Bong Joon-ho Ignites Uproar With Blistering Take on Escape from New York and Escape from L.A.

Here is a film-nerd curveball for your day: Bong Joon-ho says he prefers John Carpenter's Escape from L.A. over Escape from New York. Yes, that Bong Joon-ho. Yes, that Escape from L.A.

Bong's hot take, straight to Carpenter's face

This came up during a special Los Angeles screening of Carpenter's The Thing earlier this year. On stage, Bong told Carpenter that he once admitted to a fellow cinephile he likes the sequel more, and that friend basically lost his mind about it. Bong shrugged it off, saying it is his taste and he respects that others disagree.

'I actually like Escape from L.A. over Escape from New York... It's my choice... I respect everyone's opinion.'

Why the preference? Bong pointed to Escape from L.A.'s splashier vibe: more color, more juice, more chaos. He also loves the sheer novelty of a sci-fi movie that pauses for a basketball challenge and a surf sequence. Carpenter backed that up, explaining the idea was to stuff the movie with very L.A. things. And no, despite the waves on screen, Carpenter does not surf.

Quick refresher: what happens in each Escape

• Escape from New York (set in the then-futuristic 1997): Manhattan has been turned into a giant maximum-security prison. Terrorists hijack Air Force One, the President ejects in an escape pod, and he crashes inside the island. The government taps Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) to break in and pull off the rescue.
• Escape from L.A. (set in 2013): A massive earthquake shears Los Angeles off the mainland. The President's daughter steals the control system for a new superweapon and flees into the lawless city. Once again, the only man for the job is Snake.

About that rumored 'requel'

There was a new Escape from New York in development as a 'requel' from Radio Silence — the trio of Tyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, and Chad Villella — but it has effectively been put on ice for now.

For what it is worth: I enjoy Escape from L.A., but New York still takes the crown for me. Bong's stance is fun precisely because it pokes the fandom beehive. So where do you land: team sun-bleached mayhem, or team grimy Manhattan prison?