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Jack Slater is an action-film hero played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. An old projectionist (Robert Prosky) hands a magic movie ticket to Jack's biggest preteen fan (Austin O'Brien), and the kid steps right inside the latest Jack Slater film, becoming the actor star's sidekick in gunfights and car chases. But when Jack's nemesis (Charles Dance) gets his hands on the ticket, the fight busts out into the real world and Jack (à la Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear) refuses to believe he's a fictional character. Director John McTiernan churns some nifty scenes out of this setup, although the fiction-to-reality shuffle is not as deft as in, say, Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo, and the plot needs the kind of logic and discipline found in that classic when-worlds-collide film Back to the Future. Still, Schwarzenegger has moments of wit and smashing action, and we get a faux-movie trailer advertising an intriguing new shoot-'em-up: "Something's rotten in the State of Denmark--and Hamlet is taking out the trash!" ... Read more

Reviews (81)

Super fun action/fantasy...
If there was ever any movie that celebrated Arnold Schwarzenegger movies it's "Last Action Hero." Actually, this film celebrates action movies in general. Directed by action legend John McTiernan (Hunt for Red October, Die Hard), this fantasy film about a kid named Danny who goes inside a Schwarzenegger film is loaded with nonstop action, some good laughs, and tons of cameo appearences, including: Ian McKellan, Robert Patrick, Tina Turner, Chevy Chase, Jim Belushi, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Little Richard, and Danny DeVito as an animated cat! This film brings in loads of fun, and the casting of Charles Dance as the villain is genius. Sure, this film isn't perfect, but if you're an Arnold fan it's plenty fun. Sometimes, the movie even works as a spoof of action, like in the car chase scene where literally every single car explodes. This film really isn't as bad as people make it out to be. It's actually one of my favorite Arnold films. I'd recommend this film to the child-at-heart; to the people who never really grew up. It's fun for the kid in all of us.

Underrated Schwarzenegger romp
After his monumental success with Terminator 2, Arnold Schwarzenegger re-united with his Predator director John McTiernan for this action/fantasy farce. The storyline concerns a young boy (Austin O'Brien) who comes across a magic movie ticket which allows Jack Slater (Schwarzenegger), a movie character who is played by Arnie, to leave his film world and come to the real world. Get all that? Good. Schwarzenegger (who also served as executive producer) is great as he pokes fun at his action roles, his career, and himself. The cast is sharp (including Charles Dance, Mercedes Ruehl, Tom Noonan, Bridgette Wilson, and Ian McKellan) with plenty of cameos (including Jean Claude Van Damme, Sharon Stone, Tina Turner, Robert Patrick, and Arnie's wife Maria Shriver) and the action is nicely directed, but Last Action Hero comes close to wearing out it's welcome thanks to it's overly long running time and anti-climatic ending. Last Action Hero wasn't too well received by critics upon it's release, but it still stands as a fun Arnie romp.

Great under-appreciated movie, but gets a little too absurd.
You've probably read this film's plot description already, but let me sumerize it briefly just to comment on it: Austin O'Brian is a huge Swartzenagger fan. Arnie's latest films (acording to this film,) are the Jack Slater movies, which (presumably) came out right after Terminator 2. Danny idolizes the character Jack Slater, a fictional L.A. cop, in the same way that so many of us idolized Han Solo. Then one day Danny's personal friend Mick, an elderly theater projectionist, gives him a magic ticket that was given to him by Houdini, just before Danny gets to watch the latest Slater film all by himself, before anyone eles does. (Jack Slater 4). Danny watches as the film introduces the two bad guys, who've kidnapped Slaters cousin Frank. The scene shifts to two nameless cops (who of course are sure-fire dead meat) who come to Frank's house after getting a false call about a drug deal. Slater arrives and wonders why they're here, he goes in and finds Frank tied to a chair, Frank gives Slater one last message before dying, Slater sees a note that turns out to be a count down and gets out just before the house blows up, the two red shirt cops...well, need I even say? A car full of dynomite-weilding bad guys drive up, Slater gets in his car and the chase is on! Then something strange happens. A stick of dynomite comes out of the screen and lands in the theater! It blows up, and Danny finds himself in Slater's car, now a character in the film!

