Last Action Hero (1993) User Reviews

Underrated post-modern take on action movies

[Sentinel-15 · 7/10 · 29 June 2002]

Highly underrated Arnie movie.

Is it a comedy? An action movie? A spoof of the entire action movie genre? Well, it might be all of them, and more.

This movie could be interpreted in several ways. In it, Arnold is spoofing himself (or his on-screen persona, anyway) and the genre of action movies in general.

What's more, it's a story within a story, making an audience member part of the story, giving the whole thing a post-modern twist. The movie is full of genre in-jokes and self-references, making fun of many of the clichés - while at the same time referring to other films, actors, and even other genres, making this sort of a celebration of the entire film business.

On the other hand - in case you don't care about all of this - as an action movie in itself, it's still very entertaining. If you like Schwarzenegger action movies, you'll like this one as well.

Don't let anyone tell you this is a "bad movie". See it for yourself, and make up your own mind.

Underrated and needs a reappreciation

[seanjenson · 7/10 · 13 December 2018]

This movie came when Arnie was at the height of his career and popularity. However Last Action Hero not only bombed at the box office it was a critical misery as well. However the film is being rediscovered and some have even asked for it to be reconsidered as if not a highly good satire, then at the very least a fun enjoyable charming film of the early 90s. Admittedly, this is not a good action film. Given its billing, director, and title, that's a surprise. On the other hand, Last Action Hero works as an unexpectedly witty comedy.

A MASTERPIECE

[Gmarkjames · 16 September 2002]

This is UNDENIABLY one of the greatest action movies I've ever seen. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS FLOPPED AT THE BOX OFFICE! Arnie is at his wisecracking/comic/action best in this picture and there's a fantastic supporting cast too! The film includes many cameos from other movie stars like Chevy Chase, James Belushi, Tom Noone (THE RIPPER), Jean-Claude Van Damme and many other! GET IT NOW!!!! 10/10

One of the most underrated movies I've ever seen - an ingenious satire of action movie clichés

[alexpeychev · 7/10 · 12 January 2021]

Last Action Hero has to be the most underrated movies I've ever seen. I've seen it at least four times, but I still like it. Stuff the critics and enjoy it for what it is: a spoof of action movies and their clichés. It's something that probably hasn't been done before and hasn't been done since (because this was undeservedly bashed, I'd say). I would say that it was poorly received because audiences expected a mindless Rambo or Terminator-style film, rather than a satire.

No Great Accomplishment, But...

[Voni · 6/10 · 17 September 2000]

I've no profound thing to say about this film, just that I liked it a bit more than I thought I would. I'm not a big Arnold fan. Basically, I liked seeing the characters exit the movie-within-the-movie and intermingle with the real world, including the actors who portrayed them.

Oh, by the way, the funniest thing in the movie: Real-life actor - and I do use the term very loosely - Schwarzenegger is incorrectly identified (by his escaped film character, as I recall) as "Braunschweiger" (imagine it with the accent). No, one funny line doesn't make a movie worth seeing, but I'm sure I'm just not remembering everything worth mentioning about this movie.

There you have it.

Nice effort!

[jrgirones · 6/10 · 31 December 2002]

The concept here is brilliant, as it was in Buster Keaton's "Sherlock Jr." or Woody Allen's "The purple Rose...". Collision between fiction and reality is given an ironical and witty treatment, and that makes "Last action hero" one of the most interesting commercial action films of the late years.

Then, why everybody says it is flawed? Aside from the ambivalence of having born with a smash hit vocation and wanting to be something more, which makes the original premise to lose weight along the way, I would say the principal flaws have its roots in a bad structured screenplay: the plot of the movie within the movie (a vane, not original at all mob story) is given too much importance, and when we come to the real point (the confrontation between fiction and reality) we are almost at the end and then a lot of a good story beats happen quickly and disordered, creating a little bit of a mess.

Anyway, let me insist this is, at least, very curious and fun, and movie lovers will appreciate it above all its flaws.

quick reviews!

