10 Hated Movie Performances That Were Secretly Genius

1993's Last Action Hero marked a shift in Arnold Schwarzenegger's career - and not for the better. Coming at the peak of the actor's popularity, in the wake of hits like Predator, Twins, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Last Action Hero was meant to be Arnie's victory lap - a loud and proud celebration and parody of the kind of action film he ushered in, helmed by genre maestro John McTiernan.

Unfortunately, it didn't resonate, with critics finding the film to be tonally dissonant, schmaltzy, and an indulgence too far for who was then one of the biggest stars on the planet. Schwarzenegger would bounce back briefly with True Lies the following year, but Last Action Hero marked the beginning of a downward trend in his career - an unjust consequence, given that the film is secretly one of his best.

Critics railed against Last Action Hero because of its tonal contradictions, but the beauty of McTiernan's film (which saw script contributions from Shane Black and William Goldman, among others) is that it's multiple things at once. As a Naked Gun-esque parody it would've been redundant, but as an all-singing, all-dancing send-up and send-off to eighties action cinema? It stands out as a truly unique offering, with Schwarzenegger again displaying his comedic chops along with a maturity that enables him to interrogate his own screen presence and legacy.

This may have played as overly sentimental in the nineties, but Last Action Hero's heartfelt qualities are indeed its strongest. Jack Slater is one of Schwarzenegger's greatest roles, and while it does have some flaws, the film itself stands out as a complete original.