I couldn't understand why so many critics and audiences hated this. Naturally I was upset when it bombed in the theatre. It was the most origonal film to come along in quite some time. I mean, really, who hasn't fantasized about being able to actually go into the world of their favorite movie or T.V. show and interact with the characters? Thankfully I see most people on Amazon have given this between four and five stars, so I'm not alone. I loved the action, the humor, (which is basically making fun of typical action films and just how absurd they are, even the ones that are meant to be taken seriously) and the one-liners.

O.K., here's one thing I _didn't_ like: the animated cat. I mean, what the @#&%?! The film works when it spoofs typical action films and ridiculous they are, but not when it goes all the way into the realm of farce and becomes something like Airplane! or Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Everything eles was fine, but the cartoon cat...well, when's the last time you saw a conventional action film with living cartoon characters? Really, what were they thinking?

Also, there was the bit where (POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING) we learn about half way through the film that Slater's son Andy was killed. This presumably happened at the end of Jack Slater 3. So Jack Slater 3, it would seem, ends with Slater shooting the Ripper (the bad guy from the last moive), and then the Ripper pulls Andy over with him. Would a typical Hollywood light-hearted action escapest film really have such a dark ending? Well, then again, I guess Lethal Weapon 2 had a simular ending.

Anyway, don't listen to anyone who's told you not to see this. This is not another dumb action movie, this is a film pokeing fun at dumb action films (including some of the ones Swartzenagger's made). Check it out for yourself.

"I'm the famous comedian Arnold Braunschweiger."
After MUCH deliberation, this was deemed an appropriate DVD to watch - after turning down all my other suggestions. And it turned out to be quite good!

This was filmed before Austin O'Brien became truly cringeworthy, with a god-awful haircut in My Girl 2. He's exactly the same here, and there were times I wanted to take a pair of scissors to his hair! (I've just seen a more recent photo, and he looks totally different!)

Last Action Hero has an almost Willy Wonka quality to it. There was a golden ticket that Charlie Bucket had to find and Danny Mannigan also had to find one - or actually got handed it. I was so waiting for Oompa Loompa's to come out! Now that would have been cool.

The whole story climaxes in Arnie being brought out of the movie, and getting to see the 'real' world, which is a very interesting concept, as it could be seen as we're not the ones in control. (I totally believe that) So his whole life was one big lie, and controlled by someone else - not the big man upstairs, but a film director. Arnie basically takes the p*ss out of his whole on screen persona in this, including lots of his trademark sayings, including: "I'll be back!", "Trust me" and "Do it". There's also a very funny scene where Jack Slater meets Arnold Schwarzeneggar - make sense of that!

Also look out for a whole host of cameos in this movie - ones which are easy, to spot, some which aren't! Some of these include: Chevy Chase, MC Hammer, Sharon Stone, Little Richard, Maria Shriver, Robert Patrick, and Jean-Claude Van Damme!

There are some great lines in this. Some of these are:
Danny Madigan: You think you are funny, don't you?
Jack Slater: I know I am. I'm the famous comedian Arnold Braunschweiger.
Danny Madigan: Schwarzenegger!
Jack Slater: Gesundheit.

Jack Slater: Kid! Who does the doctor treat?
Danny Madigan: Patients?
Jack Slater: Look at the elbow of my jacket. What is it doing?
Danny Madigan: Wearing thin?
Jack Slater: Bingo!

Benedict: Gentlemen. Since you are about to die anyway, I may as well tell you the entire plot. Think of villains Jack. You want Dracula? Dra-cool-la? Hang on
[takes out the ticket]
Benedict: , I'll fetch him. Dracula? Huh. I can get King Kong! We'll have a nightmare with Freddy Krueger, have a surprize party for Adolf Hitler, Hannibal Lecter can do the catering, and then we'll have christening for Rosemary's Baby! All I have to do is snap my fingers and they'll be here. They're lining up to get here, and do you know why Jack? Should I tell you why? Hmm? Because here, in this world, the bad guys can win!

