Last Action Hero (1993)'s comments

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Siskoid

Die Hard helped kill the 80s action film, the one where the hero is an unbeatable hulk, usually Arnold or Sylvester. The paradigm shifted to more human, more vulnerable action stars like Bruce Willis' John McClane, guys you could believe would get HURT. The man responsible, director John McTiernan nevertheless says goodbye to the era with some fondness in Last Action Hero, a loving spoof of 80s action cinema. Schwarzenegger had some massive hits in the years following (he's hard to kill), but in 1993, people were maybe getting sick of his brand, so the film didn't do well (and his fans would have grumbled at the self-parody). It's aged rather well out of its historical context, probably because it's easier to tickle our nostalgia now than it was in the waning years of the genre. It is a LOT of fun. McTiernan opens with gorgeous action cinematography that wouldn't look out of place in Hong Kong cinema. The action sequences aren't any more ridiculous than Fast and Furious fare - give or take jokes about genre tropes - and are still up to snuff. Arnold's character is as cool as he is corny. The "action movie" universe quite amusing. The magic ticket fantasy Amblin-esque (so watch for the Spielberg call-back). The cameos a lot of fun too. I wasn't expecting such a fun ride (my memories of it were dim indeed), but yeah, put me in the convinced column.

5 years 3 months ago

Rene Narciso

Back in the 1990s, this was one of my favorite movies. At the time, I was very burned out of action movies, and I loved how this movie skewered them and I didn't understand why most other folks didn't see the brilliance I saw.

25 years later, I still love this movie, but I can see the flaws now. This is a movie that has several very clever bits, but they never quite gel into one great whole. I think Pleasantville and The Purple Rose of Cairo do the whole "reality and fiction" converge far better and with more heart.

Last Action Hero sometimes is a satire, sometimes a straight action-fantasy movie, sometimes a drama about a kid without a father, but these disparate parts don't mesh well, IMO, and none of them runs very deep.

It's still a very interesting movie, but it could have been so much more.

6 years 6 months ago

LMTR14

underrated

10 years 6 months ago

Earring72

Much better than my memory. This aged very well. Fun and tons of action

2 years 7 months ago

beeswax

Houdini wrote:
This had to [have] been the first time a movie character realizes he's a movie character.

Did you choose your iCheckMovies moniker based on the Houdini references in this film? If so, that's pretty meta.

Last Action Hero is just one of many examples of the use of meta-reference, which is explained here. (Last Action Hero screenwriter Shane Black would use the conceit of movies interfering with real life (and vice versa) again in his directorial debut, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.)

Although he's not referenced in the Wikipedia article, Woody Allen plays with meta-reference throughout his career, including the very famous Marshall McLuhan gag in Annie Hall, but more deeply in works like Play It Again, Sam and The Purple Rose of Cairo, which itself is partly an homage to Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr.

One of my favorites is Sacha Guitry's The Story of a Cheat, which takes the form of a film biography narrated by the main character.

Also not mentioned at Wikipedia are examples in early animation in which animated characters interact with their animators. See the work of the Fleischer brothers or Winsor McKay.

Warner Bros. Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons are rife with meta-reference. One of the most famous examples is the stellar Daffy Duck cartoon Duck Amuck.

It looks like you've got a lot of watching to do!

8 years 4 months ago

danisanna

It's very tongue in cheek. But it's funny, slightly corny and the kid is cute. It's not bad.

9 years 8 months ago

Xondar

The kid is a really bad actor. A good child actor would have elevated this stinker to a whole new level.

4 years 5 months ago

Kenneth McMahon

Vengeance is mine. Don't touch...!

5 years 7 months ago

xianjiro

In the 60's, the Arkoff Formula aimed for the 19 year old male.

If only Last Action Hero aimed that high. Yes. Cute. Occasionally funny.

And yes, The Lego Movie deserved the Oscar.

At least Last Action Hero didn't take itself too seriously. There's something we can agree on.

9 years 1 month ago

Houdini

Unique and fun. This had to of been the first time a movie character realizes he's a movie character.

12 years 6 months ago

Dieguito

Laaaaaaaame!!!

12 years 4 months ago