[malkane316 · 8/10 · 23 May 2004]

Another underrated movie, and one which few people understand, or try to. This is a spoof of action movies, primarily those starring Arnie and Stallone, ones which director McTiernen has made a living from. That said, the action, stunts, effects are good, the cast, especially Arnie, ham it up as much as possible, and the plot is pretty clever. Tons of in-jokes make this an entertaining film, and I'll admit that's all it is. But that's all it is trying to be. Don't whine to me about artistic merit, character development, internal meditations on life and all that crap-I have those movies on my list too. It's an action movie, where the bad guys are supposed to die, cars are meant to explode when scratched, the good guy is untouchable, and it knows it. 8 out of 10

A good send up of itself

[mjw2305 · 6/10 · 20 January 2007]

Last action Hero, makes fun of the Hollywood action flick and stars one of Hollywood's most successful action hero's. Danny Madigan (Austin O'Brien) is crazy about the screen character Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and when he uses a magic ticket he is pulled into his latest film, where guns don't need to be reloaded, cars can jump the grand canyon, and the hero can't be hurt, etc. When Jack Slater comes over to the real world in pursuit of the bad guy (Charles Dance) the fun really begins, and for once Jack Slater seems out of his depth.

The whole movie is a funny parody of itself, and it's crammed with ludicrous stunts and action throughout. Beneath the fun is a reasonable storyline, but its the concept of the movie that makes i so much fun.

6/10

Say what you want about it . . .

[frankfob · 5/10 · 16 June 2003]

but I actually liked it, and I'm not particularly an Arnie fan (he's not a very good actor and he's a terrible governor). Some of his movies are pretty good, some are pretty lousy, but this one isn't, IMO, anywhere near as bad as its reputation. I happen to think it's a lot of fun. Sure it's cartoonish, but ARNIE is cartoonish! That's what makes this movie so much fun; all of his movies--in fact, all action movies in general--are not much more than live-action cartoons, and this movie gleefully makes fun of them in general, and Arnie in particular, and the best part of it is that he's in on the joke. I don't know why it was savaged so much when it was first released; it really didn't deserve it. Several of his later movies ("Eraser" and "End of Days", for example) were far more deserving of that kind of treatment than this one is.

Anyway, I just like this movie. The action scenes were exciting, there were some very funny lines and a ton of clever in-jokes, some great cameos, and it was just an all-around fun flick. Try it, you'll like it.

An intelligent, under-rated and over-looked satire

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 8/10 · 31 January 2011]

It's sad to think that 18 years after its release Last Action Hero is still trying to find its target audience. Audiences don't like smart movies. Or perhaps I should say audiences don't like to be OUTSMARTED by movies. In the summer of 1993 the world was going crazy for a certain dinosaur movie, almost everything else didn't stand a chance. LAH came out a week after Jurassic Park. The only people who really went to see it were those who were too late for sold-out screenings of Spielberg's movie. Bad word of mouth spread for many reasons.

Those lucky enough to actually see it on the big screen walked away confused and disorientated. They thought they were in for a straight-up action movie, not an existential, meta-fictional parody of the genre they cherish. It was just too much and they weren't ready for it. Arnold had been riding the wave of Total Recall and Terminator 2 before the release of Last Action Hero, no one expected such a radical deviation from the norm.

Danny Madigan is a lonely kid living in a tiny New York apartment with his single MILF. His only friend is Nick, an old-time projectionist at a run down theater (a REAL theater, no multiplex nonsense). Danny likes to escape into the world of action movies, his biggest hero, obviously, being Arnie himself. The latest Arnie blockbuster, the simply-titled Jack Slater IV, is a day away from its premiere, and old Nick has been tasked with checking the print. Before Danny sits down for his own personal pre-premiere midnight screening Nick gives him a magical ticket he's been saving since childhood. Five minutes after Jack Slater IV begins Danny is warped into the cinema screen and becomes part of the movie.

In the movie world Danny quickly learns that the laws of physics and simple logic don't apply (how often has THAT proved to be true?). He's partnered with Slater, a renegade L.A. cop and the absolute zenith of action hero stereotypes, to find who killed his favorite second-cousin Frank (BIG MISTAKE!). Danny and Slater smash their way into a hokey, James Bond-ish plot, though it's not long before suave English henchman Mr. Benedict discovers Danny's secret and plans to escape to the real world. Danny and Slater follow, but Slater's movie-world abilities are rendered useless in reality. Doubt begins seep in for the first time as he ends up questioning his powers as a good cop.

