Update - thanks for all the great feedback, DMs, emails and comments I’ve received in regards to this upload. I’m currently working on 2 new videos in this same style which hopefully will be as warmly received as this one. Cheers everyone!

Last Action Hero is one of the most underrated films ever. It’s absolute genius.

I LOVE this film. It’s up there with Terminator, Total Recall and Predator for me. Arnold knew how to poke fun at himself and the genre and it’s BRILLIANT

I can relate to Danny so much because I was day dreaming as a child, as well. It all started during my parent's war of the roses. Reality was too much for me, so I escaped from it.

one of the greatest movies ever made, ive always thought so.

Why don't we petition this to get a award?

its funny, when you look at certain movies that bombed at the box office, they are seemingly far deeper than their action movie shells make them out to be. This movie and Demolition Man are great movies once you shed the preconception of what an action movie is and what it can be.

As a 6 year old back in 93, I loved this movie.

Charles Dance as Benedict in Last Action Hero is one of the most underrated and under appreciated villains in cinematic history and I hate that he’s forgotten about lol

Charles Dance was incredible in this movie.

The demise of that black mini-van is still the funniest car crash in cinema history.

This and Starship Troopers are criminally underrated and unappreciated

I also think the ending also is aware that this type of movie is dying that the viewer should move on with their life. This conclusion is drawn from when jack tell danny he has his whole life ahead of him

I know how difficult this review was to produce. It was excellent. Your parallel drawing to the joker was on point. One movie is left with a positive feeling to the future, the good guy riding off into the sunset, the other with a dark view that tells us we are all f***ed. Please make more. They are greatly appreciated, and even if your channel doesn’t blow up, it will be worth it for those of us who care.

Danny needed to get robbed at the start of the movie to get the police handcuff key to later use in Slater V when he’s handcuffed. Meta. Death says it himself “I Don’t do Fiction”.! This is to state that death is a real thing that we cannot escape in reality. Extra Meta Deep. Also Jack still shows some crazy Action Hero Strength and Resilience, he took a bullet like a Hero.

This movie is very underrated and surprisingly dark when you think about it. The tragedy of Jack Slaters son, Danny's latchkey lifestyle and the danger of the real world when the movie villain realized that in real life, bad guys win all the time.

I've always loved this movie - always thought that it was underrated, got stuck with getting across the message it was trying to get across. Nice teardown.

this is the best review ive ever seen for a movie that was seemingly a basic movie but im so glad someone else saw it for the brilliance it really was.

This movie was at least a decade ahead of its time

This is one of my all time fave movies. I grew up with this as my Dad was a huge Action/Arnie fan and I was weened on a good diet of it growing up. I have since thought as I have got older that Danny is in fact imagining the whole event and this is actually a genius way of showing his dissociation from the real world hell he is living in. This is why he sees Benedict as breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to us as you see this a lot in Villains in both movies and theatre. It is like when you have a dream and sometimes you see yourself watching you or you see yourself as someone else entirely. Overall, this is a great video and I have sent it to my friends who also love this movie! x

Arnold is a legend.....!!!!!

I’ll never understand why people hated this movie in 1993. I would have been as over the moon about it then as I am now!

The villain enters the real world and shoots someone in an alleyway. "I just killed somebody!" No real response. "I did it on purpose!" and then the people yell at him. "No one cares, shut up and keep it down." The whole contrast between action movies and real life, and the reaction of this for both villain and hero is fantastic on how the react to this and how they see they see the real world. Also, him seeing Arnold Swartzenagger is hilarious.

Well thought out, well written, and well executed, sir! (no pun intended) I'll be looking forward to future analysis, in whatever video format you choose. I see that you haven't done much with the channel as of late, but I encourage you to keep up the fantastic work. Who knows... You might even save the internet!

The level of detail in this video and you only have 300 subs is madness. I was hoping you had a big selection of similar videos when I clicked onto your channel. Keep up the good work!

Man that scene with Jack slater meeting Arnold was insane to me. Like if I was in any of the two's shoes I'd prob go insane knowing both of us are the real deal in their own confusing way.

