In Defence Of Last Action Hero
1. Remember, It Was The Start Of A (Doomed) Franchise
Another frequent complaint about the movie is that Benedict hints at a far more interesting third-act than the one we actually get. Though Death is released from The Seventh Seal into New York City, Benedict also talks to Slater about the possibility of letting loose other classic movie villains, such as Dracula, King Kong, Hannibal Lecter, and, erm, Adolf Hitler.
None of this happens of course, likely due to the complex legal red-tape more than anything, and while that's understandably disappointing to many, it's important to remember that Last Action Hero was never meant to be just one standalone movie.
Like any tentpole Arnie blockbuster, Columbia had sequels in mind, with studio head Mark Canton apparently hoping it could compete with the likes of Lethal Weapon and Batman (which he had worked on over at Warner Bros). Canton even hoped to have Las Action Hero 2 ready as fast as summer 1994, but it wasn't meant to be.
25 years later, studios are still very much in the business of counting their chickens before they've hatched, albeit more typically in the pursuit of lucrative cinematic "universes" rather than mere traditional franchises.
Universal was widely mocked for their over-eager effort with last year's The Mummy, and while Last Action Hero shouldn't be let off the hook for banking too enthusiastically on its own success, it's at least evident that Benedict's name-drop wasn't entirely for nothing.
Had Columbia not bungled the release quite so disastrously, maybe, just maybe there could've been a sequel and Arnie perhaps wouldn't view this as one of his most embarrassing failures (according to McTiernan, anyway).
Nevertheless, all these points considered, and the film's many flaws accepted, Last Action Hero enters its 25th year in the pop-culture lexicon and continues to be long overdue a wider re-appraisal from film buffs, critics and general audiences alike. Let's make it happen.
What's your take on Last Action Hero? A misunderstood, flawed classic, or every bit the dud its reputation suggests? Shout it out in the comments!