So if you're not keen on Austin O'Brien, see how many celebrities you can spot, and how much Arnie acts up in this movie! It's so funny!

The governator slams congress in this one!
Overall, this movie should've been about 30 minutes shorter. Other than that, in my opinion, it's probably the best Arnold flick made. Two moments in this movie are absolutely hilarious. One being his very burning remark about congress being crooks, and the other is when the 'movie' Arnold meets the 'real-life' Arnold and tells him " I don't really like you, you've caused me too much pain." That is the ultimate in comedic irony. Of course, my delivery is too dry. Arnold carries that one off beautifully. This movie was everything it was meant to be. Fast, fun, and full of dry and dark humor. Very good movie..... ... Read more

Reviews (31)

Movie is great... but leaving out the deleted scenes hurt it
I must admit that I was rather let down with this DVD, not due to the movie itself, but what they did with it. The first time I saw this movie was the VHS extended version. I would give this movie itself 5 stars, but the DVD significantly less. And this is due to the fact that all the deleted scenes that were incorporated into the original extended VHS release were removed and only viewable seperate from the movie.

The things that give this movie an authentic and intriging story were elements only shown in the deleted scenes. First, the long scene at the opening of the movie of a dimwitted Jobe befriending an escaped lab monkey gives much more explenation of his experiments later (as well as offering originality). Other important scenes removed leave the story dry and unexplained. One scene I found particularily effective in showing Jobe's metamorphis from a slow, butt-of-all-jokes moron to a super-genius crazed from knowledge was one where we see him totally absorbed in computers. He than demonstrates that he has gained enough knowledge to have the ability to cause blisters on his hands.

With the extended version, you see a truly uncomfartable change in Jobe throughout the movie which shows much more motivation and explanation to his later acts - greatly endorsing the saying that ignorance is bliss, rather than a poorly developed plot of the DVD version which comes across as mearly another guy-gone-crazy-and-starts-killing-people movie depending on special effects for an audience.

If you haven't scene this movie yet, rent the VHS extended version rather then the DVD, as it shows the real, good movie. Even though the DVD has the deleted scenes available, not being able to incorporate them to the actual film takes away from it greatly and leaves the movie drab and unspecial.

My only hope is that they will eventually release a Special Edition DVD and restore the director's cut version, restoring all it's glory and ridding of the sh_tty snap case.

Mindless Entertainment
Certainly not Pierce Brosnan's best work. If you need some background while you do something else, it's okay. Don't be upset that I don't own this SciFi movie. I saw it when it was originally released at the theater. At that time I thought the graphics were great, but it just didn't grab my attention and hold it. I didn't mind going to the lobby for a soda, popcorn, hot dog, nachos, restroom, check out movie posters, make a phone call,... The problem is the story got to wrapped up in the lawnmower mans psyche. That would be okay if it was thought provoking, but it is mostly graphical halucinations and sexual innuendo. Not that illuminating into the characters motivations. One thing stands out in this movie. Some great early CGI. If you feel the need to see one of them catch this one, the second is much worse.

The question of Man , freedom and God as a cybergame ...
Even if the 12 scenes cannot be played as an extended version there's food for Your brains , hearts and gender here !

This movie does have vague resemblances to Scott's - BladeRunner , but only philosophically .
And the attempts to compare this film with Nelson's - Charly(1968) or Whale's - Frankenstein(1931) is ridiculously superficial , like comparing Coppola's - Godfather(1972) to Polonsky's - Force of Evil(1948) or Lang's - You only live once(1937) !

It is however understandable why critics and audiences in 1992 were repelled by the burning of a priest (!) and fascinated by sex/violence in the cyberspace ... they reacted blindly : "This is a satanic movie !"
An indication of this , is that Stephen Kings wished/had his credit removed by a following lawsuit ...

