Good afternoon everyone! Hope you all are doing well! Well, as you can see, we are finally at Movie Review # 395. This means that we are five film reviews away from reaching the 400th review. Oh, and speaking of which, not only do I have planned what film that I will be reviewing for Movie Review # 400, but I also have in mind what I will be reviewing for my 401st review as well. The reason being is because of the films that I will make my 400th, and 401st review respectively, will have similar settings to a degree, and surprisingly have some other things in common as well. So yeah, I just figured I’d give you all a heads up on that for when the time comes for those projects. Anyway, today, let’s focus on today’s review. In this case, we are going to be talking about an action film that stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in it. Sadly, this one doesn’t seem to be talked about as much as some other films that he’s starred in. In fact, this particular film seems to fly under the radar. Or should we say under the screen in this case (pun intended)? Don’t worry, if you see this film, you should hopefully get the joke! Anyway, let’s talk about the possibly underrated film that stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Last Action Hero.
Plot: When an action movie geek named Danny Madigan (Austin O’Brien) is suddenly sucked into the fictional movie, known as Jack Slater, thanks to a magic golden ticket that was given by the movie theater owner, he must help Jack (Arnold Schwarzenegger) track down a madman named Benedict (Charles Dance), and keep him from unleashing his wrath in the Jack Slater film, and possibly even the real world if he were to succeed in making it there.
Last Action Hero is a very interesting film with a really cool concept. In fact, some of you may be wondering how this film compares to some other action films, whether it be ones that Schwarzenegger has starred in, or other ones. Well, let me just tell you that Last Action Hero is very different from your typical action movie. Picture this! Some of you might have seen a kid’s Bible show by the name of Superbook, have you not? For those of you who haven’t, let me just summarize that plot for you! In e episodes of that show, there a boy named Chris, a girl Ames Joy, and a talking robot named Gizmo, who, in each episode, get sucked back in time by a magical book called Superbook. Over the course of the show, they meet people from the tokes of when the Bible was recorded, such as Moses, David, Elijah, and evening Jesus, and His twelve disciples. There were some other Christian shows similar to it, like Hanna-Barbera’s The Greatest Adventure: Stories From The Bible, where two archaeologists named Derek and Margo, and their nomad friend Moki get sucked into quicksand, and stumble upon a door portal that transports them back in time to meet some of those people, and other shows like it. Why, fo I bring up shows like those, you may be wondering? I bring those up mainly because, well, Last Action Hero seems to have a similar concept to those shows. The only difference this time around is that, the main character kid, Danny Mattigan, has a magical golden that’s been left behind by Harry Houdini (or so is the case in this film), that, when out in the open, or becoming magical, transports Danny into the film, that is fiction, and not based on a true story, and he gets roped into some crazy action along the way. Yeah, if you’re looking for something that’s just your typical, realistic action movie, then be warned that you may not enjoy this film all that much. However, if you’re okay with a thriller action movie that has a twist by having some fantasy thrown in the mix, then one is likely to enjoy this film. There are also some other good things in it. For one, a lot of the characters are very well fleshed out. Sure, there were one, or two, who weren’t quite given their due. Still, you can get behind most of them. The villain, or villains, are really great. Also, Jack Slater, and Danny Mattigan make a really great hero duo. Oh, and this film has some really hilarious moments, both in action, and in the script. In fact, if you liked 2008’s Get Smart that starred Steve Carrell, and Anne Hathaway, because of that action film being incredibly funny in those regards, you’re bound to love this film as well. Yes, some of the comedy, and the slapstick can feel a little childish for an adult film at times. Still, adults are bound to like it as well, especially if they’re fans of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. People will also like some of the cameo appearances from real life actors and actresses in this film too. Oh, and one other thing to mention is that this film has some really nice messages, such as how we need to learn to not be stuck in our own individual worlds. Yes, when times get tough, it is great to read the Bible, watch a good film, or things like that. Still, it’s cool how this film touches on how we need to learn to not be so mentally stuck in a fantasy world that we don’t pay attention to what’s going on in the real world around us, or even in other people’s lives as well.
The only thing that I will say, in addition to one or two characters not being as well developed as they could have been is that there is one scene in this film that some people could be creeped out by. Personally, I didn’t mind it, but I could see how other people might not like it. And that’s all I will say at least in regards to that.
And that’s my review for Last Action Hero. It is a really fun, and imaginative film that really strays from your typical action movie. In fact, if you want an action lo is that has some fantasy incorporated into it this time around, then all the more reason to try to see this film. You may be surprised by how underrated this film may be. Much like Kindergarten Cop, Last Action Hero may act like a kid’s film at times. Still, the movie does well at pleasing the adult audience that it’s mostly aimed for. See Last Action Hero, if you haven’t, and see what you think!
Final Grade: A
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