7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Manhattan Island has been turned into a maximum security prison, a plane carrying the US president goes down there. An anti-hero is entrusted with the task of rescuing him.
Starring: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac HayesThriller | 100% |
Crime | 13% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
When one Rudolph Giuliani undertook a major scrubbing of Manhattan during his mayoralty, promising to make formerly (supposedly) nefarious spots like Times Square family friendly, he perhaps helped to erase the last vestiges of a situation which informed the subtext of John Carpenter’s fondly remembered 1981 film Escape from New York. Even during Giuliani’s reign, when typically curmudgeonly New Yorkers may have been perhaps a little surprised at the changes their urban environment was undergoing, there was at least a simmering subcutaneous feeling of incipient chaos that might break out, despite the best efforts of a gentrification that by most accounts did materially improve the look if not the actual feel of the Big Apple’s mean streets. But things were definitely tamped down under Giuliani’s aegis, at least in terms of rampant, in your face, crime, and memories perhaps soon faded as to how things had been before Giuliani and his team took a figurative antiseptic wipe to the burg. That adrenaline fueled, slightly scary ambience which had been part of New York’s stock in trade for untold decades before this turn of events may have provided at least the semblance of “reality” in the admittedly pretty fanciful setup of Carpenter’s film, where the entire island of Manhattan has been sequestered from the decent folks of law abiding society and turned into a prison. In the wild and wooly eighties it wasn’t hard to imagine the already turbulent environment of New York City tipping completely over into lawlessness, and the concept of simply transforming the isle into a fortress filled with criminals may not have seemed that big of a stretch. Carpenter is actually on record as stating it wasn’t New York’s then roiling atmosphere which inspired his original screenplay (written in the 1970s) as much as a post-Watergate feeling of cynicism and perhaps even disgust with government, though Carpenter also has basically stated that it didn’t take a rocket scientist to look at the “jungle” of New York and imagine a scenario where the inmates took control of whatever remained of the asylum. This new Shout! Factory release touts a new 2K scan of the film's interpositive struck from the original negative (more about that in the video section, below), while also porting over both previously released (DVD) supplements and a bevy of new material that were not part of the previous bare bones release from MGM.
Note: I've attempted to more or less reproduce at least a few of the screencaptures my colleague Casey Broadwater included in his
previous Escape from New York Blu-ray
review. That way curious videophiles can toggle between windows to do a side by side comparison. My review also includes a variety of
screencaptures from other moments in the film so that those interested can have a bit of a broader spectrum to analyze how this transfer
looks.
Escape from New York is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory, an imprint of Shout! Factory, with an AVC encoded 1080p
transfer in 2.35:1. While there's nothing seriously wrong here (or at least nothing that hasn't been seen before, more or less), there are
perhaps unreasonable expectations going to be fostered by ardent videophiles seeing "new 2K scan of the inter-positive, struck from the
original negative" emblazoned across the back cover of this release. Anyone thinking there is going to be a wholescale improvement in
sharpness, clarity, shadow detail and overall palette
will probably be at least slightly disappointed. That said, there is noticeable, if slight, improvement in most of these areas, some of
which might be attributable to the fact that this presentation is noticeably brighter than the previous Blu-ray (simply toggle between the first
screencaptures in both reviews to see an immediate difference). This increased brightness doesn't really negate Dean Cundey's infamously
"dark" cinematography, and indeed blacks are still so profound and omnipresent that the crush that has been in evidence in previous home
video
presentations is still on display here, albeit perhaps just slightly mitigated at times. It's obvious now that whatever elements have been
utilized to strike both previous releases and this iteration have some "baked in" issues including rather abrupt changes in clarity and grain
structure as well as anomalies like a thin blue line (hmmm. . .) that appears at various moments, usually just slightly to the left of the center of
the frame. Those wanting a good example of clarity and grain variances should pay attention at around the 8:30 mark as Snake is being led
through the hallways. All of a sudden, there's a noticeably grainier and less clear presentation toward the end of the sequence. Just a few
seconds after that, at around 8:45, is the first real manifestation of that vertical blue slice through the image. It begins in the body of the
helicopter but soon enough is affixed over one of the actor's faces. It recurs throughout the presentation, showing up again very noticeably at
around 41:45.
While this is still a fairly soft looking presentation, detail is perhaps slightly improved here, especially in the (relatively few) more brightly lit
sequences. The palette has been shifted away from the red side of things slightly as well, with a somewhat cooler presentation this time.
Again, these are very minor variances, which in and of themselves should point out the need to bring reasonable expectations to viewing this
after seeing the verbiage on the back cover touting this "new, improved" transfer. Finally, there's the typical online discussion of perceived
compression issues on this release as there tends to be on a lot of Shout!'s product. Some of the splotchy grain issues might be at least
partially attributable to compression, but overall I personally tend to think that many of the issues on display here are due to the source
material and not necessarily the product of mishandling.
Escape from New York features both a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix as well as a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix. Perhaps surprisingly, the 2.0 mix offers close to the same support for the soundtrack's low end, specifically with regard to the synth laden score by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth, as does the 5.1 mix. Otherwise, though, the 5.1 mix is a clear winner in terms of nicely done discrete channelization of effects and even dialogue, creating an encompassing and at times rather involving aural experience. Prioritization is excellent even in the noisier action scenes, and fidelity remains top notch throughout the presentation. Dynamic range is quite wide, and there are no problems of any kind to warrant concern.
Disc One offers the feature film along with:
Escape from New York is a fun attempt by Carpenter and his crew to reinvent a sort of proto B-movie ambience in an unexpected context. With an evocative production design and several excellent performances, Escape from New York may not be the roller coaster action ride some fans may have preferred (or at least expected), but it's a consistently entertaining film that cuts to the chase—even if there isn't that much of an actual chase when you get right down to it. This new Blu-ray offers occasionally problematic video, and those who already own the previous MGM Blu-ray are well advised to compare screenshots to decide whether a double dip based solely on that element is warranted. As has been Shout! Factory's modus operandi, there are several excellent new supplements augmenting this release. Recommended.
DVD Packaging
1981
1981
1981
Collector's Edition
1981
Collector's Edition
1981
Collector's Edition + Vinyl
1981
Collector's Edition | Sacred Bones Records Exclusive Black-and-Blue Starburst with Red Splatter 7" Vinyl
1981
Collector's Edition + Vinyl
1981
Collector's Edition | Exclusive Clear with Blue Splatter 7" Vinyl
1981
Limited Editon
1981
DVD Packaging
1996
Collector's Edition
1976
1988
2020
2007
2008
Unrated Edition
2012
Atlantis Interceptors / I predatori di Atlantide
1983
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1985
1986
1982
2016
1996
1987
2001
Collector's Edition
1981
2014
1986
1992
1992