I recommend everyone to see it (again) for now 12 years later this brilliant movie still shines as an epic drama of man , freedom and God .
Just remember BladeRunner , which 22 Years ago also grew discarded , cult-reserved and now is number 10 in IMDb Votes Charts Top 50 Sci-Fi movies and number 89 in Top 250 movies !

In the beginning The Lawnmower Man has a parallel to Charly (Daniel Keyes great Novel : Flowers for Algernon) , but mainly Jobe EVOLVES due to a growing thirst for knowledge and possibilities - while Charly IMPROVES himself to be more accepted and feeling equal to others .

While Charly ends tragically sweet , the Lawnmower Man explores in a completely different direction . What about Frankenstein ? No , it does not go in this direction either or end like this other great story ; Brett Leonard dares to push his vision much higher :

Jobe sees the totality of the world like God , but has become sad in soul through the interference of the government , religion & society and strikes back to change everything through the available electronic international net ...
That alone should be an eyeopener in these days of spam and morality !

Though the script has really very little to do with King's character nor his shortstory in the shortstory-collection Nightshift , one can hardly blame Leonard without remembering how another instructor expanded and explored Arthur Clarkes shortstory (called "The sentinel" on even fewer pages than TLM) and making the amazing movie 2001: A Space Odyssey .
At that time it was criticised as being too long , etc. !

I agree that there are typical movie-clones of Frankenstein and Charly , one is even with Robert DeNiro and Robin Williams called "Awakenings"(1990) and though I love the two guys this is a 90% Charly-story ! But , then again , nobody dared saying so to Penny Marshall after making "Big" cowritten by Spielbergs sister - personally I think Daniel Keyes still could make a lawsuit !

And no critics would minimize Charlie Chaplins Dictator for being a cute rewriting of Duck Soup from the geniuses of the Marx Brothers !

I think this movie deserves respect and You will all find that the reason why You were amazed at the once incredible special effects , were because they fitted so well to the story and characters - a secret that merely few instructors like Spielberg and Hitchcock master .

Therefore judge this movie by the many-layered story of existence .

I must say thanks to Brett Leonard & Gimel Everett
for making this neo-myth out of a Stephen King-title

A fabulously under-rated movie
As a cognitive scientist from Yale, I can say with certainty that the ideas expressed in this film are very real, and very ahead of their time. The virtual reality visuals in this movie are timeless. The acting is good, the sets are impressive, and the ideas are priceless. Enjoy the film, but don't dare watch its sequel (it is awful).

Virtual Mess
THE LAWNMOWER MAN is an example of a movie that thinks it's better than it actually is. Dr. Lawrence Angelo (Pierce Brosnan), is working on a revolutionary type of virtual reality software, that he thinks will better mankind. After he fails to find success, working with animals, he finds his first human test subject. Jobe Smith (Jeff Fahey), a mentally disabled groundskeeper, who sees the tests as a game. However, the good doctor has enemies, who wish to use the technology and Jobe, to create an indestructable war machine. The film starts off with a pretty good premise, but after awhile, it seems as though the F/X are their to make us forget the plot. The director tries to make the film seem on the cutting edge, or visionary sci-fi, in doing so Brett Leonard fails to make things interesting. Brosnan seems like he is cursing his agent the whole for getting him this gig. Fahey seems to act in much the same fashion.

