Rare Edition of film, but can be found for cheap if u know where to look...

First off, this edition of the film is a double sided dvd which contains the widescreen and full screen versions of the film. This edition is hard to find because it looks EXACTLY like the release which only contains the full screen version. Rather than pay $35 for the widescreen version of the film from a seller on amazon, you should go to hastings and sift through there copies looking on the back at the small box below arnold. It should say "widescreen or standard formats". I got my copy for $6.99. Nothing against amazon, but the few individual sellers trying to charge a fortune for this film are just trying to make a cheap buck. Amazon itself is the best place on the web or off to buy dvds.

As far as the film itself, the first half is absolutely awesome arnold-tastic action, but the second half get kinda dull. The first makes it worth adding to any action collection. Ice cream cone to the skull.

An emblematic cult movie!

"The last action hero" is a puzzled fable, a movie within a movie, a smart recreation of our modern vision about the seminal concept of the hero, rescuing the essence of its meaning, spiced of clever humor that truly demands from the viewer a very detailed knowledge of certain classics of the genre.

Jean Epstein as well as many other theorists of the cinema, have established over and over the fact to watch a movie into a dark hall surrounded of other people that barely or nothing know about, it `s very close to what we might a sensorial experience, a cathartic evasion (and sometimes a spiritual meeting, just in very reduced exceptions like Tarkovsky, Bresson, for instance). But Mac Thiernan knew to employ smartly all the available devices to convey us through this labyrinths of missed images, memories and livings immersed in those frames that run 24 times by second, because the movie occupies a place into our contemporary memory, according the level you regard it.

Pitifully, the message was not entirely understood, due perhaps the presence of Scharwzeeger meant for many people full action without another second reading.

The Dumbing Down of America

The following story will tell you why this movie bombed at the box office.

While visiting family in Miami one of my cousins went to see the movie. When he got home he was telling me how much the movie stunk. As he was talking it became obvious to me that he had taken the movie seriously. So I yelled at him "It's a parody!! He's making fun of action movies in general and himself in particular!!" I could see the lightbulb go on over his head and he went right out and saw it again.

Needless to say, he loved the film. As do I. It's not often that a big star has the guts to make fun of himself just to make his fans laugh. So if you have this film languishing in your collection somewhere you need to see it with this in mind. It's parody. Satire. Comedy! Watch it and have fun.