by John Walsh

Titan Books, out now

Revisit the harsh future of New York 1997…

John Walsh’s book about the making of John Carpenter’s 1981 sci-fi classic is a beautiful-looking, oversized, coffee table book with reproductions of stills, posters, behind-the-scenes shots and more. As a dyed-in-the-wool fan of the movie, I am clearly this tome’s target audience, and yet somehow it feels like a missed opportunity.

I have no complaints about the visuals or the layout of the book, rather the lack of any really detailed new insight that the last 40 years might have uncovered. The Foreword is written by director Corin Hardy, which is all very well, but why? Forty years after the event, it’s inevitable that many of the creatives are no longer with us, but there’s no new content from John Carpenter or star Kurt Russell. There is content from new interviews carried out by the author, but star Adrienne Barbeau, cinematographer Dean Cundey and co-writer Nick Castle aside, these are predominantly lower tier contributors.

A lot of the material is taken from Blu-ray audio commentaries and featurettes, which while authentic in origin, will feel like second-hand news to most fans. There are also occasional omissions – why for example there are character pages on the likes of Romero and Slag, but not one for Tom Atkins’s Rehme? The book would benefit from a look at Mike McQuay’s 1981 novelisation (which featured material from the script that didn’t make it to the screen), as well as Marvel’s, CrossGen’s and Boom’s subsequent comic book series, or the latest news on possible remakes or sequels that have been bubbling around since 2007. Or even some recognition of the actual sequel, Escape from LA.

I don’t want to sound too negative about this book, as I’m delighted to have it in my library, and I’m glad it exists. It’s just by no means definitive.

Verdict: A great-looking book that had the opportunity to be the final word on Carpenter’s classic, but doesn’t quite hit the mark. 7/10 

Nick Joy

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