The last couple years we've seen legendary action actors make the hyper jump from big budget mainstream blockbusters to the straight to video trash bin that Escape Plan 2 so perfectly fits.
After the better than average original that starred the two biggest genre legends of all time, the sequel is a symptom of a movie system that plays more into instant gratification than it does actually putting out a quality part two. Hades is unequivocally one of the worst releases of 2018 and is bottom rung garbage for an actor that's been actually doing very well by keeping his legacy projects alive with upcoming sequels to Rambo and Creed. Somehow, this actor that has a net worth of over $400 million got roped into a direct to blu-ray feature that misses all the great aspects of the first.
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| What have I done? Escape Plan 2 is a number 2. |
When plans were announced that Arnold and Sly were going to star in a movie together that had nothing to do with the Expendables franchise, devout fans from the '80s were excited to see the two together as cinematic equals. Although Escape Plan didn't rake in the dough, it still set a precedent that the two could balance each other out with a double billed flick that was high on tech, fights, and a daunting prison escape. Escape Plan 2 has not one ounce of the good fun that we got back in 2013. This time around, the story is ultra thin, the actors are just bland, and the few fights are straight up boring. Lacking the context of Schwarzenegger and Stallone with Dave Bautista being completely floundered, Hades is hard to even get through.
Using a set up that rips off every single militaristic operation movie that we've ever laid our eyes upon, Escape Plan 2 is a repetitious series of scenes that don't add up. We get some guns. We get fists pounding flesh. And of course we get the sad sack routine of an older actor getting his ass handed to him by far younger actors that belong nowhere near a film set. Setting the cheese factor at 11, this honestly plays like a made for cable tv movie that lacks budget, charm, and any decent choreography. When it does finally ramp up for the big finale, even the small bits of meat we're given are undercooked garbage that rely on poor cinematography, boring sound design, and a technologically advanced prison that feels way more sci-fi than anyone needed.
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| On this episode of Bar Rescue, Dave Bautista wrestles John Taffer! |
Whenever these unneeded film continuations happen, we really hope for the best. Who doesn't like watching Stallone do what he does best? Unfortunately with this one he's like a side character that doesn't get his due. Relying way too heavily on the 'team' and a goofy Thunderdome style prison where the captives have to battle it on a daily basis, Escape Plan 2 is exactly what happens when you make a sequel without the construct of a decent plot or dynamic between actors. Sure, it's awesome seeing Bautista and Stallone on screen together, but it's nowhere near as cool as the match-up we got last time around. The 2013 movie also had the evil charisma of Jim Caviezel as the main villain Hobbes. In part two, the main bad guy is some random dude with a beard that has no right trying to fist fight with Stallone.
There is currently a plan for a third movie in this series. They should scrap it.
-CG
