Hollywood icon, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the Action Hero, Jack Slater, in Jack Slater IV! This time the kill his favorite second cousin…Big Mistake!
Danny (Austin O’Brien) is the biggest Schwarzenegger fan. More so in his tole as Jack Slater. Danny sneaks away instead of going to school to watch Jack Slater III over and over again. Danny’s best friend is Nick (Robert Prosky), the kind projectionist at a rundown New York Cinema.
Danny is invited to see the latest Jack Slater, early. Before Danny sees the film he is given a golden ticket by Nick. Who was given the ticket by Houdini. By tearing the ticket in half, Nick unknowingly unleashes its magical powers. While watching the movie, Danny is sucked into the film and is now part of Jack Slater’s world!
Last Action Hero in my opinion was way ahead of its time and one of Schwarzenegger’s best films. He is brilliant in it. He’s playing an amped up version of his onscreen persona and nails it. He also plays himself in the film. And he has an emotional arc that you don’t see coming that defines his character throughout the film.
I plead with everyone to watch this film. I still don’t think people get it. It is funny, full of action and heart.
Known more as being a financial disaster for Schwarzenegger and Sony pictures, it has languished on blu-ray with a horrible scan and no bonus features.
During the pandemic, Brad and I started a campaign to get Last Action Hero on 4K and with bonus features. Not only did our idea come true but I read that when Sony put a write-in section on what film would fans like to see on 4K, Last Action Hero was by far the most requested title. And I give Sony a ton of credit. They listened to the fans and delivered a great UHD. I like to say Brad and I are the ones that got the ball rolling, seriously we even interviewed a fellow fan, who is also a stuntman from Canada, about this very subject.
Grade: A+
Last Action Hero 4K Video Quality
Last Action Hero takes no prisoners with a fantastic new 4K scan. Gone is the awful previous blu-ray release of crushed colors, heavy pixelization and washed out colors. In its place is a robust new scan showing of detail and colors previously not seen.
Grade: A+
Last Action Hero 4K Audio Quality
Last Action Hero delivers a full on assault to your eardrums. Heavy metal, guns shooting and explosions. Everything in this film is big and the sound mix is no different. From New York’s rain drenched streets to Los Angeles’ sun bathed avenues the ambient sound is stellar.
Grade: A+
Last Action Hero Bonus Features
While this release isn’t packed it is nice to have some features included after the barebones dvd and blu-ray release of the past.
Commentary by Director John McTiernan: Although McTiernan is somewhat boring to listen to, he does give you a lot of information to digest. And he spends a lot of time apologizing for the film, which he doesn’t need to.
Original Behind the Scenes Featurette
Deleted and Alternate Scenes: Also included is an alternate ending which is not good.
Big Gun by AC/DC
Grade: B
One of the most exciting releases for me personally earns my top blu-ray of the year. I adore Last Action Hero, and hope that with this release it will find the audience it deserves!
Overall: A+