Last Action Hero

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, F. Murray Abraham, Austin O'Brien, Robert Prosky, Art Carney, Anthony Quinn, Charles Dance, Ian McKellen, Mercedes Ruehl, Bridgette Wilson, James Belushi (cameo), Chevy Chase (cameo), Robert Patrick (cameo), Jean Claude Van Damme (cameo), Damon Wayans (cameo), Danny DeVito
Directed by: John McTiernan
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure
1993

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: A young boy (Austin O'Brien) is a huge movie fan, specifically of Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a famous action character. When given a magic ticket by his projectionist friend (Robert Prosky), he is transported into the movie, where he teams up with Jack Slater to stop a villain (Charles Dance) and eventually get back to his world.

Review:

Tim: I know this is a guilty pleasure, but I truly love this movie. I first saw it when I was fairly young, and I just had so much fun watching this movie. Years later, watching from a more objective viewpoint, I can say that this is a very enjoyable movie. Yes, you have to suspend disbelief and just throw yourself into the film. If you can do this, you'll find a surprisingly fun and effective action film.

Part of the reason I am such a fan of Last Action Hero is because it is an action movie, but also has a great deal of commentary about movies in general. This required more intelligence than you might expect- to spoof action movies while at the same time giving us a fairly good action movie at the same time. Some of my favorite moments involve the spoofing of movies. I love Austin O'Brien's line- "He killed Mozart!" about F. Murray Abraham (who was so excellent in Amadeus. I also loved the video store scene, particularly Sylvester Stallone as The Terminator in Terminator 2. These scenes are hilarious.

The film's strongest aspect is really the cast. I can't think of a film where Arnold Schwarzenegger has been more effective. He plays a spoof of himself, while also managing to be a fairly good action hero. I believed him as Jack Slater, but I also loved his humor with himself (for example- "You want to be a farmer? Here's a couple of achers" or ("'I'll be back' - you didn't know I was going to say that, did you?"). Schwarzenegger was truly terrific in this movie. You also have to love Austin O'Brien, giving one of those inspired child performances that is impossible to duplicate. O'Brien and Schwarzenegger work extremely well together in a love-hate relationship. I had so much fun watching these two.

I also have to mention the impressive supporting cast. You have the always terrific F. Murray Abraham, Charles Dance playing one of the best villains in recent years, Anthony Quinn in a funny role, and even a perfectly cast Ian McKellen in a small role. The cast in this film is terrific, and I am not even going into detail about Brigette Wilson, Danny DeVito's voice, or the extensive cameos. The cast is so strong in this film.

One of the best aspects of this film is that it hits on one of the deepest desires of any movie lover. Who hasn't dreamt of being sucked into a movie, sharing battles and laughs with our cinematic heroes? I love the very idea of being transported into our favorite movies, and a big part of why I love this movie. We are also given some excellent action sequences. The abduction scene in Slater's home is excellent, as is the rooftop funeral. Yes, these scenes are beyond belief, but that is all part of the fun.

Last Action Hero is an overlooked gem of a movie. It is seriously one of the most fun viewing experiences I have had in recent years. I just love watching this movie and could watch it over and over again. I know this is not a perfect movie, but I feel like it is so enjoyable and well made that I can't recommend this movie enough.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies