Based on numbers alone, Jessica Chastain bin Laden-hunter and Jessica Chastain-tattooed, dyed-black and gothic are better than Arnold Schwarzenegger in a movie that we can only hope is truthfully titled, The Last Stand.
Perhaps Johnny Knoxville co-starring kept people away from the theater. Or perhaps the Schwarzenegger allure lost its luster when he became governor of California for eight years. Politics aside, the former-Terminator’s venture from Hollywood into the Governor’s Mansion made him human. While his initial election in a farcical recall of Gray Davis that positioned Schwarzenegger against the likes of former-child star Gary Coleman and lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante was wrought with novelty and unfortunate fandom, his election to a second term completely shattered any illusion that he could be mistaken for a Commando or Predator hunter.
Entering the public sphere made him one of us. His transgressions became the point of criticism. Had his exposed affair and subsequent progeny with his maid been brought to light during the height of Schwarzenegger-as-action-star fame, it most likely would have been chalked up to celebrity-as-celebrity. However, as governor, his ethics are doubly magnified and scrutinized.
The Last Stand challenges our ability to differentiate between the public Schwarzenegger figure and this time as assassin cyborg. Unfortunately, nostalgia only goes so far. The younger generation of viewers is only familiar with Arnold as California’s main guy and tabloid fodder. They aren’t familiar with Pumping Iron, Conan, or Twins. Perhaps they’ve glimpsed one of the Terminator films and asked, Why is the governor of California trying to kill (or save depending on the installment) John Conner?
But they weren’t aware of the CGI-fervor caused by either film or the epidemic use and parodying of “I’ll be back” or “Hasta la vista baby.”
In a way, I hope that The Last Stand is what its name portends. I know it’s selfish, but I would rather remember Arnold at his height than as a punchline from a film that showcases the death rattle of fame.
Perhaps this is why others avoided the film as well.
