Today’s quick review: Last Action Hero. Danny Madigan (Austin O’Brien), a boy who lives with his mother in a poor part of New York City, spends his time watching action movies at the local theater. But when Frank (Art Carney), the owner of the theater, offers Danny a magic movie ticket, the boy finds himself transported into the world of the latest Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger) flick.
Last Action Hero is an action comedy that parodies the excesses of 80s and 90s action films. Last Action Hero indulges itself as much as it is possible for an action movie to, with unrealistic action, an unrealistic plot, and nearly every action convention in the book. At the same time, Last Action Hero offers a multifaceted look at the action genre itself, from the jokes at its expense to almost-touching musings on what it would be like to be a fictional character.
Last Action Hero is far more effective a parody than it has any right to be. In addition to its more overt jokes, Last Action Hero slips in some surprisingly smart and subtle gags, from tame-looking attack dogs dubbed with ferocious barks to the uniform contents of an action hero’s closet. Fans of the cheesy parts of the action genre will enjoy the way the movie embraces, parodies, and pays tribute to them, from its preposterous explosions to its superb one-liners.
But the backbone of the film is a kids’ adventure that never deviates too far from convention. Danny Madigan makes for a fine protagonist, but he could be swapped for any other child hero without any serious loss. All the dramatic or meaningful parts of the movie have the logic and idealism of a kids’ film, a step down from the subversive action movie they are wrapped around. The kid half of the movie is watchable, but the action half is superior.
Watch Last Action Hero if you are a fan of 80s- and 90s-style action. The kids’ movie plot can be something of a turn-off, a charming but uninteresting framework for the core of the film. But apart from this, Last Action Hero is an unexpectedly sharp and entertaining parody. Skip it if you dislike the quirks of the action genre.
6.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for the kids’ movie aspects, a 7.5 for its action parody, and a 6.5 to 7.0 overall.