Last Action Hero

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.

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.

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.

After a string of predictable cookie cutter script action flicks that made money from Arnie's muscles and persona, one studio decided to take a chance and try a Hollywood self-mocking film starring the big guy. It had a story line that actually made one think and pay attention in order to appreciate the paradoxes arising from its premise.( A fun side effect is that its movie within a movie allowed for some more over-the-top stunts and tough guy scenes than even the simplest knuckle dragging mouth breathing 'action' film fans would normally sit for) Scenes with recognized characters drawn from recent popular films were played tongue in cheek and while the story proceeded on a couple of levels there were enough innuendos and amusing elements in the background to keep the viewer's appreciative attention. The result of this comparatively well polished gamble was the sort of reception reflected by the vote results in this IMDB poll. A surprizing number of viewers don't like it.

Maybe the studios waited too long to try a movie like this with Arnold. It is possible that the market segment that would appreciate a film like this had already dismissed Arnie as the Commando/Raw Deal lout and dismissed the film unseen, while the usual shoot'em punch'em fans found their brains hurting too much from trying to follow a real story.

One thing is sure, the studios are watching and you can bet they won't make that mistake again. Get ready for more movies that play to the lowest common denominator and are written so the dullest gonk in the movie house can still comprehend the plot. Red Sonja, Judge Dredd, The Running Man, here they come.

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