Parents' Guide to

Escape Plan 2: Hades

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Sequel has formulaic action, lots of violence, cursing.

Movie R 2018 94 minutes
Escape Plan 2: Hades Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

In Atlanta, Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone) is in charge of an elite squad of operatives skilled at penetrating the world's most impenetrable prisons and fortresses in order to rescue hostages in ESCAPE PLAN 2: HADES. But after an operation in Chechnya goes awry, Breslin fires the operative who was responsible for the mistake. At the same time, Breslin's most trusted operative, Shu Ren, disappears. An intensive search reveals that Ren is being held captive in what seems to be the most impenetrable prison ever created, a private prison where Ren is literally fighting to survive alongside his tech-whiz cousin. With the brawn of Breslin and former colleague Trent DeRosa (Dave Bautista) and the brains of their hacker Hush (50 Cent), Ren must use his wits and willpower to find out why he's in this private prison, who is responsible, and how he will escape.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (2):

This sequel suffers from needless complexity. The title should sum up the story, but the story gets so lost in the particulars, it's a relief to simply see the actual "escape plan" being carried out. There's Chechen intrigue at the beginning, then a firing of the person who botched the operation, then something about global technology, communication systems, and hacking the nuclear codes. Evil oligarchs who look like Jared Kushner. Hackers from Iceland. Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy.

There's just too much going on here. Instead of adding a level of intelligence, the "tech talk" just muddies the waters of what could be so simple. There are at least 10 more characters than Escape Plan 2: Hades actually needs. There are worse ways to pass 93 minutes, but there are also action movies that are a lot better at mixing the brains with the brawn.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about action movies. How does Escape Plan 2: Hades compare to other action movies you've seen?

  • How is violence conveyed in the movie? Did it seem necessary, or was it heightened for the sake of entertainment?

  • Do you think the movie glorifies the use of high-powered weaponry? Why or why not?

Movie Details

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