Classic Review: Last Action Hero (1993)

Arnold Schwarzenegger was the biggest star in the early 90s, with a string of huge successes like Total Recall, Terminator 2 and even comedies as Kindergarten Cop. So, when his new movie was set to be released in the summer of 1993, the industry already knew which movie would be the champ of the season, and they marketed it and prepared accordingly.

Unfortunately, Last Action Hero ended up facing this small, independent movie that came out of nowhere just a week before and it totally dominated the box office for the entire summer. That little film is called Jurassic Park. What makes things even more ironic is that Schwarzenegger’s campaign openly mocked Spielberg’s film, turning the embarrassment even more prominent. It’s impossible to deny that qualities of Jurassic Park, and there is a point to be had that no other movie, as best and original as it could have been, would be able to face off the magical experience that was the first dino movie. Few films actually change the course of film history, and Jurassic Park is definitely one of them. This one never had a chance, and the movie itself didn’t help win that fight.

Last Action Hero follows Danny (Austin O’Brien), a kid living in a very tough part of New York. His only escape is the movie theater close to his home, where he escapes his reality and cheer for his biggest hero, Jack Slater (Schwarzenegger). The projectionist invites him to watch a screen test of the latest entry of the Slater series and he offer Danny a special ticket Houdini once gave him. When he splits the ticket in half, magic happens, and Danny is transported into the fictional world he always fantasized with, meeting his hero and helping him fight the bad guys.

The film’s premise is a clear mashup of The Purple Rose of Cairo with Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and it works to a degree. The idea is very entertaining, and the first part of the film is a delicious homage to film history and the craziness of action films. In a way, looking at it in retrospect, it might have been the first time that action sequences forced themselves out of reality, not trying to pretend the crazy moments seem real, but enhancing the absurdity on purpose and making it clear they are not supposed to be real at all, something that became more popular years later in such films as Charlie’s Angels.

The beginning of the film was the best part but it also has a big conceptual problem: it doesn’t truly connect with the people it should connect with. Last Action Hero was supposed to be a summer blockbuster, and its targeted audience was clearly teenagers. But the irony and the references the film displays, i.e., the parts that bring that extra charm and originality to the script, are not really meant for teens. Without that understanding, it loses most of its spark. Being a teen when the film first came out, most of the jokes and references just passed me by. Upon rewatching the film, it is easy to understand what it was doing therefore making it way more fun. Do you really expect kids to get the Hamlet reference, as brilliant and hilarious as it is? Do you really believe teens watched Amadeus, an absolutely phenomenal 3-hour movie released when most of them were toddlers?

Schwarzenegger and the entire cast sell the premise and work the best they can to deliver the fun, even O’Brien, who should not be guilted for having such an annoying character. And they succeed for a good part of it. The thing is, after the fun of the premise is over, the film very quickly becomes just a zany, tiring action-adventure film, and the substance is just not there. While it has entertaining moments, none of them rise above, not even the uninspired premiere sequence which should have been a true highlight of the film. Even Charles Dance, who creates a wonderful villain with Benedict, is not really given proper material to shine.

In the end. Last Action Hero is fun to watch but it underwhelms in the end.

still courtesy of Columbia Pictures

If you like this review, look me up on Instagram for more suggestions.

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

leandromatos1981