Last Action Hero (1993) (DVD Review)
Directed By: John McTiernan
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, F. Murray Abraham, Art Carney
Rated: PG-13/Region: 1/WideScreen/Number of disc: 1
Available from Mill Creek Entertainment
Young Danny Madigan is a big fan of Jack Slater, a larger-than-life action hero played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. When his best friend, Nick the projectionist, gives him a magic ticket to the new Jack Slater film, Danny is transported into Slater’s world, where the good guys always win. One of Slater’s enemies, Benedict the hitman, gets hold of the ticket and ends up in Danny’s world, where he realises that if he can kill Schwarzenegger, Slater will be no more. Slater and Danny must travel back and stop him.
I love this movie. I know that isn’t the popular thing to say about it, but it hits me right in the soft spot for many reasons. These are reasons I didn’t get when I was a kid and first watched this movie that even then I thought ran a little too long for its own good. As an adult now I think I get what it going on and it has parts that I find just hilarious and I’m a hard guy to please on the comedy front. Schwarzenegger is a real hoot in a self-aware role that pokes fun at just about everything he and action films as whole were known for. I think the film failed when it came out because it was aimed at kids who just couldn’t understand the point and the satire of the film. This should have been something for adults and I think anyone who revisits it now will see why.
I can’t stress enough just how smart I think this movie really is. It gets the wacky things that always happen in serious action films and it turns them on their head for a good laugh and for the most part it got just that out of me. The film like I mentioned before does run a bit long, but I don’t think I’d say that it drags and it needs the second half as long as it is to really bring the point home as a whole. I guess sometimes you just got to go with it, even if the film did need about ten minutes trimmed off of it. I’d still call this film a winner overall and a lot of fun for anyone who’s willing to give it a watch with an open mind.
– None
