Last Action Hero (1993)

[kimba2488 17]

A cinephile latchkey kid obtains a magical movie ticket which transports him into an action movie. There he comes face to face with Arnold Schwarzenegger, his favorite action hero. Halfway through the film, the movie world leaks out into the real world and the fictional character Arnold Schwarzenegger plays has to figure out how to defeat an over the top movie style villain, but with real world rules.

 

This movie involves Danny Devito as an animated cat, Arnold Schwarzenegger playing himself, a trip to a Blockbuster store and Arnold Schwarzenegger having a full-on Buzz Lightyear-esque existential crisis.

 

It's not really a bad movie, but it's definitely ridiculous.

 

Also, it appears you can watch this movie on youtube.

[seanotron 2307]

I believe this was Arnold's first box office bomb (at least the first after he became a legit star).

[RyanSz 3140]

This is a part of my guilty pleasure DVD collection along with Judge Dredd and the Aliens vs. Predator movies. I do love that it makes fun of the action movie genre in general, but it messes up by being too on the nose about it, though it is nice to see Arnold acknowledge how insane his style of movies are. It was also great to see how odd the cameos were: you had Robert Patrick and Sharon Stone playing their characters from Terminator 2 and Basic Instinct, Danny Devito as the aforementioned animated cat, MC Hammer, Little Richard, James Belushi, Timothy Dalton, Ian McKellan, and Tina Turner. Plus, you can see the always great Charles Dance play a pretty decent villain with a straight face in this crazy movie.

[BagguhMcGuirk 104]

I was going to add this last night bur forgot, although I to enjoy watching this on some level, if for no other reason than the "silent but deadly" line.

 

By the way Seanotron, that guy is my favorite "expert" on ancient aliens. I love how no matter what the episode is about they have the same 5 experts for every topic.

[jarrycanada 2483]

I approve of this selection..

 

You know there is a interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger on david letterman promoting true lies some film after or around that time frame and I never forgot this, to this day.The subject of last action hero came up and classic arnold move he said, " everyone says that last action movie wasn't that good of a film but no one had gone to see it. so how do they know it's bad.' LOL

 

It's got to be on youtube. or someplace.

[RyanSz 3140]

I approve of this selection..

 

You know there is a interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger on david letterman promoting true lies some film after or around that time frame and I never forgot this to this day.The subject of last action hero came up and classic arnold move he said, " everyone says that last action movie wasn't that good of a film but no one had gone to see it. so how do they know it's bad, if they didn't go and see it.' LOL

 

It's got to be on youtube. or someplace.

 

That is sound logic. Maybe that's why it's developed a cult following after it came out on video.

[lamuella 2]

this was the first movie where Aahnold played a parody of Aahnold. It's amazing he went from Terminator 2 to this in a year or so.

[jarrycanada 2483]

The thing I love about arnold in every interview he does, his current movie is the greatest action movie ever made. he's such a sales man.. go watch some of his interviews on youtube he says the same line in every interview.

[seanotron 2307]

One of my favorite things in the world is Arnold's DVD commentary for Conan. He literally just describes what is happening without giving any insight whatsoever.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSqnFxVaIx4

[jarrycanada 2483]

I have this dvd conan, I love the part where he talks about Conan the Destroyer and working with Grace Jones. thats the best part. I guess during the filming of Destroyer they didn't have time to train grace that much so she hurt a lot of stunt men swing those swords.

[lolholm 5]

Great suggestion this.

[RyanSz 3140]

I gotta bump this because I'm amazed this movie hasn't been done on the show yet, or the fact that only two Arnold movies have been done on the show

[Johnny Unusual 525]

OK, we need an episode on that commentary.

 

One of my favorite things in the world is Arnold's DVD commentary for Conan. He literally just describes what is happening without giving any insight whatsoever.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSqnFxVaIx4

[nrkist 71]

It's a good idea. Conan 1982 is the better option. There is this strange magnetism that Schwarzenegger possesses though. Even though he is hammy and awful, it feels like he is totally IN on it and does a good job of bringing the audience on board. Best line of the commentary from that clip was Schwarzenegger's revelatory: "Man, I was getting laid alot in this movie...<chuckle>"

 

Edit: I do wanna give a shoutout to: "And all of a sudden...he's has to listen...to the women problems...and...uh..." It's so perfect in it's delivery. He could have been a standup comedian.

