5.9? How can you NOT like this movie - Last Action Hero (1993) Discussion

[–] ShadowAngelx 13 years ago

A mixture of people either not understanding that it was intentionally cheesy and fun (see the Nostalgia Critic video, he completely missed the point) and was not to be taken serious and the 90's.

I think the main problem was, that it was made in the 90's because it looks and feels more like an 80's movie. It could've worked in the 80's or the very early 90's but not after Grunge turned younger people into whiny emo bitches who take everything *beep* serious and hated everything that was just fun.

People turned into bitter critics and just like movie critics, they hate movies like this one.

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[–] morrison1002 13 years ago

I watched the movie when I was younger and when I got older I got every single cliche thing they were making fun of. And I agree it is a fun and funny movie to watch. But 5.9, I mean if you watch movies a lot you should get this movie.

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[–] artdigitaluk 12 years ago

I've always bee a big fan of this film, but fail to understand why it's SO disliked, WWAAAAAAAAAAAY WAY better than the awful Terminator 'Talk to the hand, PG-13 joke'3: Rise of the Machines.

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[–] IAmProdigy23 12 years ago

This movie is hilarious and fun...5.9 is such a wrong score to give this movie. Watching this now that I'm older when I actually get all the joke's has made me realize that how much they're making fun of action movies especially the one's that has Arnold in it and Sylvester. It's even funnier having Arnold playing himself, making fun of himself and the movie's he's been in. I would give this at least an 8.0...And I agree "people have turned into bitter critics just like movie critics"

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[–] panemique 12 years ago

Wow. I justed watched the Nostalgia Critic video, it's awfully embarrassing for the guy who did it.

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[–] BarneyRubbleNLittleChina 9 years ago

Wow. He is spot on. This movie DOES suck

https://youtu.be/vYTPIdtA57E

Here's an idea ... he gives valid points why the movie sucks. How about you idiots try and justify this crap now?

And for anyone who honestly believes that the audiences of the early 90's were too stupid to realize this stupid movie as a satire:

https://youtu.be/TCbFXs_H-H8

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[–] whatsthisnow 9 years ago

And for anyone who honestly believes that the audiences of the early 90's were too stupid to realize this stupid movie as a satire

They weren't even that critical of it in the video you post. Ebert gave it 5/8 (rogerebert.com), which is a good score.

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[–] highway_demon_77 9 years ago

It could've worked in the 80's or the very early 90's but not after Grunge turned younger people into whiny emo bitches who take everything *beep* serious and hated everything that was just fun.

True.

The box... you opened it, we came.

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[–] BarneyRubbleNLittleChina 9 years ago

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) proves that "logic" wrong.

Here's an idea --- the movie sucks. Not the people who paid money to watch it ... the MOVIE.

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[–] highway_demon_77 9 years ago

Well, actioners were practically dead in the 90s. Not because of whiny grunge kids, they were just a result of the spirit of the times as well. The 90s heralded the start of Political Correctness, action films about steroid patriots lay waste to everything else were no longer tolerated. Films had to have a liberal message, or be criticizing the US. The funny thing is that Last Action Hero has some aspects of that, but people didn't get it back than.

T2 was 1991, early 90ies. Last Action Hero was two long years later. Also, T2 is an excellent, near perfect action film, whereas LAH is just good.

The box... you opened it, we came.

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[–] ingemar-4 13 years ago

No humor, no like.

But if you got a sense of humor, you just have to like it. I do.

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[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] morpheusownsall 13 years ago

Was too smart and self-aware for audiences back then

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[–] RatedXSymphony 13 years ago

I loved the movie. I just watched it again about a week ago. I couldn't remember much of it so I popped it in the DVD player. Just a great all around movie to sit back, turn your brain off and enjoy.

http://pulse-forums.net/forum.php a little entertainment forum you should check out

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[–] privatebleeding 11 years ago

Too smart!? Sorry, but audiences in 1993 knew exactly what they were getting into. This movie isn't rocket science. The problem is that what should be a fun experience turns sour because Danny can't just sit back and enjoy the ride. Instead of partaking in a fantasy that audiences would want to relate to, he has to nitpick on every little detail to prove that Jack Slater is nothing but a creation. I gave it a 5 because it's not terrible, but it's a mess that screws up a good premise.

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[–] ilon 10 years ago

audiences in 1993 knew exactly what they were getting into

I did not know what I was getting into back then, sorry. I like the film, but I agree up to a point and I think that the main problem is precisely the need to have someone (Danny) explaining the joke to the audience over and over again.

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[–] BarneyRubbleNLittleChina 9 years ago

"I did not know what I was getting into back then, sorry."

Further proof that, YES ... WE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WE WERE GETTING INTO:

https://youtu.be/TCbFXs_H-H8

You people forget that the Internet works both ways.

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[–] ZombieJesus92 11 years ago

Blaming the '90s audience doesn't explain why it has a low rating NOW. I gave it a 9. In reality, Danny would have died at the end of the movie. I don't think the filmmakers separated the film world and real world far enough, or maybe I missed the point. I also wanted to see the old guy get to visit his favourite movies. That was a bit of a cop out.

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[–] JohnDoeJersey 10 years ago

I think action movies are mostly regarded as a sub-par product of the cinematographic industry. Especially in the 90's were action film mostly featured stone carveds hunk like Schwarzenegger, Stalone, Van Damme, Segal etc..., whose lack of acting depth seemed to annoy critics. And based on the conversations I've had with many film lovers over the years, action movies cannot be good movies.