Last Action Hero scores huge points all round. It's technically wonderful, with gorgeous anamorphic Panavision photography full of wide angles and lens flares. The writing is sharp is funny. Arnie is great as an infallible hero in crisis as well as making fun of his screen persona. And the action, both fictional and meta-fictional, is wild, overblown, and exciting. I just love Slater's huge fall from the elevator.

It's interesting to note that it has a lot in common with Loaded Weapon, which came out earlier that year. Both are send-ups of the 'L.A. cop movie' genre, both star F. Murray Abraham in supporting roles. Both feature Frank McRae as a screaming Lieutenant. Both have obvious Die Hard references (also directed by the infamous John McTiernan).

The bad reputation is unjustified. The financial loss was a mistake entirely on Sony's part and their lack of foresight into the 1993 summer season. Last Action Hero and Jurassic Park went head-to-head with their advertising but the dinosaur movie's marketing campaign was just too groundbreaking. They also competed with each other on a technical level. JP was the first film to feature DTS sound, while Last Action Hero was the first to feature SDDS (Sony Dynamic Digital Sound), an eight-channel system that delivers every decibel of Slater's big gun and the multiple explosions of his daily life.

It may be a satire, but Last Action Hero just may be one of the last true action films. Real stunts, real explosions, real destruction, reality gone twisted. It's Arnold's most subversive movie, and it's many things, but bad ain't one of them.

A missed opportunity

[freemantle_uk · 7/10 · 20 October 2013]

Last Action Hero is notorious action film that attempted to be a meta satire, being a box-office and critical flop despite it starring the biggest action hero of the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger and helmed by Die Hard and Predator director John McTiernan.

Danny Madigan (Austin O'Brien) is a movie obsessed kid who skips school so he can watch the over-blown action series Jack Slater, starring Mr. Schwarzenegger. When Danny's friend, the elderly projectionist Nick (Robert Prosky) offer Danny the chance to see the fourth Jack Slater film before anyone else the kid jumps at the chance and Nick gives Danny a magic ticket. But Danny ends up transported to the movie world where he tries to convince Jack Slater he is really a fictional character as the villainous Benedict (Charles Dance) sees an opportunity to be more then a Mafia hit-man.

Last Action Hero had a troubled production and post-production, from getting Shane Black to radically rewrite the script, having an awful test screening, being edited to the last minute and coming out a week after the hugely popular Jurassic Park. Added with the negative reviews Last Action Hero failed. But since its release Last Action Hero has developed a cult following and some see it as a misunderstood classic. I do not share that view point.

As you would expect from McTiernan the action is of a very high standard and wonderfully over the top. There are explosions galore and Schwarzenegger continued to be an action presence. Schwarenegger also did have some funny jokes. But the meta approach of the satire falls flat. The idea of satirising action movies of the 80s and early 90s was fair game and still serves a way to deliver an excellent action film, but it was affected by the framing device of the movie-within-a-movie, allowing Danny to break the clichés down for us instead of letting us figuring it out ourselves. It is a bit like the Scream series but the Scream series was able to get away with it more due to the universe created.

Some of the jokes in Last Action Hero really do fall flat like the cops getting mix-matched partners and it gets puts to extremes like someone getting partnered with a rabbi, another with a cartoon cat and a black-and-white Humphrey Bogart also gets in on the action. Another really ill-advised joke was when the police captain is yelling at Jack Slater so much that steam comes out of his ears.

Dance did make for a good villain and are some decent character actors in supporting roles like Tom Noonan and F. Murray Abraham, but O'Brien was a grating presence as the know-it-all child.

Last Action Hero is far from being Arnie's worst film, it wouldn't even be in the bottom five, but it is a wasted opportunity at satirising the action genre, being too meta for its own good. Hot Fuzz is a much better satire of the buddy cop and action genre.

A curious oddity

[tomgillespie2002 · 5/10 · 19 February 2012]

When young Danny Madigan (Austin O'Brien) is given a magic movie ticket by friendly cinema owner Nick (Robert Prosky) at an advance screening of new action movie Jack Slater IV, he is magically transported into the movie and into the car of supercop Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Danny starts to inform Slater about who the bad guys are after seeing them on screen, and the two are paired up as a mismatched investigative duo by Slater's screaming boss. Glass-eyed bad guy Mr. Benedict (Charles Dance) manages to get his hands on the magic ticket, and escapes into the real world, where he finds things are much easier for the bad guys. Slater must leave his action movie cliché of a world where he is nigh on invincible behind, and enter one where things are slightly more difficult.

