MovieChat Forums > Escape from L.A. (1996) Discussion > Worst Special Effects Ever?

Worst Special Effects Ever?

posted 9 years ago by The_Centurion
17 replies | jump to latest

In a film with a star-studded cast, it has to be. I can't think of anything worse.

I still somehow found it interesting enough to watch until falling asleep, and then to revisit the second half on Netflix on a separate occasion.

The graphics reminded me of low budget computer games from the mid-90's; like the schlock they churned out for the Macinstosh during the dark ages when it had 5% of the market share. I knew those days all too well: my dad was one of the last Mac loyalists on the planet, and thus I was relegated to outdated PC hand-me-downs from the bargain bin.

Thank God for Blizzard and Nintendo 64 for getting me through.

Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.

[–] rat_eater 9 years ago

not exactly star studded.

[–] The_Centurion 9 years ago

not exactly star studded.

Kurt Russell, Steve Buscemi, Peter Fonda, Stacey Keach, Cliff Robertson, Valeria Golino, Pam Grier, Bruce Campbell...

Okay, so a lot of them aren't exactly in their primes, but they are certainly established actors.

I love Pam Grier. She's my favorite actress from a pure attraction perspective. Yet somehow, unbelievably, they managed to make her entirely gross in this movie, haha.

Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.

[–] rat_eater 9 years ago

they weren't really stars in 1996. russell was doing ok, but buschemi wasn't really known, still isn't. campbell is a b star. grier, fonda weren't big stars at the time.

[–] andrewzahtilla 9 years ago

Lol when I saw the helicopters in the beginning I was like "oh ok so this one is a cartoon!"

[–] LoPanKnows 9 years ago

I remember when this came out there was all kinds of hype about the Earthquake effects being great. MTV had a big thing about it and everything. Today...wooooah bad.

[–] Arn1978 8 years ago

The surf part. Oh God the surf part.

[–] SkinlessPeen 9 years ago

Is this the one with the surfboard scene??lol worst ever

[–] Snake_MacReady82 9 years ago

You mean this had worse special effects than the original Evil Dead?

Yes. They could have been much better. I don't know how much of the budget went to special effects, though. Total budget was less than half of what Terminator 2 had, two-thirds of Independence Day. Doesn't really bother me. Cheesy effects are sometimes fun to watch and Carpenter's movies have mostly always been low budget.

Thit and thpin!

[–] The_Centurion 9 years ago

Total budget was less than half of what Terminator 2 had, two-thirds of Independence Day.

If this film had 2/3 the budget of Independence Day, then hopefully the producers asked for their money back.

Escape from L.A. had to have been done on a shoestring budget. There's no way it could have come close to the blockbusters you mentioned above. Were you just hypothesising?

I never saw Evil Dead, but I can't imagine it being any worse. This film was also made 15 years later, remember.

Somehow the impoverished special effects left me wanting more as I really couldn't believe what I was seeing. Carpenter directed The Thing, which by comparison is infinitely more well-conceived. It's too bad that film wasn't more of a commercial success because it's truly one of the great sci-fi films of all-time.

I have to think the SFX in Escape from L.A. were bad to the point of being intentional, as if it were a comic book type effect. I really hope they weren't trying to pull off something resembling realism.

Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.

[–] briscut 9 years ago

Evil Dead had a legitimate excuse for the effects; it was made on an extremely budget and had to be filmed in pieces because they actually ran out of money during production. Not to mention it was made more than 10 years prior to this.

How in the world could Evil Dead be brought up as a comparison??

[–] Snake_MacReady82 9 years ago

How in the world could Evil Dead be brought up as a comparison??

Note the title of the thread. It even has a question mark at the end. And both films have Bruce Campbell. :P

I love Evil Dead even more than EfLA. If Sam Raimi were to lose his mind and give it the George Lucas treatment with improved effects, I'd say "No thanks."

Thit and thpin!

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] Snake_MacReady82 9 years ago

Mortal Kombat Annihilation. Worst special effects ever.

Thit and thpin!

[–] ThePhantomKiller 9 years ago

Escape from LA's budget was $50 million. Not a low budget movie. I personally love the film. All you people sound like young kids complaining that the effects are outdated. All your favorite blockbusters will one day have outdated effects. That's how it goes. You don't trash the film for it.

[–] Arn1978 8 years ago

That's a $100 M + movie today. It looks incredibly bad for that budget.

[–] Arn1978 8 years ago

I think worst considering the budget and the year it was made, it's certainly in the running!

[–] 8 years ago

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