The commentary track has Leonard and co-producer and fellow screenwriter Gimel Everett, talk endlessly about how lucky they were to make this film (I'll say). The deleted scenes offer a better sense of the story. Too bad they were not incorporated into the movie. It might have made a difference. The storyboards, and other making of stuff don't seem like fun, if the movie isn't any good...Buyer Beware ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Sequel Better Than The Original...Warm Hearted and Sweet
Usually sequels aren't as good as the original (although there are exceptions such as the Star Wars trilogy and the Back To The Future series), but this movie is much better than its predecessor, "My Girl." It is a warm and fuzzy family film with a great soundtrack featuring songs of the early 1970s. Vada is now 13, tackling a school assignment in which she decides to write about her mother's life. A trip to California to visit her uncle aids in her quest to track down her mother's high school classmates and friends. With each person she interviews, Vada makes some unexpected discoveries about her mother. Her search culminates in a touching, sadly sweet moment when she is able to "meet" her mother. Along the way, Vada finds love from Nick, (played by Austin O'Brien), her somewhat reluctant escort who was paid by Vada's uncle to accompany her around town. I love the fact that all of the primary actors were retained for the sequel (except for Macauley Culkin, whose character died in the first film). Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Akroyd give fine performances as the happily married Mr. & Mrs. Sultenfuss expecting their first child. While "My Girl" was sad and depressing, "My Girl 2" is positive, upbeat, and great fun. Don't let that surly old curmudgeon, Leonard Maltin, influence you with his review. This film is great family entertainment and quite enjoyable.

My Girl 2 is ok but there was no point in making it though.
This is a pretty good movie but whatever his name was Austin whatever was trying way to hard to be the tough guy in the movie. And it was so obvious that he was just there to replace Macualay Culkin. It would have been really nice if at the of My Girl 1 Vada and Thomas had gotten together. Because I personally think that Vada and Thomas were sort of the right ones for each other. It depends on how you look at it. I also know that deep down inside Thomas had a little soft spot for Vada you could tell by the way he was acting around her. Vada and Thomas 4ever.

it is a cute movie
i luved this movie my favorite part was when she brought bac the thought of my girl one i think evry 1 should go and bye it right away but watch the fist 1 befor the second i think that u people will like it

Original My Girl: Ok Second My Girl: Much, Much Better!!!
My Girl 2 was much better than the original My Girl. This one goes more in depth with the story focusing more on Anna Chlumsky, or Vada Sultenfuss as she's known in the movie. Vada is assigned by her English teacher to write a poem about someone who had achieved something and someone who was a complete stranger to her. She picked her mother. Vada goes to Los Angeles despite her father's firm decision to not let her go. Throughout the movie, she is searching for answers about her mother. What was she like? The big mystery she must solve is to figure out why there was a date written on a paper lunch bag in her box of her mother's things. Will Vada succeed in finding answers to her questions? Will she find out things she didn't know before? The only way to find out is by WATCHING THIS EXCELLENT MOVIE! DON'T MISS OUT!

Great, but not as good as the original
This was a wonderful movie. I love how much Vada has matured. She's 13 now, and not obsessed with death like in the first one. She's also not the tomboy she was. She's more into boys and makeup and things like that. During her spring break, Vada goes to California to stay with her uncle and do research on her mom. Nick, her uncle's girlfriend's son, is her reluctant tour guide. It's obvious they like each other from the start, but they try to hide it. Vada makes some startling discoveries about her mother, and for awhile it seems she's not the person Vada thought she was. In the end she "sees" her mother and goes home reassured-not before her first real romance, though.
This was an excellent movie, but in my opinion, not as good as the first one. Maybe it was just the absence of Macaulay Culkin, whose character I fell in love with after watching the first movie. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

A cute movie and a nice addition to your BSC collection!
This is a very nice and easy going movie that gives a great look at Ann Martin's classic book series. I have to agree that even though Schuyler Fisk is a good actress (she's Sissy Spacek's daughter) she just didn't capture the character and confidence that Kristy has in the book series. Kristy in the movie is whiny and unsure of herself and apologetic. Kristy in the book series is loud and bossy, ever-so-confident and headstrong.
However, the movie is a pleasure to watch over and over again. Rachel Leigh Cook shines as Mary Anne; quiet, reserved, and lovely. Plus Claudia, Dawn, and the rest of the club members were acted well. The movie is not just based on a single BSC book, but chooses to concentrate mainly on the relationship between Kristy and her Dad. She and the other club members also run a summer play camp, which they do many times in the book series, and it features true girl situations, from boys to bullies, from anger to laughter, from trouble with babies to cranky next door neighbors. The ending was cute and is the best part, definitely because Cokie gets what she deserves! For a BSC fan, this movie is very satisfying. Overall, a great movie that shows how fun true friends really are!!