Last Action Hero had one of the most expensive and turbulent page-to- screen stories in recent cinema history. Originally written as a self- mocking action movie that embraced the clichés of the genre, that was also a proper action movie in its own right. After an unexpected bidding war, the young scribes Zak Penn and Adam Leff were shocked to find that Arnold Schwarzenegger had taken a personal interest in it (the original hero name was Arno Slater). This was to be the turning point. Arnie saw the potential for a franchise as a kid's film and immediately wanted to tone down the violence, so Penn and Leff were fired, and genre legend Shane Black was hired to spruce up the script. Things changed yet again when director John McTiernan was brought in, and, due to the success of his previous films, was given full control.

A few script re-writes, firings, and storm-outs later, the film was shot and ready to hit the market. A toy franchise and a ridiculously expensive and calamitous advertising campaign (they paid half a million dollars to have the film's name on a NASA rocket, only to have the launched delayed till long after the film's release) were put into motion, and the film's release date was announced for the week after Jurassic Park's. Last Action Hero had disastrous test screenings, but the release date was not changed, and naturally, Jurassic Park stormed the box-office and merchandising range, and Last Action Hero was revealed to be an over-ambitious, confused dud of a movie. However, the legend is rather cruel on Schwarzenegger's biggest flop, as although it is a gigantic mess, it has plenty of interesting ideas than are unfortunately spewed out onto the film in ungraceful belches.

The biggest problem is that it doesn't know what kind of film it is. At its heart, its a kid's film, complete with annoying mop-haired child, a kindly old man, magic tickets and, um, a cartoon cat. Yet on its surface, its a rather uninspired action film that is actually rather violent and, once in the real world, is quite grim. The film never seems to know whether it wants to homage, spoof or simply in-joke. The movie world it creates is itself confused - while it has some funny touches such as the police line pairing together various mismatched partners - it also has women walking around in sexy, futuristic costumes, and the aforementioned cartoon cat called Whiskers (voiced by Danny DeVito). Seriously, whose idea was that? I've never seen a cartoon cat in a live- action action movie!

However, the sheer mess that is the complete film does prove Last Action Hero to be a curious little oddity. There have been much finer examples of action-movie send-ups, namely in Shane Black's own excellent Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), so perhaps the producers weren't ready back in 1993 to take on such an ambitious project. Arnie is pleasantly game for sending himself up, and Charles Dance chews the screen with his gloriously hammy British bad guy. But Last Action Hero will ultimately always be a reminder of how the Hollywood system to suck up an interesting maverick project, f**k it over a few times, and bundle it over the finishing line with such unbelievable inefficiency. I did love it as a kid, however.

www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

Clever Action Parody

[SteelBlue82 · 21 June 2019]

This movie alienates a lot of people. It's an action movie that is making fun of action movies. It's a kid's movie with violence and sexuality. It has a very creative and clever plot, but corny dialogue.

Last Action Hero is one of my personal favorites, but it's very niche.

Silly, Yet Smart

[lord-of-the-lez · 7/10 · 24 November 2018]

This movie is a lot of fun! It offers a clever commentary on the tropes in action films and the humor, while being juvenile and over-the-top wacky at times, is actually quite clever and meta. It also takes a while to warm up and I'd argue that the best part of the movie doesn't come until later, when the action hero finds himself in the real world. This movie is like Who Framed Roger Rabbit in that it's not sure if its target audience is kids or adults, but I think it's silliness mixed with the blood and the adult jokes is what makes it charming. And its ending was surprisingly heart-warming.

Last Action Hero is not Arnold's best movie, but it's worth a watch.

