When I first saw Escape From New York several years ago I was fascinated by the unique plot and the character of Snake Plisken. And what helped make that movie even more mysterious was the music composed by John Carpenter. Simple yet catchy, the main title theme in Escape From New York was one of his best ever, after Halloween of course. So when I heard he was coming out with a sequel I was of course excited. Having loved the first one, I was looking for more of the same in the second. And when I saw that the soundtrack had the original theme as it's main title, I was going nuts. Although after I saw the movie, I left thinking that it was nothing more than a remake of the first one, a mediocre one at that. But it's redeeming value is that the music is again fairly good.
By sampling John Carpenter and Alan Howarth's original theme into a synthesizer, Shirley Walker gave the main theme a 90's flair. With a faster tempo and guitar's in the background, the theme promises more fun that the movie ultimately delivered. It is by far one of the best tracks on the soundtrack. Another track that is found on the CD, and used often in the movie, is Snake's Uniform. Director John Carpenter had always said Snake was like a western gunslinger and his movies were essentially westerns. So, for the sequel, John Carpenter provides his hero with his own western theme. Used very often in the movie, but not nearly enough on the soundtrack, this is another track that makes the CD worth looking into.
Not as dark and sinister a movie as its predecessor, this movie seems like more of a spoof than anything. And unfortunately, that is what many of the other tracks seem to be aimed at being. The music is good and has a driving action beat to it, but it isn't as dark as it could have been. However, Shirley Walker proves that she is capable of composing an action score and as I said, it is worth listening to. If you liked her work on The Flash, Space: Above and Beyond, or Batman - The Animated Series, then you'll like this one.
Total time: 34:06
1: Escape From New York Main Title (2:07)
2: History of Los Angeles (2:09)
3: Snake's Uniform (0:58)
4: Submarine Launch (2:36)
5: Sunset Boulevard Bazaar (2:03)
6: Motorcycle Chase (2:23)
7: Showdown (1:27)
8: Beverly Hills Surgeon General (4:10)
9: The Future is Right Now (2:00)
10: Hang Glider Attack (2:30)
11: The Black Box (1:14)
12: Escape From Coliseum (1:53)
13: Helicopter Arrival (2:05)
14: Fire Fight (2:49)
15: Escape from Happy Kingdom (1:30)
16: Crash Landing (1:38)