Escape Plan 2: A Sequel That Should Have Stayed Locked Up
This sequel, a catastrophic drop in quality and script compared to the already uninspired thriller that once united Stallone and Schwarzenegger, is a cinematic escape gone wrong.
Ray Breslin, the talented security systems expert, continues to hone his skills and those of his new team, comprised of top technicians, analysts, and engineers. However, a failed secret mission leads to discord, and Jaspar Kimbral, an analyst and programmer who believes that artificial intelligence should handle security system development, leaves Breslin’s company. Soon after, Jaspar, along with a couple of Breslin’s former associates, find themselves imprisoned in the enigmatic “Hades” prison, a location unknown to all and from which no one has ever escaped alive. While some escape specialists try to pinpoint the location of this ultra-modern underground facility, others attempt to break free from within.
The Nostalgic Allure of Action Titans
Back in the day, when the Predator could be defeated with mud and sticks, and John Rambo could take down helicopters with a simple rock, audiences were captivated by one question: who would win in a fight between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone? For a long time, we didn’t get a direct answer, as the actors seemed to avoid each other. But in 2013, as their action star power waned, the legends finally indulged their fans with a real showdown. This was in the thriller “Escape Plan” directed by Mikael Håfström, which essentially boiled down to one simple scene: two old rivals meet in prison and start beating each other up with all the pent-up aggression they’ve accumulated over the years.
To amplify the gladiatorial combat, the film featured renowned mixed martial artist Tyron Woodley and popular American football player Devonta Freeman.
The Original’s Flaws and the Sequel’s Descent
Even the original “Escape Plan” wasn’t particularly noteworthy. Despite its elaborate setup, it offered nothing truly compelling. The protagonist had to prove the value of his product in a competitive market. Thousands of people do this every day, albeit not in prison cells, but in front of clients, at competitions, and in the everyday workplace of an engineer. Frankly, neither Stallone nor Schwarzenegger put on a particularly impressive show. Sure, Arnie still squinted slyly, and Sly still grimaced, but a trailer was enough to grasp the project’s depth.
So, it was quite surprising when “Escape Plan” became a franchise. The sequel is even less necessary than the original. Fortunately, the filmmakers seem to realize their film’s worthlessness and turn it into a complete farce, barely reaching the level of a high school film club project. If the creators had a plan, it certainly wasn’t to engage, surprise, or delight the audience. It seems the director and his team were content to stand on set with the stars, take selfies, and get autographs. And the movie? Well, they shot something – let’s edit it and release it.
A Hodgepodge of Clichés and Incompetence
“Escape Plan 2” is a horrifying collection of cheap clichés from second-rate action movies of the past, generously seasoned with clumsy dialogue, terrible characters, and direction that should get someone fired. It’s hard to say how director Steven C. Miller lures A and B-list stars into his projects (Malcolm McDowell, Bruce Willis, John Cusack, Nicolas Cage, and many others have worked with him), but it’s definitely not his professionalism. His direction is consistently poor, jumping from scene to scene with little regard for character motivations or logic. This time, the stupidity flows so thick that it hurts to watch – Chechnya, Icelandic hackers with dark circles under their eyes, a Chinese spy satellite, gladiatorial fights, and a menagerie of people in cages are all thrown in. In short, it’s a terrible B-movie that, even in the 80s, would only be a bonus, the second film on a VHS tape with “Rambo” or “Raw Deal.”
Even before “Escape Plan 2” hit the screens, the producers announced the start of work on a third installment. The sequel was filmed back in September 2017, with Stallone, Bautista, and Curtis returning to their roles.
The Missing Star Power
Of the original cast, only Stallone and Curtis Jackson returned for the second “Escape,” but Stallone only fully enters the picture in the third act, and Jackson disappears in the middle of the film, only to later announce that he had everything under control from the start. The reluctance of respected actors to get too involved is understandable, but it’s unclear why Dave Bautista signed up – his character seems to be in a neighboring studio, reading newspapers or examining the wear and tear on his car’s steering wheel.
Journalists often use the cliché “so bad it’s good,” but it doesn’t apply to “Escape Plan 2” because Miller is so bad that he can’t even make it “so bad it’s good.” The film stops right at the point where it’s impossible to watch, and the wasted time is particularly regrettable. Sadly, we were once drawn in by the (not entirely genuine) fight between Schwarzenegger and Stallone, but now even that’s gone. Instead of a “battle of the century,” we get a shaky camera and clumsy kung fu. In this case, you only need one plan: to escape from the cinema in the dark, but beware of the stampede – you certainly won’t be alone.