Through the Fourth Wall

[sol- · 7/10 · 4 November 2017]

Transported into the cinematic world of his favourite action hero, a young film fanatic struggles to convince the character that his life is one big movie in this ambitious exercise in meta/self-referential filmmaking starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not well received upon initial release, the film arguably tackles a bit too much for its own good. It is not only an action movie spoof, but a fourth wall breaking exercise, a surrogate father/son tale and a personal identity drama as the action hero gradually comes to accept that his world is make-believe. If messy and uneven, 'Last Action Hero' is nevertheless a lot of fun. The opening sequence is a bit of a spoof of director John McTiernan's 'Die Hard' and the preteen protagonist even comments on a situation being like in 'Die Hard' towards the end! There are also amusing moments to be had from the boy recognising F. Murray Abraham as the man who "killed Mozart", him imagining Schwarzenegger in Laurence Olivier's 'Hamlet' and a zany sequence involving Bergman's 'The Seventh Seal' near the end. The best moments though come from Schwarzenegger poking fun at himself and constantly mispronouncing his own name.

Blunt parody

[briancham1994 · 7/10 · 2 June 2020]

As a parody of cheesy 90s action movies, this film does the job, though it is blunt and the joke wears thin very quickly. Good thing the story does shift direction to keep the audience on their toes. It didn't fully live up to its potential though, and the protagonist really is a brat.

An Unappreciated Gem

[ReelCheese · 10/10 · 20 August 2006]

We all have that one movie we absolutely love but of which no one else seems to think very highly. My 10/10 rating for LAST ACTION HERO signals that this is mine. But before you laugh me out of IMDb, allow me to explain why I think this notorious bomb is in actuality an unappreciated gem.

The central highlight of LAST ACTION HERO is the plot. I've seen this film three times, and in each instance I've been completely drawn into the notion that there exists a magical Movieland where we too could travel if only we had a magic ticket. It's sort of every film buff's fantasy, one that we get to enjoy through young Danny Madigan(Austin O'Brien) as he meets up with clichéd action hero Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger, of course). It's priceless to see the real-world youth interact with the silver screen community and its cartoon cats, 555 phone numbers, and impossibly perfect women. It's equally entertaining when Slater comes into our world, discovering that he can't effortlessly smash his fist through a vehicle window or blow up his enemies with ease. Love it or hate it, you have to admit the story gets high marks for originality.

The writing is another highpoint, convincingly mixing so many great elements. Those behind the script nicely exploited the vast potential within the storyline. LAST ACTION HERO is on the one hand a satire of so many action films in which the likes of Schwarzenegger have straightfacedly starred. The oft-sequelized Slater chomps a cigar and wields bullets like confetti at a wedding, effortlessly taking out the bad guys and spewing witty quips. At another angle, the movie is a lighthearted romp, with one-liners and plenty of pokes at Hollywood. From another viewpoint, it's a dramatic piece, with Danny struggling to make it through an awkward age and Slater coming to grips with his unreeled existence -- and that in the real world, the bad guys can and do win. Nowhere along the line is it Oscar-caliber stuff, but it is entertaining.

There are other things to like about LAST ACTION HERO. The action is well-paced and well-placed. The acting is more than up to par, with O'Brien and Schwarzenegger great individually and as a tandem. The humor is sharp and effective, with Arnie often hilarious in his self-deprecating ways.

Perhaps much of the negative criticism directed LAST ACTION HERO came from those who didn't understand what it was trying to do. This was never meant to be another one of Arnie's shoot-'em-ups, lame attempts at comedy or even a family film. It was just meant to be fun to watch. And that's what matters most in any film. There are things about the film that don't work, but there are things about THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE that don't work, either. All that really matters is, Are we entertained? On that note, LAST ACTION HERO delivers.

Hate or love it

[tjamp · 7/10 · 20 June 2002]

This movie is definately one of Arnolds best... Why most peóple don't like this beats me... If they cant see that its a total parody on all action films and espeacially arnold flicks, then... well, anyway this really is pretty intelligent film, even though plot tend to drop on occasion, but all time classic scenes like outruning a trillion bullets at the mob funeral and after falling into a pool of tar cleans him self up with a paper napkin... and lines like Ha... You're out of bulletss.... This really is a very wacthable film

Mediocre Action/Comedy, starts fine but falls hard

[Samiam3 · 5/10 · 21 December 2010]

"This'll work, It's a movie, and I'm the good guy." so says young Danny Madigan, as he pedals furiously on a stolen bike towards an oncoming bad guys car. This is the kind of movie that Last Action Hero wants to be.

