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Reviews were mixed, with critics who enjoyed the film calling it “good fun,” “entertaining,” “a guilty pleasure,” and “the Arnie comeback we’ve all been waiting for.” Those who didn’t enjoy the film labelled it “predictable,” “disappointing,” “forgettable,” and said that it offers “nothing new.”

In an interview with Collider, Jee-Woon said that there were two things he wanted to show in the film with Schwarzenegger. “The one part is that I’d like to give the audience what they’ve always wanted to see and also I want to give the audience what they’ve never seen from him. It’s these two things I’m striving for.” However, as highlighted by the reviews, audiences didn’t really see Schwarzenegger doing anything he hadn’t done before.

Before Terminator 3, Schwarzenegger’s last few films in a starring role were End of Days, The 6th Day and Collateral Damage. All were original films, but the latter two in particular underperformed at the box office, suggesting that his popularity was already starting to wane. It wasn’t until a Terminator sequel that he was able to bring audiences back into seeing him again on the big screen, suggesting that if Schwarzenegger is not a part of a franchise, then audiences are not going to go out of their way to see him.

The film actually has a really great cast, with the likes of Forest Whitaker, Luis Guzman, Peter Stormare, Jamie Alexander and Johnny Knoxville in supporting roles. However, it is odd (and rather unfortunate) that Eduardo Noriega as Cortez is scripted spending most of his time behind the wheel of a car. In fact the Corvette ZR1 gets more screen time than some of the cast. It’s also quite surprising just how much space Johnny Knoxville has on some of the posters as the weapons enthusiast Lewis Dinkum, especially when taking into account just how little screen time he has in the film. This in itself might have confused some audiences. I mean, Johnny Knoxville and Arnold Schwarzenegger… starring together… just what kind of film is this?

The timing was unfortunate, with The Last Stand released a month after the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting. Given some of the violent killings that occur in the film (by guns), it’s certainly possible that in the wake of Sandy Hook, audiences didn’t want to be reminded of that. This is debatable, though, for during this period US audiences turned Django Unchained into a $150 million+ earner. On the other hand, Gangster Squad faltered, earning just $46 million, though notably it had a sequence reshot following the Aurora, Colorado shooting.

Unlike those films, The Last Stand just so happens to have a firearms museum where the heroes stock up on weapons and ammunition. The scene inside Lewis’ museum does somewhat glorify classic weapons such as the Tommy Gun and a Vickers Machine Gun. There’s also the repeated use of a Smith & Wesson Model 500. The Vickers and Smith & Wesson also feature prominently on the posters and in the trailers. While promoting the film, Schwarzenegger cited what happened at Sandy Hook, saying, “[This is] entertainment and the other thing is a tragedy beyond belief. It’s really serious and it’s the real deal. We have to analyze how we deal with mental illness, how we deal with gun laws, how we deal with parenting.”

Schwarzenegger’s time as Governor of California resulted in all manner of allegations and scandals relating to his past behavior. Following the end of his time in office the news of Schwarzenegger’s infidelity with a housekeeper was made public, at which point his wife of 25 years, Maria Shriver, separated from him. When running for Governor, his popularity was incredibly high, but once the news of his past scandal emerged, it plummeted almost immediately. Schwarzenegger’s life off screen appeared to have an effect on whether audiences would pay to see him on screen. For some, he was now no longer a reason to see a film, but a reason to stay away.

In hindsight, it would seem that the film could have attracted a bigger audience had Liam Neeson stuck around. Given his star power and insane popularity with those Taken films (Neeson’s Taken sequel outgrossed The Expendables sequel, and on a much smaller budget), his involvement could have turned The Last Stand into a #1 film.

When I first head about The Last Stand I was intrigued, largely because of Kim Jee-Woon’s involvement, who for me is a bigger draw than Schwarzenegger. I waited till it was released on DVD/Blu-Ray. The result is an okay action film where the action is actually well staged (none of that shoddy frantic shaky camera rubbish here). While the film plays on Schwarzenegger’s status as being older and (supposedly) more wiser, the low worldwide takings would suggest that he wasn’t really missed. Scandals have harmed his career, and the film itself was seen as merely good but not great. Whether Schwarzenegger is still relevant will be answered with the upcoming releases of Escape Plan and Sabotage.

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