“Last Action Hero” was expected to be one of the biggest blockbusters of 1993. The meta-humor movie is about an Arnold Schwarzenegger fan who gets transported into one of the actor’s over-the-top movies and then pulls Schwarzenegger’s fictional protagonist back into the real world with him, and had as epic a pedigree as any movie ever. It was directed by John McTiernan, who previously directed “Predator” and “Die Hard.” It was written by Shane Black, who previously wrote “Lethal Weapon” and “The Last Boy Scout.” And it was Schwarzenegger’s first film after the gigantic mega-hit “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (unless you count his directorial debut, a Made-For-TV remake of the holiday rom-com classic “Christmas in Connecticut,” and yes that is a real thing).
But “Last Action Hero” was also an unexpected flop, thanks in no small part to poor timing — It came out just one week after “Jurassic Park,” a death sentence for practically any movie — but also to mixed reactions from critics and audiences who weren’t quite ready for multiverse blockbusters yet.Â
Still, nobody could say they didn’t at least try to make “Last Action Hero” into a big, big movie. The film practically bursts at the seams with wild ideas and gags, with cameos from practically everybody they could drag onto the set. In addition to on-screen appearances from Sharon Stone, Robert Patrick, MC Hammer, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Joan Plowright, and Little Richard, to name a few, Danny DeVito also provides the voice of a smart-alecky cartoon cat.
And that incredible series of cameos got kicked off by Tina Turner.