Danny's hero is the character of Jack Slayer played by Arnold Swartzenegger. Hollywood is about to release the fourth entry in the Slayer series. Danny's projectionist friend has access to a copy of the film, and he offers to give Danny a private screening. A stroke of magic takes Danny into the movie itself, where he becomes Slayer's partner. Together they are going after a notorious drug lord in LA.

So long as it sticks to self parody, Last Action Hero is watchable. dozens of cars (and one ice cream truck) explode in impossible ways, people go flying through mid air, off buildings, across rooms like there is no gravity in the movie, Slayer has more guns and ammo in his glove compartment than is physically possible, and for reasons he cannot figure out, he can't bring himself to say the 'f' word (because as Danny tries to point out, it's a PG-13 movie)And it's not just Action movies that get a comedic treatment, We have jokes from Amadeus, Witness, and The Seventh Seal. It's curious how an eleven year old boy can know so much about movies which he'd be too young to get into.

Despite its ability to wink at itself, Last Action Hero still feels at a loss. It never quite rises about the stuff it mocks, because it still feels like a b-movie experience. And this isn't even the worst problem.

Eventually, director John McTiernan takes the fight out of the movie world and back into the real world. It is here where Last Action Hero crumbles. It's astonishing how long it takes to end. The fluidity and humour just about vanish. The appearance of Slayer at the premier of his movie is amusing, but I found myself getting bored really fast. Another problem is that Swarzenegger and Austin O'Brien, don't make a good pair. Swarzenneger gets good one liners but like most action heroes he delivers them all the same way, and O'Brian acts like he is only half involved in the movie.

The Last Action hero is good for a few laughs early on, but it gets carried away, and the finished project feels too clumsy and unbalanced to recommend.

Great movie! Those who hate it just don't understand the joke.

[Skeletors_Hood · 10/10 · 31 January 2003]

Okay folks, this movie is what's called a spoof, send-up, parody, satire, or all of the above. If you were expecting a serious action movie, well DUHHHH!! No wonder you hated it!

I happen to think that it is real clever that Arnold was willing to spoof the genre that he had been trapped in for most of his life. So few actors are willing to do that, even in a bit of fun. Acting is a job, but it's supposed to be fun as well. Not every movie we see is meant to win an oscar. They are just entertainment. Take it for what it's intended.

This movie is on my top five of my favorite Arnold films, because of it's boldness, and the fact that Arnold can be really funny when he wants to be. It's on my top twenty favorite comedy movies, and it's also in my DVD collection. Don't worry Arnold. Your true fans love this movie.

The Magic Ticket

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 29 January 2017]

The future Guvernator of California stars in this film that literally shatters dimensions. It's all about a ticket more valuable than the one that got you into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. This one allows young Austin O'Brien to get into one of the films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Jack Slater hero cop with one of those special weapons that never seem to need reloading.

Young O'Brien's world is taken up with the movies, his is one humdrum and typically anxiety filled life of an adolescent and his preoccupation with the cinema is driving mother Mercedes Ruehl a little batty. But one day the cinema projectionist Robert Prosky gives him a special golden admission ticket that allows O'Brien to enter the Schwarzenegger film and become an additional character.

Since he seems to know what's going on ahead of everybody that becomes a problem for O'Brien. But not half the problem the real world gets when one of the screen villains develops a consciiousness about who he is and invades the real world. In fact Tom Noonan realizes the perfect way to solve all his problems in the film.

Such folks as F. Murray Abraham, Anthony Quinn, and Art Carney get to do some nice characterizations in the film. This was Carney's farewell performance.

Schwarzenegger and O'Brien have a nice chemistry going themselves. And Arnie gets a chance to spoof a bit of himself.

Last Action Hero holds up well as entertainment. It does date however since now the big screen uses those DVDs. Those cans of film you see in the projectionist unintentionally truly date the work.

The world is a better place because of John McTiernon.

