Big Challenges in Little Manhattan: The Visual Effects of Escape from New York

Big Challenges In Little Manhattan: The Visual Effects of Escape from New York (2015)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Visual effects creators Dennis and Robert Skotak are interviewed in this 14-minute featurette that can be found on the ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK Special Edition from Shout Factory. The two men discuss working for Roger Corman and then start talking about why John Carpenter hired them and what was expected from them. The majority of the running time deals with building the Manhattan models that were used throughout the picture but mainly when the glider crashes into the city. We get a lot of terrific behind-the-scenes photos showing the two men creating the city and you have to really be impressed when you consider the budget and time they had to work with. They also discuss what it was like working with James Cameron and yes one takes a minor shot at him. Fans of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK will certainly enjoy this featurette as it gives you a really good idea of what went on behind the camera in order to make these shots work.