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THE LAST STAND (2013)Movie Reviews
Action thriller about a small-town California sheriff who reluctantly agrees to lead a face-off with an escaped drug kingpin traveling with a hostage and an army of gang members. Cast:Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jaimie Alexander, Rodrigo Santoro, Forest Whitaker, Peter Stormare, Genesis Rodriguez, Harry Dean Stanton, Johnny Knoxville, Zach Gilford, Luis Guzmán, Daniel Henney, John Patrick Amedori, Eduardo Noriega, Melissa Molinaro, Chris BrowningDirector:Kim Jee-WoonRelease Date:January 18, 2013DVD Release:May 21, 2013From:LionsgateRating:RLength:1 hr 42 min
The Last Stand (2013) played to good not great reviews. • Christy Lemire wrote for the Associated Press, "...an extremely Schwarzeneggerish Schwarzenegger film, full of big, violent set pieces and broad comedy.... Everyone's just here for a mindless good time." More Reviews Below...
The Last Stand (2013) Positive Reviews (47 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's been 10 years since Arnold Schwarzenegger's last lead role, so what does he do for his comeback? Channel Clint Eastwood.... Still, the movie is fun..."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 73 words, 01/24/13
Richard Corliss, Time: FAIR "...a fantasy of hyper-violence that plays like an NRA vision of America the Beautiful.... Slapdash in its character portraits, the movie is slambang in its action scenes..."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,284 words, 01/18/13
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an extremely Schwarzeneggerish Schwarzenegger film, full of big, violent set pieces and broad comedy.... Everyone's just here for a mindless good time."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 01/17/13
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Schwarzenegger gives a controlled and brutally charismatic performance that restores his dignity as a star.... Kim has an organic feel for the American idiom."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 703 words, 01/18/13
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...hits all the necessary action beats and effectively blends in the humor... but there's still nothing of particular interest here."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 854 words, 01/17/13
Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an amusing -- albeit violent -- vehicle for Schwarzenegger, who has yet to say 'hasta la vista' to the genre he so skillfully mastered.... Age 15."(See all of Sandie Angulo Chen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 591 words, 01/17/13
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (14 Reviews)
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: FAIR "Kim Jee-woon fails to dazzle with the endless speeding-car sequences, but a 60-second flourish during a lengthy firefight is almost worth the tedium."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 212 words, 01/18/13
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "As a personal tribute, it is blatantly needy but cannily self-deprecating.... Some of this is amusing, some of it absurd.... Most likely, it will all be embraced."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 357 words, 01/18/13
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "Kim isn't afraid to balance the action with eccentric humor.... this is a movie content with just being good, old-fashioned fun."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 309 words, 01/18/13
Sara Stewart, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...just seems to want to gin up a lot of high-fiving for a lot of shooting, and right now is the least palatable time I can think of for that."(See all of Sara Stewart's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 448 words, 01/18/13
Cary Darling, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a fun, if predictable, action-thriller... director Jee-woon Kim ('The Good, The Bad, the Weird'; 'I Saw the Devil') keeps things moving quickly..."(See all of Cary Darling's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 525 words, 01/18/13
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "...an Americana stew of car flick, Western and high-tech thriller.... there's no distracting from Schwarzenegger's diminished physicality... a disappointing comeback."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 297 words, 01/18/13
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine: GOOD "...this is the loosest the guy's been in ages.... there's enough goofy, offhand humor to distinguish it from the rest of the Schwarzenegger oeuvre."(See all of Bilge Ebiri's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 618 words, 01/18/13
Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...if you're a fan of stylish, relentlessly loud shootouts, questionable plot developments be damned, this is your ticket... This is what Arnold does best..."(See all of Richard Roeper's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 845 words, 01/18/13
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...a modestly scaled action programmer -- more 'Raw Deal' than 'Terminator' -- that does exactly what it should: It leaves us wanting more."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 201 words, 01/17/13
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "...there's certainly no shortage of guns and ammo.... the hilarity is muted by the really excessive amount of violence. People don't just die, they explode like blood bombs."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 639 words, 01/18/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...delivers inventive, energetic thrills for a couple of hours, and it makes Arnold Schwarzenegger a convincing action star at 65. What else could you possibly want?"(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 242 words, 01/17/13
KEY CITIES (11 Reviews)
Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: POOR(cg) "...mindless.... There are a few heart-pounding car chases, but no amount of adrenaline could prevail over the expository dialogue and easily foreseen outcome."(See all of Stephanie Merry's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 468 words, 01/18/13
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: MODERATE(cg) "...allows the cast plenty of time to exchange pleasantries.... But the director and his stunt team get down to business with the chases and the shootouts..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 372 words, 01/18/13
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...unpretentious, invigorating... a gleefully audacious, visceral shoot-'em-up.... As Arnold's return to the screen and Kim's American debut, this is a big audience win-win."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 436 words, 01/18/13
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: MODERATE(cg) "...the kind of bloody, bullet-riddled movie even the NRA might shrink from.... Schwarzenegger doesn't so much look world-weary as simply tired."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 559 words, 01/18/13
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "It takes everything and nothing seriously, depending on what the filmmakers think they can get away with at any given moment... ridiculous."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 636 words, 01/18/13
Soren Andersen, Seattle Times: POOR(cg) "...a movie with an itty-bitty dino-sized brain.... Antique formula, meet antique action star. This dino is indeed extinct, and only he doesn't seem to know it."(See all of Soren Andersen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 343 words, 01/18/13
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: WEAK(cg) "...there's no sense that these are real people in a real town, and Schwarzenegger's Sheriff Owens has the weakest backstory of all."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 373 words, 01/18/13
