When a film or television show is near perfect, we often seek to keep our favorite characters with us through sequels and extra seasons. When we inevitably have to say goodbye, it is quite sad. However, with the passage of time, some titles get the remake treatment such as Mortal Kombat II and its 2021 predecessor, Mortal Kombat, as the 1997 original was rebooted. While some remakes can be classed as essentials — like the 1960 Rat Pack film, Ocean’s Eleven, directed by Steven Soderbergh — others get shelved under the disappointing column, wherein the remakes fall horribly short of the standards set by the original titles.
Overall, there is no genre that is immune to remakes, be it horror, fantasy, or action. One of the best remakes in recent years is Nosferatu, the Robert Eggers-directed remake that brought new life to an immortal classic. Now, John Carpenter’s 1981 cult classic, Escape From New York, is one of those classics, and it was pretty exciting when a remake was officially announced earlier this year. Charged with bringing the film’s well-revered grimy, dystopian vibe back to the screen is Zack Snyder.
Snyder has experience when it comes to remakes. The Man of Steel director made his directorial debut with a remake of the George Romero horror classic Dawn of the Dead. Snake Plissken is one of the most exciting antiheroes ever put on screen and the journey to get him back in front of audiences has been choppy to say the least. Snyder’s selection as director has drawn concern in some quarters, but no matter what happens with the remake, fans can always retreat to the Kurt Russell-led original. Ahead of the remake, the 80s action classic is currently available to stream for free on either The Roku Channel or Philo. There, one can relive all the excitement of the original Escape From New York, for free.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
What Is ‘Escape From New York’ About?
Escape From New York is one of Carpenter’s most iconic films, and frequent Carpenter collaborator, Russell, leads the cast as the one-eyed soldier of fortune Snake Plissken. Plissken has been brought in by the US government to rescue the US President (Donald Pleasence) from New York City. In this world, Manhattan has been converted into a maximum security prison overrun with its fair share of unsavory characters. Plissken has a cynical distrust of authority, so to ensure his compliance, the government injects him with micro-explosives that would detonate should he fail to retrieve the president in time.
Plissken, upon his arrival in Manhattan, a band of allies, including Cabbie (Ernest Borgnine), Brain (Harry Dean Stanton), and Maggie (Adrienne Barbeau). A ragtag bunch, the team works towards getting the President out of the clutches of the tyrannical Duke (Isaac Hayes). Upon its release, the film proved to be a critical and commercial hit, grossing $50 million at the box office, on a reported budget of just $6 million.
A remake of Escape From New York is in development. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
