After a trio of amazing films, John Mctiernan faltered with Medicine Man. While not a bad film it wasn't a great one either; more dramatic than his previous work but also not as well put together. And made all the worse by following three masterpieces of cinematic history. So when Last Action Hero;was announced as his next film, things were looking good.
McTiernan would be reunited with Schwarzenegger in a big budget action film (that he has proven so adept at) witha script by Shane Black (of Lethal Weapon fame). How could it falter? It seemed like a guaranteed hit. But there was a slight hitch with the release date, June 18th, 1993. A worse release date couldn't have been chosen, as it was one week after the phenomenon that was Jurassic Park.
Jurassic Park tore up the box office and devoured everything around it. Last Action Hero didn't stand a chance. It didn't help that critics gave it bad reviews either, but it was mainly Spielberg and the dinosaurs that got in it's way. Which is a real shame because this movie deserves better than it got then. I loved this movie on release and all these years later, when I'm all growed up, I still love it.
It may not be high class art but it sure delivers enough thrills, spills, laughs and frills. It's a welcome return to action for McTiernan and one of Arnold's better performances. While not up to the same standards as McTiernan's trifecta of treasures, it still is a pretty decent movie.
British thespian Charles Dance does a fantastic job and almost steals the movie from the other actors as the main baddie. But in a movie where there are tons of fabulous actors in various roles (Anthony Quinn, F. Murray Abraham, Ian McKellan) it's hard to keep the limelight. As I mentioned earlier, even Arnold is pretty good in this, playing Jack Slater and himself. Austin O'Brien plays Danny, and at 12 years old, pulls off the role fairly well. There are parts where he seems a little wooden, but he handles the emotional scenes pretty well.
The story tells of a boy who gets sucked into a movie and rides along with his hero, Jack Slater. He goes along on missions, becomes Slater's partner and continually tries to convince Slater that he is in a movie. The movie is also a satire on hollywood and the action genre and has some truly funny moments. Ian McKellen is a hoot and some of the in-jokes are hilarious. Arnold trying to pronounce his last name is priceless.
And the action is big and large too (well mostly). The first hour and a bit of the movie is set in the make believe world of Jack Slater. The action is loud, crazy and non-stop. It's adrenaline rush after adrenaline rush with tons of laughs in between and during. When the movie switches to the real world, the action becomes grittier. It feels more real, and the humor is mostly gone. McTiernan delivers a sharp contrast between the real world and the fictional one and makes the audience feel and know the difference between the two. But whether in the fictional world or not, the action is directed with the kind of flare and expertise that McTiernan had proven to be so good at before.
The editing works for the movie, but it could of been a little tighter. The cinematography was as usual in McTiernan's films, visually stunning and pleasing to the eye. The score is fun and action packed but is overshadowed by the songs that appear throughout the film. Aerosmith, Alice and Chains AC/DC and a slew of other hard rocking bands dominate the soundtrack and stick in your head much longer than the actual score.
The costumes work well and feel timeless but the makeup effects don't hold as well. Not that the make up is bad, it's just that the film is targeted to younger audiences which brings down the violence substantially. Not that there needs to be violence, but this is an action packed film, directed by the guy who did Die Hard and it should be bloodier. Not to much, but at least a little bit more than what we are given.
This marketing to a younger audience is really what brings Last Action Hero down and is really the only thing that does in this otherwise great movie. Everything else is remarkably well done but the PG rating ruins what could of been a better picture. It is not only the lack of blood but also the few moments scattered though out that don't hold up as well as the rest of the film. And it as all these moments that are geared towards youngsters. A scene when a bad guy dies via ice cream cone, or dogs standing in a pyramid, or the over inclusion of the kid. Scenes like these I loved when I was younger but now I could do with out, at least in this movie.
These juxtaposition of these family friendly scenes with the others is very noticeable and take the viewer out of the film for a moment but thankfully they are few and far between. Last Action Hero is John McTiernan light. It's the same balls to the wall action extravaganza he delivered before, but without the hard R-rated edge. So if you are looking for something light, something that will make you laugh and keep you entertained for two hours, possibly with the whole family; or if you like to see hollywood be satirized; or you just like action or Arnold or both, you cannot and will not go wrong with Last Action Hero.
Film Rating: 75%
Breakdown (How Last Action Hero scored 75%):
Production Design: 8 out of 10
Cinematography: 8 out of 10
Re-playability: 8 out of 10
Originality: 7 out of 10
Costumes: 7 out of 10
Directing: 8 out of 10
Editing: 7 out of 10
Acting: 7 out of 10
Music: 8 out of 10
Script: 7 out of 10
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