Last Action Hero is a movie that is saved by the nostalgia of mouth breathers. It’s one of those early 90s bombs that had a Burger King tie-in at the right time that allowed 7-10 year olds to think that they were watching major action cinema. What they got was Shane Black’s laziest script tied to a movie that deserved its bomb status. If anything, it’s symbolic of the bloat that was early 90s cinema.
That period were the discovery of CGI mixed with top heavy action movies produced movies that looked dated and tired by the second week of cinematic release. Plus, it’s got that punk kid from “My Girl 2”.
Schwarzenegger limps through the movie, as one would expect the action hero at the end of his Golden Age to phone it in. It’s not to say that the film wasn’t well-directed and packed a decent concept. It’s just that the movie is a mess. Too much is going on and the supporting cast gets shuffled more than an ADD iPod. But, ACDC did make a great song for the movie. That’s where I need to stop, as I’ve identified the larger problem with the movie.
It’s charming and you can always remember bit parts about it that you liked, but that doesn’t make for a strong narrative. If anything, it relies on you remembering past details to try and revise its mistakes.
Last Action Hero is available January 15th from Mill Creek!