[kgprophet · 5/10 · 28 November 2011]

John McTiernan is a master action movie craftsman. He helped change the equation with the blockbuster "Diehard". He made sitting around in a submarine exciting in "Hunt For Red October". He also made "Predator", a great action vehicle for rising star Arnold Schwartzenwhatever. "Last Action Hero" was in reality a different genre than another Hollywood action flick, and is both successful at the attempt and at fault at the execution. McTiernan helped reinvigorate the action genre by turning the action hero into a normal guy in "Diehard". Similarly, the man who saves the day in "Hunt for Red October" is just a CIA analyst who reluctantly gets involved. For Arnold, he had done over-the-top "Total Recall" and been nearly invincible in "Terminator 2". For this director/star pair, it seemed like the next step in 'taking it to the next level'. Both probably realised that any action film that tried to top the last big action film would become a self-parody. So they deliberately poked fun at the ridiculousness of the genre. However, that made the film no longer a big Hollywood action movie, it made it an experimental film, almost like a Godard film.

Playing with the characters, the story conventions, the glitzy production sets, the always great looking actors, etc., the scriptwriters managed to pigeon-hole every cliché into this screenplay, and for the most part it looks like the filmmakers had a ball doing it. The folly came with the primary character being a 13 year old (or so) kid. He was played a little too cliché as well, not realistic enough for supposedly being from the "real world". Then there was the whole gimmick of transporting to the movie world via a "magic ticket". That really had little inspiration and should have been more indistinct (a worm hole, the kid is really dreaming, etc).

What works, ironically, is that however over-the-top the crimes the bad guy commits in the movie world, he seemingly can get away with much more in the real world (at least in the tougher neighbourhoods in New York). The other statement (which reshoots probably backtracked on) is that people actually get hurt in the real world when they go through a plate glass window, or get shot by a bullet. It is easy to see why the movie was not well received. The main objective of a summer movie-going audience is to forget about the troubles of the real world, and basically take a roller coaster ride for 2 hours. The moment the blood or pain we see on the screen is supposed be real, it is no longer fun.

For the first 2/3 of LAH, we are given that roller coaster ride that would later be the norm for director Michael Bay. Flying cars, explosions every few minutes, and bad bad bad dialogue. I found myself smiling along during the wink and nods at the movie clichés, but only to get annoyed when the kid started griping about it constantly. The old theatre guy also felt a bit uninspired. I think McTiernan should feel lucky he was able to get away with making this film, because the world is a better place for it.

A meta thrill ride for movie lovers

[jimjo1216 · 3 June 2015]

LAST ACTION HERO (1993) is a clever satire of blockbuster action films and is loaded with meta references that are sure to delight movie buffs.

At the heart of the story is Danny Madigan (Austin O'Brien), a young movie lover, raised by a single mom (Mercedes Ruehl) in New York City, who skips school to watch his favorite action flicks for the umpteenth time at a dilapidated movie palace run by a dotty old man named Nick (Robert Prosky). Danny escapes his troubles in the adrenaline-pumping fantasies of the cinema, especially the JACK SLATER film series.

The JACK SLATER movies spoof the action franchises popular at the time, like DIE HARD or LETHAL WEAPON. Jack Slater is the ultimate badass, working for the LAPD but doing things his own way. Chomping on cigars, kicking down doors. Going where other cops wouldn't dare.

In the film, the star of the JACK SLATER series is real-world action superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger, which is LAST ACTION HERO's biggest meta concept as Schwarzenegger stars as a parody of himself (playing both Arnold and Arnold-as-Jack).

With the help of an enchanted ticket given to Nick by the famed escape artist Harry Houdini, Danny is able to enter the world of the newest JACK SLATER movie and help Jack beat the bad guys. It should be a dream come true, but instead of just going along with it, Danny tries to shatter Jack's worldview by proving that he "lives" in a fictional movie universe, full of improbable explosions, predictable one-liners, and physics-defying stunts. Danny calls out Jack for using well-known Arnold catchphrases like "I'll be back" and tries to explain the absurdity of Jack's LAPD colleague being an animated anthropomorphic cat (voiced by Danny DeVito). Jack thinks Danny's crazy (obviously), but Danny's uncanny knowledge of secret information (gleaned from watching prior installments of the JACK SLATER series, as well as the opening scenes from this one) gets him assigned as Jack's partner, in true buddy movie fashion.

Danny is always completely self-aware about being the comic sidekick in an action movie. He knows Jack Slater's world is governed by plot contrivances and movie clichés. He even calls out the villain for monologuing. Austin O'Brien doesn't do a bad job in the film, but he does start to get on my nerves a little.

