Zo's Reviews: Last Action Hero

 


Oh man, where do I begin with this 90's classic...?

Last Action Hero was directed by John McTiernan (The Hunt For Red October, Die Hard, Predator) and stars Austin O'Brien as Danny, a young movie fan who, with the help of a magic ticket, is transported into the fictional world of his favorite action movie hero, Jack Slater (action megastar Arnold Schwarzenegger), and has to help Jack stop the bad guy!

Let's start by saying what everyone is thinking...this is an Arnold film so obviously it's packed with action movie comedy and cheese. It's campy in all the right ways. It's got a script that makes you groan and laugh. It's got a kid playing the action star's sidekick...but what kid back in the 90's who was a massive fan of the Arnold movies didn't wish they could be a sidekick to the main man himself? Yes, I do think Arnold was the greatest action star of the 90's...(sorry Sly...) and yeah, my cousins and I would pretend we were action heroes like he was. But does that translate well into film? And does it still hold up to this day?

I'm a massive fan of Arnie, so in order to properly gauge how good (or terrible...) this movie is, I had to bring a friend with me in order to not be biased. Gotta say, after all these years, this movie still holds up. As a matter of fact, a lot of the lines and jokes that I heard as a kid, I didn't exactly appreciate or get way back when. But now? Oh man, I couldn't stop laughing. This movie is very meta, a lot of winks and nods to the audience but some that as a kid, I also missed. Now as an adult, I understood a lot more of what was being said and done that made this movie meta. Things that make it so much more fun than I remembered.

I did have one moment that kind of got me right in the feels. Austin O'Brien as Danny reminded me of myself, and I actually shed a tear. I don't know if it's because these days I'm more emotional over things than I used to be (long story), but Danny reminded me of how much I admire and love movies, especially my favorite characters in film, like Dutch in Predator, or Sidney in Scream. These are beloved characters of mine that I can say with honesty I learned things, primarily courage and how to fight back. This is something that Danny goes through, struggling with who he thought he was and learning how to overcome adversity and grow as a human. I know, I'm digging deep here, but this movie isn't just a silly action movie, the writers wanted us to feel something. I know I got a little out there but that's just how I feel.

If you're looking for a movie with an interesting concept, one that'll remind you why you love film, and one that's really just a lot of fun (mostly because of Arnold and the amazing performances), then this is one to watch. Find it on digital, find it on VHS, find it on streaming, just watch it. It's definitely going to entertain you and definitely going to be one of your favorite Arnold movies ever.

FINAL SCORE: A

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