The former Austrian bodybuilder entered the biggest filmmaking industry and has since become an asset to the industry. Yes, we are indeed talking about 75-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger. With the experience of over three decades, he has championed the art of attracting viewers by adopting certain creation and marketing strategies. Not just that, he has tried his hand at experimenting with and creating gigs in various genres, including science fiction, comedy, and action thrillers.
Now he may have failed at producing a sci-fi flick that would keep one glued to their seat, but there is one of his action thrillers also that failed to attain the limelight. The reason was perhaps the failure of an attempt to inculcate too many plotlines in approximately three hours’ length.
Why did the Arnold Schwarzenegger starrer, with an excellent trope, fail to get into the limelight?
It is his 1993 film, Last Action Hero. Per the critics, the action thriller may be compelling at times, but it failed to be enchanting. Helmed by the Predator director John McTiernan, the movie saw Danny Madigan’s Austin O’Brien getting a magical ticket and landing in the world of his larger-than-life action hero idol, Jack Slater AKA Schwarzenegger. Now, what could have been a successful affair of action and thrill ended up becoming what would look like a forced attempt. The very first reason was multiple storylines that failed to fit together.
Furthermore, Danny’s character had an overbearing sense of self-awareness that perhaps prevented the film from reaching great heights. The actor put a lot of effort into guiding the audience through the process of dissecting the action movie cliches. His dialogues notably softened statements that were meant to be amusing or laughter-inducing. Not just that. There was also a tonal imbalance in the movie and its best tropes could not make up for its weaknesses.
The Last Action Hero: Reception
The fantasy action comedy hit the big screen back in 1993. Since then, a total of 81% of google users and reviewers have liked the film. Furthermore, it got an IMDb rating of 6.8/10, a 38% of Rotten Tomatoes reception, and a 44% of Metacritic rating. Rotten Tomatoes critics often define it as a bombastic rhythmless mess despite of it being a great trope. If you have not watched the movie and want to get the hang of it, you can always stream it on Amazon Prime.
ALSO READ: Miracle! Arnold Schwarzenegger Could Have Ended His Career in Hollywood Before It Even Started
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