Last Action Hero (Film Review)

1993 Columbia Pictures
Directed by: John McTiernan; Written by: Shane Black and David Arnott
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, F. Murray Abraham, Art Carney, Charles Dance, Frank McRae, Tom Noonan, Robert Prosky, Anthony Quinn, Mercedes Ruehl, and Austin O'Brien
MPAA Rating: PG-13; Running Time: 131 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 6/10

Young Danny Madigan lives in a nightmare early 90s New York City, where his only respite is watching Jack Slater films at a broken down movie theater owned by his elderly friend, Nick. One night, Nick gives Danny a magical ticket once owned by Harry Houdini, and before Danny knows it, he is suddenly transported into the Jack Slater film he's watching. In Danny's world, Jack is an over-the-top fictional action hero, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. In Jack's world, he is quite real, and the normal world rules no longer apply. However, when Jack's evil nemesis, Benedict, somehow breaks through to Danny's world, he forms a dastardly plan to set as many movie villain's against Earth as he can get his magic ticket-charmed hands on. Can Danny and Jack stop him before it's too late?
I will freely admit that 12-year-old The Nicsperiment did not grasp all of the meta-commentary and humor inherent in John McTiernan's 1993 action-comedy, Last Action Hero. By that point, I was over any movie where a kid was in the lead role, and I found Austin O'Brien's Danny to be grating and annoying. Now that I'm 3.5 times older, O'Brien is just fine in this role, even if McTiernan captures him mugging for the camera a few to many times. McTiernan, with Predator, Die Hard, and the Hunt for Red October all under his belt by this point, has a sure hand here, though the film's rushed production schedule is felt in some haphazard editing, and half-baked effects shots. The tone also vacillates a bit too much, as some early scenes in New York are a little too dystopian--they're meant to contrast wildly with the sunny world of Slater's movie-world Los Angeles, but there were two moments I feared Danny would be sexually assaulted, though the film, at its core, is meant to be escapist fare.
However, despite its flaws, Last Action Hero does offer some fun. Almost everything that happens once Danny is transported to Jack Slater's world is highly enjoyable, with McTiernan delightfully chewing on action cliche after action cliche, as Schwarzenegger spouts goofy one liners and offs enemy henchman in creatively ridiculous ways. As for Arnie himself, he's at the peak of his star power here, exuding every bit of Planet Hollywood mystique he can muster. The script, touched by many hands, features many clever moments, creating a cinematic Jack Slater world that feels alive and fully realized, as cartoon police cats, a steam-breathing police chief, and quite literally explosive cannon fodder bad guys lead a parade of seemingly non-stop, inventive gags. While I wouldn't place Last Action Hero among my favorite Schwarzenegger flicks, I do now find this cheeky, if flawed film worth watching. It's just as successful a deconstruction of an Arnie action film as it is a joyous celebration of one.