I don't give a shit what anyone says this movie is a near masterpiece and one of the truly most underappreciated films of all time

Charles dance did badass to play the Benedict character.

Another meta moment: Danny's teacher showing them Hamlet was played Laurence Olivier's wife.

Hi there, just came upon this video and I really enjoyed it! You brought up some things about the film I'd never heard about and the theories were very interesting. The scene of Charles Dance is pretty mind blowing, intentional or not! Upon rewatching the movie I noticed another thing I had never given much thought before. In the scene where the film gets its title of "Last Action Hero", the teacher at Danny's school is showing a clip of Hamlet to the class. As she sets the scene for the tape to play, she says that "...although Hamlet at times is seemingly incapable of taking action..." (an interesting choice of words, given the revelation that these characters are doomed to play a role) "...he is actually one of the first action heroes!" The line itself draws a clear contrast between Jack Slater's brazen action star and the internally conflicted, flowery prose of Hamlets character and his monologuing. If Hamlet can be called the first action hero, monologuing and incapable of action because that's the way he was written, then Jack Slater, or more appropriately Schwarzenegger, can safely be called the last. A hero to end all action heroes. May as well shut the book, Arnold finished the genre and it's whole arc by being the most explosive action icon in real life and then becoming self-aware of it all in the movie. And honestly, I think they were right. No one, not even Dwayne Johnson has quite taken up the mantle in the same way. Bruce Willis is a close second but I still think Schwarzenegger is the king. That line and the film's title in a way is the ultimate meta prediction on the genre, and the fact that they were ultimately right in a lot of ways makes it even more badass to me. Like the filmmakers really knew what they were doing and where the industry was headed. It's definitely true that some of the more clever ideas in the film can get buried under the heavily satirized action scenes at times, but it was always going to be a fine line to walk without being too obvious or on the nose. Ultimately, a lot of the more cerebral parts of the movie do feel like a "slight of hand" like you said; always working its magic beneath the surface but always careful to not call too much attention to itself. This is a fantastic video and you should be very proud of it. Making something like this is a LOT of work. Whatever you're up to now I hope you're able to put your skills as a researcher, movie buff, and storyteller to good use. I don't know how active you are in making videos for KZfaq now, but I'll sub and look forward to the possibility of seeing a new video sometime in the future. In the meantime, I'll watch your video on Point Break. I'm looking forward to it. Cheers!

Incredible take on an incredible movie that changed the course of film history. Really great video man!

Ever thought that Danny could have been genuinely attacked in the robbery and it led to a psychotic break? The final straw in a bleak and spiralling adolescence? That would explain the off tone and heightened violence far better than it being fictional to the Film's narrative, and why 'Danny Madigan' slips away into a fantasy World for mental comfort with His Hero/dream Father figure 'Jack Slater'. That's how I always took the tone of it. Especially seeing Danny bring Him home to Mom. Pure broken Childhood wish fulfilment stuff. I suspect possible domestic abuse from the deceased Dad, but definitely NOT p*dophila by the hands of that dear sweet old Cinema owner, 'Nick'. That's the most ridiculous theory I've heard on this Movie, ever. Those Clowns need their devices confiscating forever. But it's most likely just grief and feeling severely vulnerable that forces Danny to "Man-up" too fast and see violence as a magic solution to all His problems. Sorry for the Tl;dr, but that got me in my feelings a bit - I adore: 'Last Action Hero' and 'Nick' was probably the nicest paternal type figure 'Danny' knew in the irl setting of it. He sought Him out for safety. A ray of light in the darkness. Much like the projector beam in that darkened Theatre room... ...Absolutely loved your analysis, tho', subbed!

I still watch this movie occasionally. I loved it as a kid! It’s better than the critics say

If there was ever a character from this movie I'd love to see an exploration and movie from, it's be Benedict

In the Last Action Hero delete scene, Danny said to Jack his father died from cancer.

One of the most criminally underrated/unjustifiably criticized films of all time

Benedict was originally supposed to be played by Timothy Dalton. Charles Dance replaced him. It makes sense to me, because Benedict is like a dark James Bond type character. Goldeneye with Pierce Brosnan wouldn't come out until two years after this. At the time, I believe Timothy was still planning on doing a third film.