fun movie
I've always been a fan of the Baby-Sitters Club books and the video series, so I enjoyed seeing this movie. In this film, we find the group of girls starting a summer day camp for kids. Kristy is trying to cope with her estranged father's sudden return, Claudia fights to get through summer school, Stacey has a mad crush on a 17-year-old guy, Mary Anne faces challenges with the school snob who's trying to steal her boyfriend, and, most of all, all 7 of them struggle to get through trust issues and such so that they can remain friends. Overall, it's a pretty good movie--very entertaining and a fun film to watch if you're a fan of the books. However, there is one thing about this movie that I never liked ever since I saw it for the first time, and that's the casting of Schuyler Fisk as BSC President Kristy Thomas. In the movie, Kristy seems a little too cowardly and whiny, which is totally against her personality. I loved the girl who played Kristy in the video series. She showed the character as a tough and take-charge tomboy--just as she was meant to be. Schuyler Fisk did do a pretty good job in the role, but the personality of Kristy was completely changed. Other than that, it's a good movie. Fun for everyone. Get it now=)

BSC
Yes, the dialogue is corny, Mallory and Jessi get shafted (practically no lines for Jessi at all), and the tv series was much better. But this isn't a terrible movie either. I was a huge fan of the books as a kid, but hadn't seen this movie until my little sister rented it recently. I expected terrible acting, but Rachel Leigh Cook (of She's All That) really stands out as Mary Ann, and Larisa Oleynik (10 Thing I Hate About You, The Secret World of Alex Mack -what a great show!) and Schuyler Fisk (Orange County) do well too. Ellen Burstyn's appearance, while a bit random and very corny, is entertaining. The only one I wasn't impressed with was the actress playing Stacy. There's a whole lot going on in this movie, as each of the five older babysitters gets a least some subplot to herself, but it all ties together pretty well. There are some genuinely funny moments, and some more serious issues as well (Kristy deals with the reappearance of her deadbeat dad, who wants her to keep his presence a secret from her friends and family). While the movie will be most appreciated by younger girls, I think that people like me who grew up in the nineties will get a kick out of it too, with it's dated clothing, music (that awful rap scene!), pop-culture references, and of course, the babysitters themselves (and in their original form, great for those of us who remember the times before Dawn was replaced by Abby and similar blasphemous changes made).

Dawn And The Huanted House,#2
The story starts when the BSC were on their way to Claudia's house.They stop by a huanted house on a hill and they spot a spooky woman on the window,and when the woman sees them ,they head for claudia's house .The BSC gets new clients,3 kids,and Mary Anne And Stacey get the job.Willy,the oldest of the 3 kids,has a telescope, and he spies on Mrs Slaid (supposedly the witch), and he sees a girl,and he tells Stacey. Stacey looks through the telescope and sees Cluadia!U will be surprised by the great anding!

If you loved the series...
You'll love this movie. I used to be hooked on the BSC books years ago when I was in middle--and even the beginning of high school. I saw this movie the day it came to theaters. It involves Kristy's dad coming by and trying to be a part of Kristie's life..while she (and Maryann) try to keep it from her mom. The other bsc members get a little jealous that the two are so secretive but Maryann doesnt want to break their trust. Claudia is in a dilemma..if she doesnt pass her course in summer school...she will have to leave the bsc per her parents wishes. Stacey is involved with an older boy. Cokie Mason (yep shes in the movie!) is always in Maryann's hair and will stop at nothing to get Logan. All this and they still have to keep the kids under control at the summer camp the bsc has organized. And yes..you will find a lot of the kids mentioned in the books..ie..Karen, Suzy, Buddy, Nina, Rosie, etc.. You wont be disappointed. ... Read more

Description

The sequel to the box office hit The Lawnmower Man takes virtual reality to a new level as four teenagers and a scientist become locked in a power struggle to stop the world from plunging into eternal chaos. ... Read more

Reviews (81)

