4 out of 5

Director: John McTiernan

This is one of those reviews where whatever I say here ain’t gonna sway you one way or another – you either loved Last Action Hero or rolled your eyes during the whole thing. The plot caught me from the start: class-cutting New York film lover Danny is always hanging around a decrepit theater on 42nd street with his pal – the projectionist – Nick. The last film Nick is planning on screening before the theater shuts down is Jack Slater IV, a fictional blockbuster film series starring Arnold Schwarzenegger of which Danny is a huge fan. Nick allows Danny admission to the film with a “magic” ticket, a childhood prop from Nick’s past. But the ticket is truly magic… as Danny finds out when he crosses over to the film world, where Jack Slater is a real person… What makes LAH stand out leagues above the “fish out of water” type movies is that – while it takes time to make the required jokes for the genre – the crux of the film lies somewhere out and beyond “I gotta get back to the real world” and delves a bit deeper into the ridiculousness of movies vs. real life. Repeated viewings also give me further site gags – action veteran director McTiernan peppers so much visual and audio candy into the mix that things I forgot or wasn’t aware of upon a previous view suddenly pop out. And it’s the perfect role for Arnold, allowing him to use his non-action acting skills in an appropriate manner, instead of muscled man jammed into tiny suit kinda stuff. Lastly – McTiernan is a genius. The seemingly source lighting of the real world is gorgeous, especially compared to the candy colors of fictional LA, not to mention his always fresh but understanding handling of what stays in the frame. While LAH bumbles the line sometimes between kids movie and action, and cheesy and serious, it is nonetheless still a completely original view and one of the most determined and budgeted satires I’ve seen.