The LAST ACTION HERO Makes it to Steelbook

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to everyone’s home entertainment library in a very cool Steelbook 4K Ultra HD Bluray from director John McTiernan and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the LAST ACTION HERO.

Danny (Austin O’Brien) is a young kid who lives in the part of New York City that is not exactly walking down the street friends. Living with mom Irene (Mercedes Ruehl) who is widowed, Danny spends his time watching movies. His favorites are about a cop named Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who is almost invincible.

He hangs out at the local theatre helping the projectionist, Nick (Robert Prosky). As kind of a thanks, Danny gets a ticket to see the early Jack Slater IV film. The story behind the ticket is that it once belonged to Harry Houdini. While watching the film, Danny finds himself IN the film! As the boy recognizes characters like Whiskers the cat detective (voiced by Danny DeVito), he tries to tell Slater that there are people he cannot trust.

When Slater’s boss Lt. Dekker assigns Danny as his partner, they start investigating Tony Vivaldi (Anthony Quinn) and Mr. Benedict (Charles Dance). Curious how they knew where to find them, they follow Slater and Danny home where daughter Whitney (Bridgette Wilson) is waiting and also manages to get the golden ticket. He also learns what it can do!

Danny finally tells Slater the reality of the situation once they reach Danny’s side of it all where he meets Mom Irene. Benedict, also in Danny’s world makes plans to deal with Slater by taking out the actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. That is when it becomes time to terminate the bad guys!

O’Brien as Danny is such a strong kid and has no problem telling it like it is. He is a character we can all relate to finding escape in the movies. We have all done that and we have all found characters that we embrace so we absolutely are with this young man every step of the way.

Schwarzenegger as Slater (and himself) gives us the characters he came to be known for. Strong of course but also stubborn, relentless, and even funny. Here he is once again a cop with an opinion about everything thinking he knows what is best. This is a character we 80’s fans ‘grew up’ with so to speak and anytime there was a Schwarzenegger film in theatres, the lines were packed to get in.

Quinn as Vivaldi gets a chance to play a role that is filled with a great story and a bad guys, not that he has not done it in his previous roles – this one is just a tad twistedly different. Dance as Mr. Benedict is as amazing as ever and, like Schwarzenegger, can give a bad guy everything needed without really using a bit of muscle. He has sharpened his career with these roles and will always be ‘my dear brother Numsee’ (look up THAT reference kids).

Other cast include Tom Noonan as the Ripper, Frank McRae as Lt. Dekker, Ryan Todd as Andrew Slater, and F. Murray Abraham as Salieri. Cameos by Sharon Stone, Tina Turner, Robert Patrick, Mike Muscat, Maria Shriver, Little Richard, Leeza Gibbons, Jim Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Ian McKellen.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

4K Ultra HD Special Features include Newly remastered in 4K resolution from the original camera negative with HDR 10, All-new Dolby Atmos audio plus the original theatrical ADDS mix presented as 5.1+ original theatrical stereo audio, Audio Commentary with Director John McTiernan, Deleted & Alternate Scenes (presented in 4K with HDR10), Alternate Ending, “Big Gun” Music Video by AC/DC, Original Behind-The-Scene Featurette and Theatrical Teaser.

Let us be honest with one another, the LAST ACTION HERO is on the list on any 90’s film fan because that time brought us some amazing and memorable films. It is a time when movies were actually put on the screen to entertain us in ways that had us leaving the theatres laughing and repeating our favorite lines – not so much anymore. Seems now all the films are full of lectures and telling us repeat stories from original films we refuse to emotionally let go of.

LAST ACTION HERO is fun, funny, entertaining, makes us cheer, jump, laugh and root for the underdog with every fiber of our being. It was a theatrical experience then and with the fantastically large flat screens and sound bars we have in our homes now – this is one film that can feel like it is the 90’s all over again and truthfully, that is not a bad thing.

Having LAST ACTION HERO in a very cool Steelbook is an absolute bonus and adds to its coolness from the 90’s to 2021.

In the end – the oddest pairing will save both our worlds!