Deserves more views, but suits the underrated film you’re reviewing. Way to shed a new perspective on an old, personal classic. As for the Danny theory, the boy goes on an adventure. Let him have that.

I have notice there is a lot of parallels between Back To The Future and Last Action Hero. #1 Marty and Danny doesn't have friends there own ages. #2 both have older father figures and it's because of Nick and Doc Brown (Marty goes back in time) Danny ends up in a parallel world. #3 Marty creates a new timeline. Danny creates a alternate reality "Jack Slater" is a movie character who steps out of a film and becomes a living breathing person

I always thought that movie was underappreciated. I'd like to see more commentary from you.

Saw this in theater as a 10yo, so great

This movie got like 40% on rotten tomatoes... but it’s way better than that... this movie is more like 90% ... it’s up there with the classics...

Great video man. Ice always loved LAH, and it's renewed today with nostalgia. Seeing it in theaters all those decades ago I never imagined this story would have more to tell... Thanks for the insight.

I'm glad I found this video. It was interesting. But these theories, man.... "Nick is a pervert, Danny is psychotic". I always think the crazy theories tell us more about the person who came up with them in the first place. I can believe that he imagined these stuff but not because he was a psycho. And there it is, I'm projecting my experiences on the character. I was born in 1993, actually. I was younger than Danny when I first saw this movie (maybe 7 or 8). I was always a dreamer and after seeing this one, I spent a lot of time imagining myself being sucked into a movie. My favourite one was being in Star Wars The Phantom Menace having Padmé fall in love with me instead of Anakin. :D I've had and still have a tendency for depression and anxiety. I also see the world to be a dark place a lot of times, but I've found a way to escape: I became an actor, so I can keep on dreaming of being in another world. I mostly act on stage, though, which I think suits me better. This way I can be in that other world for 1-2 hours straight. While shooting for a movie is like going in and out of character every time the camera rolls and stops. Sorry for the long, biographical comment. :D Again, thanks for the video! I think I'm gonna rewatch the movie now.

Ahead of it's time, pure genius! It's a perfect time to do a Part 2, especially since all our 80's action heroes are doing their last hurrah movies before they totally retire from Hollywood.

Excellent video you should do more like this. Needs more views. I grew up in the 80s and 90s as well, was a great time to be alive.

A young Tywin Lannister as the main villain is pure genius!

The robbery scene is tonally fine because it Juxtaposes a cruel dangerous world to the world that Danny fixates on for escape. Hell the whole point of the last act of the movie is that Benedict is enamored with the real world because bad guys can win and what showcases that more then a home invader who emotionally tortures a kid and never gets caught.

The funeral scene took place in long beach, california. I was 8 years old and our 3rd grade class went on a field trip to the location where the funeral scene was shot. They did a take on the helicopter shooting up the elevator. It was so cool to witness it! But, unfortunately, we didnt get to see arnold.

A Deeply Misunderstood 90s Action Comedy Fantasy Classic. 👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽💥💥💥 One of Arnold's Best!

Easily my second favorite Arnold movie behind Commando. This was a really good take on it. Thank you!

This analysis video was outstanding. Truly outstanding. Not only did it open up my profound love for this film. But also challenged me to watch it in a new scope. And man, it was satisfying to do so. So, thank you. And even though I just found your video today. Almost 9 months after you uploaded it. The timing couldn't be more ideal. Since I had just purchased this film 2 weeks prior as it finally arrived on 4K disc. Totally subscribed to your channel.

My first friend with a car use to pick me up and always had the soundtrack playing, AC/DC big gun was my jam

As a 8 year old kid in 1993 I absolutely loved this movie, 30 years later and seeing all the flaws in the movie nothing changes I still love it

"Becoming the very thing it was satrizing..." Dude, that was the whole point Last Action Hero was a tongue in cheek look at how Action Movies are treated Good ones fall into this niche Great ones have cult followings Lately, Action Movies are cookie cutouts, and carbon copies of originals, with female leads recast as the main, only to have that one be trash

Its the only action film I can think of that has a child actor that is well acted and not annoying

4:24 was the most timeless joke ever it never gets old seeing Stallone lmao I would totally get one of those in fact I’m gonna see if I can get one rn

I remember seeing this when I was a kid and feeling some truly dark overtones that no one else seemed to see. I think through a well done fan edit this could be the masterpiece it actually might have been.

how can people do not like this movie...... it has everything .... love it !!!