The fun really starts once the villain (Charles Dance) gets ahold of the magic ticket and enters the real world, a place where heroes can bleed and bad guys can actually win. Jack and Danny track him to the star-studded premiere of JACK SLATER IV, where fictional hero Jack Slater comes face-to-face with Hollywood superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger (among other fun celebrity cameos).

The satire of LAST ACTION HERO is on-point. Besides getting Arnold Schwarzenegger to spoof himself, the movie is directed by John McTiernan, who directed DIE HARD (1988), and the screenplay was co-written by Shane Black, who wrote LETHAL WEAPON (1987). The top-notch pedigree surely helps sell the film's high concept.

The script has a lot of potential for the right actor, and Arnold Schwarzenegger seems like he's having a lot of fun with the material. It wouldn't be the same without a real A-list action star playing Jack Slater. Arnold has a good sense of humor about himself and seems to enjoy playing with his image.

One of the best in-jokes for serious movie buffs comes early in the film when Danny's English teacher, played by Joan Plowright, introduces a clip from Laurence Olivier's HAMLET (1948), suggesting that the students might know the British acting legend from his late-career role of Zeus in CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981) or an older TV commercial for Polaroid. Plowright is, of course, Olivier's widow.

In addition to HAMLET, the movie includes nods to Ingmar Bergman's THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957), Francis Ford Coppola's DRACULA_(1992), and WITNESS (1985) with Harrison Ford. In the movie world Danny warns Jack not to trust his FBI buddy John Practice because he is played by F. Murray Abraham, the guy who "killed Mozart" (an allusion to AMADEUS (1984)). A Humphrey Bogart-type detective in a trench coat appears in one of the JACK SLATER police station scenes. And since "Arnold Schwarzenegger" can't exist in the fictional world of Jack Slater, his famous role in the TERMINATOR films is played instead by Sylvester Stallone.

The JACK SLATER action is hilariously over-the-top and stylized, satirizing Hollywood action blockbusters and further contrasting the fantasy world of the silver screen with the real world Danny knows. The original story, developed by Zak Penn and Adam Leff, is quite clever and the film, unconventional as it is, succeeds because of its uniqueness. The movie's a lot of fun and there are plenty of Easter eggs for hardcore cinephiles.

In hindsight, not a bad movie

[hk2-1 · 7/10 · 12 January 2019]

I remember seeing this when this first came out and was disappointed after seeing it. but after seeing this on tv later, i found it quite enjoyable.

i think the biggest problem this movie encountered the first time around was that it was marketed as a big budget action movie, so that everyone walking into it expecting it to be such was disappointed. if you walk into it knowing what it really was: a satire of the 80s-early 90s action blockbusters, then it becomes enjoyable. Arnold making fun of himself was pretty damn hilarious, along with all the action cliches at the time. the only real complaint was the run time. it was pretty long and could have shaved off 10 to 20 minutes, but otherwise very enjoyable and worth watching again with open eyes.

A good movie, but one major downfall is too much to bear.

[behamut · 6/10 · 2 November 2001]

Last action hero was a good movie. The plot was very interesting and creative and Arnold Scharzenegger, despite other opinions, does a good job of acting. The whole plot of Jack Slater (Arnold) taking on the villains, having to come out of the movie to catch them, and being assisted by a fan of the Jack Slater films is well thought out and entertaining. This enough, should have been in line for a great film and it would have been if one key factor would have been left out. The main character, Danny, is so incredibly annoying that one gets worn out of his constant blabbering to convince Jack Slater that he's not real, everything around him is a movie, and that in real life, he's Arnold Schwarzenegger. Seriously though, if ANYONE, especially a kid that's a fan of the film, was able to go into their favorite movie of all time, they would be living it up and enjoying it!! But in this film, they had him irritated the whole time because no one would believe him that none of it was real and that it was just some movie. The line "because this is a movie!" just got a little old after the umf hundredth time. If Danny's dialogue had been altered to express the idea that he was just having fun and helped Jack Slater nail the bad guys, and help him out when they enter the real world, it would have been a fun and enjoyable film. But the annoyance level of the main character was a little too much to take. I wish the kid's dialogue would have been done right so that I could have been allowed to enjoy what could have been a good movie. It's a real shame.