Last Action Hero
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After his father's death, a young boy finds solace in action movies featuring an indestructible cop. Given a magic ticket by a theater manager, he is transported into the film and teams up with the cop to stop a villain who escapes into the real world.
What critics thought
DivisiveCritics at the time found the film's meta-commentary on action movies more exhausting than clever, with most arguing that its self-awareness never cohered into an actual film — it kept commenting on itself instead of being itself. A minority dissented, suggesting the backlash was overblown and that the film is a genuinely smart blockbuster let down by bad timing. The divide between the film's panned critical reception and its durable audience affection is the most interesting thing about it.
“a joyless, soulless machine of a movie, an $80 million-plus mishmash of fantasy, industry in-jokes, self-referential parody, film-buff gags and too-big action set-pieces”
Variety
“Last Action Hero makes such a strenuous show of winking at the audience (and itself) that it seems to be celebrating nothing so much as its own awfulness. In a sense, the movie's incipient commercial failure completes it aesthetically.”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
“it simply seems to be standing around commenting on itself”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“something of a mess, but a frequently enjoyable one”
Vincent Canby·The New York Times
“An Arnold Schwarzenegger backlash had been on the cards for some time and when this extravaganza was released the knives were well and truly out. It was actually all a little unfair, because this is a smart, funny blockbuster”
John Ferguson·Radio Times
Genres
Adventure, Fantasy, Action, Comedy, Family
Cast & Crew
John McTiernanDirector
Arnold SchwarzeneggerJack Slater / Self
Austin O'BrienDanny Madigan
Bridgette WilsonWhitney / Meredith
F. Murray AbrahamJohn Practice
Art CarneyFrank
Charles DanceBenedict
Frank McRaeLieutenant Dekker
Tom NoonanRipper / Tommy Noonan
Robert ProskyNick
Anthony QuinnTony Vivaldi
Mercedes RuehlIrene Madigan
Ian McKellenDeath
Michael KamenComposer
Shane BlackWriter
David ArnottWriter
Zak PennWriter
Dean SemlerCinematographyLast Action Hero
After his father's death, a young boy finds solace in action movies featuring an indestructible cop. Given a magic ticket by a theater manager, he is transported into the film and teams up with the cop to stop a villain who escapes into the real world.
What critics thought
DivisiveCritics at the time found the film's meta-commentary on action movies more exhausting than clever, with most arguing that its self-awareness never cohered into an actual film — it kept commenting on itself instead of being itself. A minority dissented, suggesting the backlash was overblown and that the film is a genuinely smart blockbuster let down by bad timing. The divide between the film's panned critical reception and its durable audience affection is the most interesting thing about it.
“a joyless, soulless machine of a movie, an $80 million-plus mishmash of fantasy, industry in-jokes, self-referential parody, film-buff gags and too-big action set-pieces”
Variety
“Last Action Hero makes such a strenuous show of winking at the audience (and itself) that it seems to be celebrating nothing so much as its own awfulness. In a sense, the movie's incipient commercial failure completes it aesthetically.”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
“it simply seems to be standing around commenting on itself”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“something of a mess, but a frequently enjoyable one”
Vincent Canby·The New York Times
“An Arnold Schwarzenegger backlash had been on the cards for some time and when this extravaganza was released the knives were well and truly out. It was actually all a little unfair, because this is a smart, funny blockbuster”
John Ferguson·Radio Times
Genres
Adventure, Fantasy, Action, Comedy, Family
Cast & Crew
John McTiernanDirectorArnold SchwarzeneggerJack Slater / SelfAustin O'BrienDanny MadiganBridgette WilsonWhitney / MeredithF. Murray AbrahamJohn PracticeArt CarneyFrankCharles DanceBenedictFrank McRaeLieutenant DekkerTom NoonanRipper / Tommy NoonanRobert ProskyNickAnthony QuinnTony VivaldiMercedes RuehlIrene MadiganIan McKellenDeathMichael KamenComposerShane BlackWriterDavid ArnottWriterZak PennWriterDean SemlerCinematographyStream
Rent & Buy