Super fun action/fantasy...
If there was ever any movie that celebrated Arnold Schwarzenegger movies it's "Last Action Hero." Actually, this film celebrates action movies in general. Directed by action legend John McTiernan (Hunt for Red October, Die Hard), this fantasy film about a kid named Danny who goes inside a Schwarzenegger film is loaded with nonstop action, some good laughs, and tons of cameo appearences, including: Ian McKellan, Robert Patrick, Tina Turner, Chevy Chase, Jim Belushi, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Little Richard, and Danny DeVito as an animated cat! This film brings in loads of fun, and the casting of Charles Dance as the villain is genius. Sure, this film isn't perfect, but if you're an Arnold fan it's plenty fun. Sometimes, the movie even works as a spoof of action, like in the car chase scene where literally every single car explodes. This film really isn't as bad as people make it out to be. It's actually one of my favorite Arnold films. I'd recommend this film to the child-at-heart; to the people who never really grew up. It's fun for the kid in all of us.

Underrated Schwarzenegger romp
After his monumental success with Terminator 2, Arnold Schwarzenegger re-united with his Predator director John McTiernan for this action/fantasy farce. The storyline concerns a young boy (Austin O'Brien) who comes across a magic movie ticket which allows Jack Slater (Schwarzenegger), a movie character who is played by Arnie, to leave his film world and come to the real world. Get all that? Good. Schwarzenegger (who also served as executive producer) is great as he pokes fun at his action roles, his career, and himself. The cast is sharp (including Charles Dance, Mercedes Ruehl, Tom Noonan, Bridgette Wilson, and Ian McKellan) with plenty of cameos (including Jean Claude Van Damme, Sharon Stone, Tina Turner, Robert Patrick, and Arnie's wife Maria Shriver) and the action is nicely directed, but Last Action Hero comes close to wearing out it's welcome thanks to it's overly long running time and anti-climatic ending. Last Action Hero wasn't too well received by critics upon it's release, but it still stands as a fun Arnie romp.

Great under-appreciated movie, but gets a little too absurd.
You've probably read this film's plot description already, but let me sumerize it briefly just to comment on it: Austin O'Brian is a huge Swartzenagger fan. Arnie's latest films (acording to this film,) are the Jack Slater movies, which (presumably) came out right after Terminator 2. Danny idolizes the character Jack Slater, a fictional L.A. cop, in the same way that so many of us idolized Han Solo. Then one day Danny's personal friend Mick, an elderly theater projectionist, gives him a magic ticket that was given to him by Houdini, just before Danny gets to watch the latest Slater film all by himself, before anyone eles does. (Jack Slater 4). Danny watches as the film introduces the two bad guys, who've kidnapped Slaters cousin Frank. The scene shifts to two nameless cops (who of course are sure-fire dead meat) who come to Frank's house after getting a false call about a drug deal. Slater arrives and wonders why they're here, he goes in and finds Frank tied to a chair, Frank gives Slater one last message before dying, Slater sees a note that turns out to be a count down and gets out just before the house blows up, the two red shirt cops...well, need I even say? A car full of dynomite-weilding bad guys drive up, Slater gets in his car and the chase is on! Then something strange happens. A stick of dynomite comes out of the screen and lands in the theater! It blows up, and Danny finds himself in Slater's car, now a character in the film!

I couldn't understand why so many critics and audiences hated this. Naturally I was upset when it bombed in the theatre. It was the most origonal film to come along in quite some time. I mean, really, who hasn't fantasized about being able to actually go into the world of their favorite movie or T.V. show and interact with the characters? Thankfully I see most people on Amazon have given this between four and five stars, so I'm not alone. I loved the action, the humor, (which is basically making fun of typical action films and just how absurd they are, even the ones that are meant to be taken seriously) and the one-liners.

O.K., here's one thing I _didn't_ like: the animated cat. I mean, what the @#&%?! The film works when it spoofs typical action films and ridiculous they are, but not when it goes all the way into the realm of farce and becomes something like Airplane! or Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Everything eles was fine, but the cartoon cat...well, when's the last time you saw a conventional action film with living cartoon characters? Really, what were they thinking?