Sean Daly, Tampa Bay Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an old-school actioner seemingly born in the shameless bang-bang '80s.... There are myriad finely edited action set pieces throughout..."(See all of Sean Daly's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 606 words, 01/18/13
John Anderson, Detroit News: MODERATE(cg) "...the action star isn't quite up to the action; Kim does what he can to make Schwarzenegger appear limber, but he seems barely able to cross the street."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 369 words, 01/18/13
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "The idea of Arnold Schwarzenegger as a small town sheriff is ludicrous, but then that's the whole point of the film: It's dumb fun, emphasis on the dumb."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 519 words, 01/18/13
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (11 Reviews)
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...a modestly scaled action programmer -- more 'Raw Deal' than 'Terminator' -- that does exactly what it should: It leaves us wanting more."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 201 words, 01/17/13
Kristy Puchko, Cinema Blend: VERY GOOD(cg) "...offers insane action, solidly funny sight gags -- courtesy of Johnny Knoxville and Luis Guzman -- and a welcome amount of Schwarzenegger swagger."(See all of Kristy Puchko's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 630 words, 01/18/13
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the NRA should encourage films like this lighthearted bloodbath. The Tea Party should endorse it too, as it demonstrates the uselessness of the Federal government."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 171 words, 01/24/13
Scott Tobias, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...cheerfully, irresistibly destructive -- an old-fashioned, 'Rio Bravo' shoot-'em-up with the hicktown spirit of 'Tremors,' though it isn't as good as either."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 418 words, 01/17/13
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...it's Arnold and Johnny Knoxville, immigration politics and car chases, exploding heads and cornfields. The mix is at times surprisingly exhilarating..."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 733 words, 01/18/13
Amy Nicholson, Movieline: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a return to men who crack quips, fight with their fists, and swagger around without having to carry the weight of the world on their over-developed shoulders."(See all of Amy Nicholson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 945 words, 01/18/13
Calum Marsh, Slant: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Kim Jee-woon's command of mood, tone, and atmosphere make even the simplest gestures worth relishing in detail.... a great example of classical genre filmmaking..."(See all of Calum Marsh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,165 words, 01/15/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...delivers inventive, energetic thrills for a couple of hours, and it makes Arnold Schwarzenegger a convincing action star at 65. What else could you possibly want?"(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 242 words, 01/17/13
Edward Adams, Atlanta Creative Loafing: POOR(cg) "...brimmed with Schwarzenegger's token one-liners, explosive car chases, gunplay, and fist fights.... a simple, weak bore of a film."(See all of Edward Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 598 words, 01/17/13
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: POOR(cg) "...a clunky excuse for an action flick.... If I thought it was all making fun, in a bleak, black way, of America's love of guns, I'd feel better about it. But it isn't."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 372 words, 01/25/13
HIGHBROW PRESS (6 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD "...enjoyably preposterous... the movie isn't about eloquence, it's about giving Mr. Schwarzenegger a chance to take on new enemies that include advancing age."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 413 words, 01/18/13
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: FAIR "Kim Jee-woon fails to dazzle with the endless speeding-car sequences, but a 60-second flourish during a lengthy firefight is almost worth the tedium."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 212 words, 01/18/13
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: GOOD "...full of a strange, aggressive nostalgia.... The speedy is interlaced with the stealthy, and action sequences carefully bide their time... disturbingly graceful..."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 725 words, 01/28/13
Stephanie Zacharek, NPR: MODERATE "...attempts at violent humor are scattershot, though occasionally Kim Jee-woon and his actors hit the mark... most of the action sequences are indistinctly shot..."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 536 words, 01/17/13
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "Kim isn't afraid to balance the action with eccentric humor.... this is a movie content with just being good, old-fashioned fun."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 309 words, 01/18/13
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: MODERATE "...it's like 38 percent of a good movie.... But Schwarzenegger's resolute performance embodies the wizened, third-act-of-life defiance that Americans always love."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 712 words, 01/17/13
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Variety: MODERATE "...thin, jokey... a back-of-the-bar-napkin script with a string of proficient and sensationally violent setpieces.... blood spurts, sprays and sometimes explodes..."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 653 words, 01/12/13
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: MODERATE "...just passable... paint-by-numbers... Schwarzenegger still conveys the old self-confident, humorous I-dare-you attitude toward his adversaries."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 899 words, 01/12/13
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "Kim isn't afraid to balance the action with eccentric humor.... this is a movie content with just being good, old-fashioned fun."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 309 words, 01/18/13
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Schwarzenegger plays a formulaic role that Clint Eastwood, at his prime as an action icon, could have done in his sleep... predictable and conventional to a fault..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 369 words, 01/14/13
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: FAIR "Kim Jee-woon fails to dazzle with the endless speeding-car sequences, but a 60-second flourish during a lengthy firefight is almost worth the tedium."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 212 words, 01/18/13
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD "...enjoyably preposterous... the movie isn't about eloquence, it's about giving Mr. Schwarzenegger a chance to take on new enemies that include advancing age."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 413 words, 01/18/13
19.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Last Stand (2013)'s reviews are separated by an average 19.6 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Last Stand (2013) (47 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Last Stand (2013)'s reviews cover 79.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 25,463 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 542 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Last Stand (2013) Coverage, Volume & Length (47 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 26.6 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Last Stand (2013)'s reviews on average broke 26.6 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Last Stand (2013)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Last Stand (2013) (47 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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