. Clarity is very nice. The earthquake sequence is a delight for intense sonic immersion, with strong-armed bass, effortless absorption as bridges collapse all around the listener, and total submersion as tidal waves power ashore. Here (and in other places to be sure, like PA announcements and overhead helicopters as Plissken arrives at the facility at the eight-minute mark) is where the opportunity for an Atmos track is missed the most. To have these elements falling out of the sky on top of the listener, to be more immersive with surround-back channels would have been a delight. Still, the 5.1 track is no slouch, but in 2022 many listeners will expect more. That said, the 5.1 track suits the film's needs very well. Musical clarity is terrific, placement and movement are largely seamless, atmosphere around various high-tech headquarters and low-tech L.A. exteriors are great, and dialogue is clear, centered, and well prioritized. This is a top-tier 5.1 listen from Paramount.

Escape from L.A. 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Like its Blu-ray counterpart (not included), the Escape from L.A. Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 1:34) is the only extra on this UHD disc. Note that the Shout! Factory disc included a deluge of supplements, including half a dozen featurettes and assorted other goodies (please click here for a closer look).

Escape from L.A. 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Paramount has done right by Escape from L.A. on UHD. The picture is gorgeous -- both greatly superior to the original Bu-ray and a wonderful watch in its own right within the general UHD landscape -- and will delight both film fans and videophiles alike. The new 5.1 track is excellent, but some might be wishing for an Atmos presentation. The lack of extras is all that holds this back. I even softened on the film after having not seen it since 2010 (note the new score above). Highly recommended.