Also, there was the bit where (POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING) we learn about half way through the film that Slater's son Andy was killed. This presumably happened at the end of Jack Slater 3. So Jack Slater 3, it would seem, ends with Slater shooting the Ripper (the bad guy from the last moive), and then the Ripper pulls Andy over with him. Would a typical Hollywood light-hearted action escapest film really have such a dark ending? Well, then again, I guess Lethal Weapon 2 had a simular ending.

Anyway, don't listen to anyone who's told you not to see this. This is not another dumb action movie, this is a film pokeing fun at dumb action films (including some of the ones Swartzenagger's made). Check it out for yourself.

"I'm the famous comedian Arnold Braunschweiger."
After MUCH deliberation, this was deemed an appropriate DVD to watch - after turning down all my other suggestions. And it turned out to be quite good!

This was filmed before Austin O'Brien became truly cringeworthy, with a god-awful haircut in My Girl 2. He's exactly the same here, and there were times I wanted to take a pair of scissors to his hair! (I've just seen a more recent photo, and he looks totally different!)

Last Action Hero has an almost Willy Wonka quality to it. There was a golden ticket that Charlie Bucket had to find and Danny Mannigan also had to find one - or actually got handed it. I was so waiting for Oompa Loompa's to come out! Now that would have been cool.

The whole story climaxes in Arnie being brought out of the movie, and getting to see the 'real' world, which is a very interesting concept, as it could be seen as we're not the ones in control. (I totally believe that) So his whole life was one big lie, and controlled by someone else - not the big man upstairs, but a film director. Arnie basically takes the p*ss out of his whole on screen persona in this, including lots of his trademark sayings, including: "I'll be back!", "Trust me" and "Do it". There's also a very funny scene where Jack Slater meets Arnold Schwarzeneggar - make sense of that!

Also look out for a whole host of cameos in this movie - ones which are easy, to spot, some which aren't! Some of these include: Chevy Chase, MC Hammer, Sharon Stone, Little Richard, Maria Shriver, Robert Patrick, and Jean-Claude Van Damme!

There are some great lines in this. Some of these are:
Danny Madigan: You think you are funny, don't you?
Jack Slater: I know I am. I'm the famous comedian Arnold Braunschweiger.
Danny Madigan: Schwarzenegger!
Jack Slater: Gesundheit.

Jack Slater: Kid! Who does the doctor treat?
Danny Madigan: Patients?
Jack Slater: Look at the elbow of my jacket. What is it doing?
Danny Madigan: Wearing thin?
Jack Slater: Bingo!

Benedict: Gentlemen. Since you are about to die anyway, I may as well tell you the entire plot. Think of villains Jack. You want Dracula? Dra-cool-la? Hang on
[takes out the ticket]
Benedict: , I'll fetch him. Dracula? Huh. I can get King Kong! We'll have a nightmare with Freddy Krueger, have a surprize party for Adolf Hitler, Hannibal Lecter can do the catering, and then we'll have christening for Rosemary's Baby! All I have to do is snap my fingers and they'll be here. They're lining up to get here, and do you know why Jack? Should I tell you why? Hmm? Because here, in this world, the bad guys can win!

So if you're not keen on Austin O'Brien, see how many celebrities you can spot, and how much Arnie acts up in this movie! It's so funny!

The governator slams congress in this one!
Overall, this movie should've been about 30 minutes shorter. Other than that, in my opinion, it's probably the best Arnold flick made. Two moments in this movie are absolutely hilarious. One being his very burning remark about congress being crooks, and the other is when the 'movie' Arnold meets the 'real-life' Arnold and tells him " I don't really like you, you've caused me too much pain." That is the ultimate in comedic irony. Of course, my delivery is too dry. Arnold carries that one off beautifully. This movie was everything it was meant to be. Fast, fun, and full of dry and dark humor. Very good movie..... ... Read more