‘Last Action Hero’ 4K Blu-Ray Will Bring Jack Slater Home In May
In 1993,Last Action Herohit the big screen and promptly flopped. The film already had a dino-sized obstacle stacked against it: it opened a week afterJurassic Park, and people wanted to watchJurassic Parkover and over again. But there were other problems, too. The script was never where it needed to be, but studio execs were convinced audiences would show up for anArnold Schwarzeneggermovie, regardless of quality. They were wrong. But in the years sinceLast Action Hero’s theatrical release, people have re-evaluated the action-comedy, and while it still has problems, it’s better than its reputation suggests. And now it’s getting a 4K Blu-ray release.
TheLast Action Hero4K Blu-ray release is being billed as something fans demanded. In 2019, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment ran a fan poll where they provided a list of some of their films and asked participants which of the titles they wanted to see on 4K. Believe it or not, SPHE says that with over 30,000 responses,Last Action Herowas the movie that won out. And now they’re giving the fans what they want asLast Action Heroheads to 4K Ultra HD onMay 18.
InLast Action Hero, “Young Danny Madigan (Austin O’Brien) is a lonely 11-year-old boy who escapes from his bleak reality by watching the action-adventure movies of his favorite film character, Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger). When his best friend, Nick the projectionist, gives him a special ticket to the new Slater film, Danny is magically transported into Jack’s world, where the good guys always win. Danny becomes his helper as Jack battles a trio of nefarious bad guys, Benedict (Charles Dance), Vivaldi (Anthony Quinn), and The Ripper (Tom Noonan). But things get out of hand when Benedict steals Danny’s magic ticket stub and transports himself into the real world, where crime can, and often does, pay. Jack and Danny must leave fictional Los Angeles for real-life New York and battle the villains without the aid of movie magic or stuntmen.”
By now you probably know the story ofLast Action Hero. When the film entered production, Arnold Schwarznegger was box office gold. It seemed like he could do no wrong in the eyes of movie-going audiences. With that in mind, the folks at Sony were convinced that signing Schwarzenegger toLast Action Herowould guarantee a box office hit.
Behind-the-scenes, problems arose – specifically on a script level. The initial draft was written byZak PennandAdam Leff, and Penn and Leff’s script was much different than the finished film (note: I’m not saying it wasbetter; justdifferent). The studio kept tinkering with it by bringing inShane Black, the high-paid screenwriter responsible forLethal Weapon. Then Schwarzenegger insisted on more rewrites fromWilliam Goldman, one of the best screenwriters in the biz (he wroteAll the President’s Men,The Princess Bride, and more). Goldman did uncredited script doctor work; so didCarrie FisherandLarry Ferguson. In the end, the script was credited to Shane Black andDavid Arnott. And, by all accounts, it was never where it needed to be.
WhenLast Action Herohit theaters, critics tore it apart and it fizzled at the box office. In the years since its release, though,Last Action Herohas become kind of a cult curiosity. Does it have problems? It sure does! But it’s also a lot better than its reputation suggests, and I’m glad Sony is giving it a 4K so we can have a new chance to reappraise it. On top of that, the release is going to feature a brand new commentary track from directorJohn McTiernan, which should be interesting. Here’s a full list of the special features.