[PhillipMedoc 648]

It's a good idea. Conan 1982 is the better option. There is this strange magnetism that Schwarzenegger possesses though. Even though he is hammy and awful, it feels like he is totally IN on it and does a good job of bringing the audience on board. Best line of the commentary from that clip was Schwarzenegger's revelatory: "Man, I was getting laid alot in this movie...<chuckle>"

 

Edit: I do wanna give a shoutout to: "And all of a sudden...he's has to listen...to the women problems...and...uh..." It's so perfect in it's delivery. He could have been a standup comedian.

Quoting this because I'm out of Likes. Fucking gold. And I think it's a brilliant idea to do an episode on Conan with the commentary instead of the vanilla audio. That'd be impressive.

[mattfondacaro 5]

I would love for HDTGM to tackle this film, as it completely falls apart in the third act, but I do believe that the first part of the movie is actually great, as it delves into a satirical look at big-budget action films of the late 80s and early 90s, full of intentional continuity errors, a parody of movie cliches with a self-referential humor and jokes where your tongue is firmly planted in your cheek (except the third act). I feel this movie was too ahead of its time in making fun of the genre and also being destroyed by the release of Jurassic Park. The Hamlet scene is hilariously amazing, as is the plot of the film within a film, wherein Jack Slater is seeking revenge on those who killed his second favorite cousin (Art Carney). Coupled with an animated cat and John McTiernan's stock of bad guy goons from Die Hard (sadly minus William Atherton who was wanted for the role that went to Charles Dance), this movie transcends the mediocrity and banality it was labeled as in 1993 and in fact does stand the test of time of poking fun at the action movie tropes that many silly/fun action-adventure movies of this era are now just embracing. This movie is amazing. 5 stars! 10 stars!

[MelissaBecker 79]

I think one of the problems this movie had at the time was that it was very expensive and that it was marketed very much at children when it was pretty violent, and that it couldn't strike the right tone between "actual action movie" and "mocking action movies".

 

(The tone is really hard to get right in the movie that it a deconstruction of other movies. Scream, Cabin in the Woods, and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang get it right but LOTS of movies don't. Last Action Hero ended up really having too many people touching the script and that didn't help make the tone any clearer.)

 

This article from Empire magazine gets into the real "How Did This Get Made" of the movie. http://www.empireonline.com/features/last-action-hero

[SamTaurone 18]

I love this movie. "Want to be a farmer? Here's a few acres!"

[Big McLargehuge 31]

In the previously-mentioned troubled third act, fake Schwarzenegger meets real-life Schwarznegger and says: "I don't like you. You've brought me nothing but pain." (Or something like that. I don't feel like researching it.) Can anyone tell me what this means? It's haunted me ever since the 90s. Which script doctor snuck that crap in? I'd like to punch him* in his stupid body. What kind of person would write such a thing? Why?!

 

 

*How do I know it's not a "she"? BECAUSE, that's why! (Also, it messes up my punching fantasy.)

 

 

UNRELATED THOUGHT: I was watching the bonus features on the Collateral Damage DVD (because I hate free time apparently) and in one of the outtakes, Schwarzenegger says, "Of all the movies I've done, this one is the most recent." I still think that's a good-ass joke.

[Smigg 1488]

Can't fully hate this movie, because the soundtrack is fucking bad ass.

[Lando 2019]

I remember reading an article on cracked about the top 5ish failed promotions and this one was up there. Apparently they shelled out a TON of money to NASA to paint a billboard of this film on a rocket, however the launch had to be rescheduled and essentially launched and promoted the movie months after it had flopped at the box office.

 

Also, the soundtrack has probably one of the most underrated Alice in Chains songs

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

I remember reading an article on cracked about the top 5ish failed promotions and this one was up there. Apparently they shelled out a TON of money to NASA to paint a billboard of this film on a rocket, however the launch had to be rescheduled and essentially launched and promoted the movie months after it had flopped at the box office.

 

Also, the soundtrack has probably one of the most underrated Alice in Chains songs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKXIk45pL0o

And it had TWO Alice in Chains songs on it! It was an amazing soundtrack full of songs by bands I was into at the time that still hold up. I was allllllll about Alice In Chains, Megadeth, the new John Bush version of Anthrax, Fishbone, Cypress Hill, and then the AC/DC track was solid, and the inclusion of the live version of Aerosmith's "Dream On" from the MTV anniversary show was much appreciated. The only soundtrack from this time that I MIGHT still listen to more is "Judgment Night".

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

It was also scored by Buckethead.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

It was also scored by Buckethead.

Yeah, it had Michael Kamen, who'd done a lot of really good rock scores, accompanied by Buckethead.

[Bugs Meany 69]

Don't forget "Big Gun" by AC/DC. That's the one thing I took away from LAH.