Last Action Hero (1993)
56%RT Audience Score: 47%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 16 nominations
Last Action Hero has most of the right ingredients for a big-budget action spoof, but its scattershot tone and uneven structure only add up to a confused, chaotic mess
Last Action Hero is like a pizza with all the toppings – it’s got action, satire, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. While some critics may say it’s a bit of a mess, I say it’s a deliciously fun ride. The movie pokes fun at all the classic action movie tropes, while still delivering plenty of explosions and one-liners. Plus, who doesn’t love a good meta moment? Last Action Hero may not be a cinematic masterpiece, but it’s definitely worth a watch for any action movie fan looking for a good time.
Production Company(ies)
Lionsgate Media Rights Capital, T-Street
Distributor
Columbia Tristar, Columbia Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
28824 Cliffside Dr., Malibu, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for strong action sequences
Year of Release
1993
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 11m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 18, 1993 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 7, 1997
Genre(s)
Action/Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austin O’Brien, Charles Dance, F Murray Abraham, Art Carney, Frank McRae, directed by John McTiernan, written by Zak Penn, Adam Leff, Shane Black, David Arnott, action, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jonathan Rosenbaum, David Ansen, Owen Gleiberman, Adam Mars-Jones, Tom Hibbert, James Berardinelli, Tony Black, Allison Rose, Alex Maidy, Mike Massie, Quentin Curtis, PG-13, magic ticket, Jack Slater, Benedict, John Practice, Lt Dekker, Frank, produced by John McTiernan, Stephen J Roth, Columbia Tristar, Columbia Pictures
Worldwide gross: $137,298,489
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $285,203,998
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 529
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 31,101,854
US/Canada gross: $50,016,394
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $103,896,814
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 724
US/Canada opening weekend: $15,338,241
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $31,861,441
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 418
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $85,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $176,566,691
Production budget ranking: 165
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $95,081,163
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $13,556,144
ROI to date (est.): 5%
ROI ranking: 1,375
Austin O’Brien – Danny Madigan
Charles Dance – Benedict
F. Murray Abraham – John Practice
Art Carney – Frank
Frank McRae – Lt. Dekker
Director(s)
John McTiernan
Writer(s)
Zak Penn, Adam Leff, Shane Black, David Arnott
Producer(s)
John McTiernan, Stephen J. Roth
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 16 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (51) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (20) | Rotten (31)
It’s nothing new that the makers of Last Action Hero don’t have a clear notion of what separates movies from life, but the makers of the other summer blockbusters aren’t any better versed in reality…
June 2, 2022 | Rating: 2/4
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Last Action Hero loses control of itself.
November 8, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
The director has to boost the realism of his staging in a rather self-defeating manner. It begins to look, not that he’s having it both ways, trading on what he mocks, but that he has painted himself into a corner.
November 14, 2017
Adam Mars-Jones
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: D
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
This is an attempt to be both a high-octane actionfest and a satire on such films, the result of which is the weirdest concoction: the metaphysical blockbuster.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3/5
Tom Hibbert
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The pulse-pounding, sizzling pull of a Die Hard is absent.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 2/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
Last Action Hero hasnt quite yet become one of those cult movies we venerate and, yknow maybe we should. It does have, within its bones, just a little bit of magic.
April 12, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5
Tony Black
Cultural Conversation
There are a few men who could take in the role of Jack Slater, but Schwarzenegger embodies the physical and mental acumen of a last action hero.
May 19, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Allison Rose
FlickDirect
I am happy to say that not only does Last Action Hero hold up well almost twenty years later but it remains one of the most underrated movie concepts of all time.
May 4, 2021
Alex Maidy
JoBlo’s Movie Network
Every action film trope is satirized, every manly catchphrase is mocked, and the overuse of senseless violence and random explosions is parodied to no end.
September 14, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
It’s turned out to be a beef- chicken-anchovy-and-jam sandwich: the ingredients cancel each other out, and become indigestible. By offering us everything, they’ve given us next to nothing.
December 6, 2017
Quentin Curtis
Independent on Sunday
The divergent puzzle pieces do not often fit together terribly well, in spite of their potential.
October 9, 2014 | Rating: 4/10
J.C. Maçek III
PopMatters…
Plot
Young Danny Madigan is a huge fan of Jack Slater, a larger-than-life action hero played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. When his best friend, Nick the projectionist, gives him a magic ticket to the newest Jack Slater movie, Danny is transported into Slater’s world, his number one hero where the good guys always win. It’s a dream come true for Danny, but things take a turn for the worse when one of Slater’s enemies, Benedict the hit man, gets ahold of the ticket and ends up in Danny’s world. Slater and Danny must join forces and travel back and stop him at all costs before it’ll be the end of Jack Slater.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny comments were found in the Fresh Kernels review for Last Action Hero.
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