He might have starred in some of the greatest action movies ever made, but Arnold Schwarzenegger has also lent his name to more than a few stinkers, although nobody in their right mind would count Last Action Hero among them.
Sure, the self-aware and fourth wall-breaking blockbuster may have died a slow and agonizingly painful death at the box office, but the blame can largely be placed on the shoulders of the studio for making the mistake of pitting it head-to-head against Jurassic Park, which ended up becoming the highest-grossing movie in history.
Ask any self-respecting fan of the genre 30 years later, though, and they’ll tell you the riotous romp is an unfairly underrated gem that seems to be getting better with age. Schwarzenegger completely agrees, after naming it as his most overlooked starring vehicle in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“Last Action Hero. It was slaughtered before anybody saw it. It was literally a political attack because I was campaigning for [former President George H.W. Bush], but Bill Clinton won. Last Action Hero was great — it wasn’t fantastic, but it was underrated. Now, more and more people are seeing it and saying, “I love this movie.” I’m getting the residual checks, so I know it’s true. It made money — that’s always an important thing for me. Because it’s show business, right?”
The Hamlet scene alone is more than enough to ensure enduring cult favorite status for Last Action Hero, but there’s plenty more to love besides seeing Schwarzenegger doing Shakespeare. It may not be one of his very best, but it’s definitely one of the most gleefully entertaining.