The Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring action comedyLast Action Herowas panned by critics and bombed with audiences on its initial release in 1993, but the film’s self-aware deconstruction of movie tropes was decades ahead of its time. Austin O’Brien stars as Danny Madigan, a 10-year-old action movie fanatic who is transported through the screen into the heightened reality of his favorite franchise when the projectionist gives him a magical cinema ticket. Schwarzenegger plays dual roles as Jack Slater, the gun-toting hero of the movie-within-a-movie, and a self-effacing version of his own public persona in the real world.
Thanks to the studio’s foolish decision to release it a week afterJurassic Park, which went on to break the record for highest-grossing movie ever made,Last Action Herogot swept under the box office rug and became a commercial disappointment. Arrivingon the heels ofTerminator 2,Last Action Herowas released at the height of Schwarzenegger’s fame. When a filmmaker is as popular as Schwarzenegger was in the early ‘90s, critics can’t wait for one of their movies to flop. In their bid to kick a movie while it’s down,Last Action Herowas unjustly maligned by critics. Owen Gleiberman ofEntertainment Weeklywrote thatLast Action Hero“seems to be celebrating nothing so much as its own awfulness.” Vincent Canby ofThe New York Timescalled it “a two-hourSaturday Night Livesketch.”
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John Ferguson ofRadio Timeswrote, “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.” As is often the case,Last Action Herohas been re-evaluated as a cult classic in the years since its release.Moonlightdirector Barry JenkinsdefendedLast Action Heroas a great movie on Brett Goldstein’sFilms To Be Buried Withpodcast.
Last Action Hero Is A Self-Aware Gem
With its use of the silver screen as a mystical portal to another world,Last Action Herois essentiallyThe Purple Rose of Cairowith explosions. WhereasThe Purple Rose of Cairobrings a movie character into the real world for a love story,Last Action Herodoes so for a thrilling blockbuster spectacle. There are some fun nods to action movie tropes when Danny steps through the screen into Slater’s heightened reality – pointing out his ability to escape deadly scenarios unscathed and visiting a police station that deliberatelypairs up mismatched detectives– but the movie really takes off when Slater follows Danny to the other side of the screen and has to adjust to the consequences and laws of physics in the real world.
The first half ofLast Action Herois defined by Danny’s efforts to point out the absurdity of a world that seems normal to the people in it. Just when this running gag is starting to get old, the movie flips the script and brings Slater into the real world. When he punches a window to steal a car, he’s surprised that his hand hurts. When he shoots a moving vehicle, he’s surprised that the whole thing doesn’t explode. Much likeShaun of the Deaddelivers as a zombie movie in addition to spoofing the genre,Last Action Herodelivers as an action movie. It was directed byJohn McTiernan, the visionary action filmmakerbehindDie HardandPredator. There’s a hilarious self-awareness to the film’s action and its ignorance of the laws of physics, but McTiernan still handles high-octane set-pieces with gusto.
Last Action Hero-Style Meta Humor Now Dominates The Blockbuster Landscape
The self-aware satire ofLast Action Herowas way ahead of its time. This was a few years beforeScreamgave the horror genre the same deconstructive treatment. BeforeScreamput a horror movie buff in a horror movie,Last Action Heroput an action movie buff in an action movie. Now, the brand of meta humor that definesLast Action Herohas dominated the blockbuster landscape. The fourth-wall-breaking antics of theDeadpoolmovies have been praised for pointing out the absurdity of superhero stories.Rick and Morty, one of the biggest hits on TV, constantly points out its own artificiality by addressing the audience and acknowledging familiar storytelling formulas.
TheKingsmanfilms are full of knowingLast Action Hero-style winks to action movie tropes. The first entry,Kingsman: The Secret Service, is essentially a James Bond movie set in a world where James Bond movies exist and the megalomaniacal villain wants to emulateclassic Bond villains. While the hero and his nemesis are enjoying a feast from McDonald’s, they discuss the current state of the spy genre and how it needs the injection of fun thatKingsmanitself provides. IfLast Action Herowas made today, it wouldn’t be dismissed by critics and audiences like it was in 1993; it would be widely praised for its inventive use of self-parody.
