Loaded Weapon 1 Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: A parody of the action and police movies from the '80s and early '90s.

Review: Think of this as a forerunner for what would become films like "Scary Movie" or "Not Another Teen Movie." Surprisingly, "Last Action Hero" and this film were made the same year and parody a lot of the same movies like the "Lethal Weapon" franchise and the "Die Hard" franchise to name a few; they even star the same guy as the chief of police. I like LAH much better though because even though the parodies were similar they felt slightly more adult. While there are some quality jokes, decent cameos, and a ridiculous plot, it just feels as though something is missing. The vibe of the film is too lighthearted and so many gags fall flat; this direction never made any sense to me because many of these movies they're mocking, like "The Silence of the Lambs," are extremely adult films. It even borderlines slapstick a lot of the time and comes off as pathetic more than not. I really enjoyed this movie as a kid, but it does not hold up out of the era it was made in; I can't even imagine the younger generations getting a single joke unless they are familiar with 25-30 year old action movies. In fact, realizing that this entertained me as a kid, who was allowed to watch the movies being parodied, it should be of note that most kids my age would not have watched those movies. So who exactly was the target audience for this film if the jokes were so childish, but the material being covered was for adults? While worth a view if you're a movie buff and want to spot all the cameos and movies being parodied, it is a definite pass if you haven't watched the famous movies from that era. Also understand that this isn't exactly comedy gold here so it's not as though the jokes alone will carry the film for a casual viewer.

Notable Moment: When we first see inside Colt's "trailer" and it looks like a mansion; the accompanying scenes are also some of the funnier moments.

Final Rating: 5.5/10