Interestingly enough though, exception seems to be made when action movies are made by reputable directors (James Cameron, Christopher Nolan) The Dark Knight Rises for me is a case of grossly overrated film.

That being said, in Last Action Hero's case it should easily be at least a 7.5. Especially in retrospect of what has been done in this category. It's a very unique and creative film that took a great approach to the genre by being both an homage and a satire.

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[–] BigBadDolemite 10 years ago

I don't think the filmmakers separated the film world and real world far enough

agreed, I think that was one of the few flaws in the film. They did a great job separating the 2 until the showdown on the roof. If Slater comes up with a real world solution to save the day then I think it would have been much better.

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[–] faithish 11 years ago

I couldn't agree more! I absolutely hated the delivery of that line. The acting didn't impress me at all, and mostly juust made it painful to watch. Fans if the movie say that people who don't like it don't get the fact that it's supposed to be a spoof. I honestly didn't get that vibe watching it. Mel Brooks, for instance, makes it clear in each of his films that it's a spoof, so that the viewer is prepared to enjoy them in that light. Whatever triggers that idea wasn't present for me in this film. I just didn't enjoy it.

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[–] dan6pitcher 10 years ago

How could you not realize that LAH is a spoof? They had a freaking cartoon cat in the police station. They commented on every single action movie cliche in the action movie world. The entire movie was a sendoff of the era's action films.

This is the EXACT point of this thread. Some people are just too dense to comprehend that something is satire if they're not being beaten over the head with it.

Mel Brooks is great, but his movies are not satire, they're parody. LAH was more of a satire (like Bulworth or Idiocracy which were also given lower ratings by people who didn't get the satire) and people like faithish are so dense that they can't get a simple idea like satire in a movie.

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[–] faithish 10 years ago

Just because I didn't enjoy it doesn't make me dense. Resorting to insults to get your point across just shows that your argument isn't valid enough on its own.

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[–] dan6pitcher 10 years ago

No. I wasn't insulting you at all. I was stating facts. Anyone who could not see that this film was a satire/spoof of the era's action movies and Arnold himself was clearly lacking in intellectual abilities. You said that you can only get Mel Brooks type satires because they are obvious and over-the-top...well, LAH was obvious and over-the-top to some of us, but to many of the more dense viewers it was a dumb action movie. It was a comedy and a satire, hence the self-reflection and meta references in the film itself.

One does not have to say "this is a spooof" in every scene for a movie to be a spoof. Plus, the fact that basically every scene in the movie is referencing another movie or a cliche should be enough evidence for even the most dense person that this was a spoof movie. Even the poster made it clear that it was a spoof.

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[–] JFByers 10 years ago

No. Insulting talks about the person who use them, not about his argument.

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[–] croat-hr 9 years ago

I knew it was a spoof from the first scene on, and I was 9 while watching it.

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[–] Eumenides_0 13 years ago

I'm surprised to find it has a 5.9 rating; I expected 7.5 or so. It brilliantly dismantles the action genre, it's original and funny, and it even has Death from Ingmar Bergman's movie as a character. And Salieri. How can anyone not love this movie is beyond me.

This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel.

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[–] GreenGoblinsOckVenom86 13 years ago

Yeah. But it could be worse. It could get a 5.0 like my favorite childhood movie the Pagemaster. Oh! I just went there and it's a 5.2 now. Glad to see more people rated it higher.

"Time to die! Like a man!" Venom Spider-Man Web of Shadows

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[–] mrz_nr1 13 years ago

I like the first part when Arnold have the UZI. : ) But the movie is not that great.

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[–] bobjr94 12 years ago

Too many people thought it was a serious action movie and just didnt get it. They said its not realistic and could not really happen and the plot has errors and holes. Like a guys head being transplanted onto a robot cop is more realistic ? This was a great movie and I love to watch it.

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[–] alx3 12 years ago

I never understood the lack of appreciation it had. I remember watching this movie when I was a kid over and over because of how cool it was. Even back then I could see that it wasn't a serious action movie with all the over the top scenes and humor. It's just a real fun movie to watch, really don't get why it didn't do well. LAH deserves at least a 7 but I give it a good 8.

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[–] GreenGoblinsOckVenom86 12 years ago

This movie's gone up to 6.0. Also I find it odd that Kindergarten Cop is no longer in the 6 range.

"Time to die! Like a man!" Venom Spider-Man Web of Shadows

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[–] nathanschubach 12 years ago

I just saw the movie for the first time. It came out when I was 13, but I never liked action movies that much. The movie was OK, but it's basically an average film, in my opinion. Guns, bombs, cheesy one-liners, everything ends up OK in the end...not exactly original, groundbreaking material.

-I'm going to remake Transformers 3. No CGI! In 4-D! Smell-o-vision!-

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[–] MovieMaster95 12 years ago

Most people just don't get it. I first watched this film a few years ago, when I was just getting into 80s/90s Action movies and really enjoyed it. Great satire of the genre and had many memorable scenes and lines; "To be or not to be...Not to be!" *BOOM*

The only problem I can think of is that it does run a bit too long. Still this movie at least deserves a 7.5 IMO. A true gem of the 90s.

I even made a tribute to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYVRNI4ppY4

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[–] the_mozard 12 years ago

IMO, This movie is not that good compare with other 80s/90s action movie or other Arnold's movie. It's was't the serious action movie neither the humor wasn't great, the last part of this movie (when Danny and Slater came back to the real world) is the downside of this movie for me.

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[–] scabab 12 years ago

It was the kid that ruined it.

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