I came across this very late. But one theory about this movie is that characters that leave their film are bound to how they are written. Jack is supposed to be a normal cop, only his world keeps him alive. Once he's in the real world, his character dictates that he's just a normal cop, so in the real world he's just a guy. Meanwhile, death is a concept, given form once he walks out of the movie, and death even admits that Jack isn't on his list, but Danny is. So death keeps his power because he is written to be supernatural. I theorize that the end of this movie and the ticket outside the movie, sparked the beginning of Wes kravens new nightmare. Which has Freddy come into the real world and attack the actors. But Freddy isn't real, or at least always exists in a dream, so he can't exit the movie with a physical body, he leaves and enters the dream world, and haunts Robert England, and other actors from the franchise.

I just have to say this was a VARY well made analysis of this movie. This was a childhood movie I had on VHS that got played numerous of times. I feel off of it naturally as I got older, not picking it back up until years later when I had my own little boy. I let him watch it, curious on how he’d taken it in. Then I realized what I’ve been missing. The older you get the more you understand certain set-ups, jokes, scenes play out I guess more “maturely”. This video you put together just took all those new ideas that where floating in my head during my “mature” viewing and constructed them in a well made piece. Thank you.

Great video! This has always been one of my favorite Schwarzenegger films!

I've been defending this movie 25 y. Great review

I saw this movie in theaters. It was awesome!!! I remember eating too much popcorn. It was so much fun!!!

The burglary scene is clearly only there to give Danny an authentic handcuff key. And Death still having his powers is easy to explain because Death is non-fictional.

I was about the same age as the kid who played Danny when this movie came out, I also grew up in New York City, the best part was when they ended up in New York. It was really like that back then. I miss it.

@ElevenYearz - Really love your work, for me there's something very unique and un-KZfaq about it. Definitely stands out from the hoards of others on here trying to do this. Beautifully written, compellingly read, well crafted in the edit. Please keep it up, I'll always be back for more of this.

Jack Slater retains his Action Hero Powers, but because he left the bright lights and warm glow of his LA for the dreary grit of New York, his abilities shifted New York is among the most aggressive and violent cities in the world, and often depicted that way in Action Movies He still has sharpshooter accuracy, but his bullets don't do anything anymore, he's still sharp as a tack as he knows weapons, vehicles, locations, and psychology, and is his own person, but coming to terms with the reality of his fabrication wasn't easy Just like any other Action Hero, he knows things and shoots badguys

Such a great underrated movie and i’ll say way ahead of its time. The meta jokes in it are great

I love this format. Keep it up

When I think about the perspective of this movie, I wish there was a modern 3-D version of it.

Awesomely entertaining, thank you.

The problem with the movie is that it came out a little too soon. If it came out in 1997 it would have been a better parody since the era of the 80s and 90s muscle man action star was starting to wain seriously by then. Another thing is that I heard it originally intended to have two directors. one of the 'movie' portion and the other for the real world portion, and the main character was also supposed to be far, far more limited in how he can behave and think and almost seems aware of it to some point. As it stands Jack Slater does seem self-aware on the insane things that happen to him and how he keeps surviving. That was actually a rather good part of the movie. They should keep that, but also have him try to entertain the idea why the hell so many people just keep shooting and never simply give in.

I love this movie…. Since day one, as a kid I was confused but highly entertained as an adult it’s nostalgia entertainment and best of all I get it. And makes it a CLASSIC in my books.

That's amazing for your first video! Compelling and very well made in use of clips and music. Would love to see more of these on other films.

A exelent take on one of the best movies ever made. Loved this movie ever since i was a kid! Kids these days have Frozen on repeat i used to wake up at like 3 in the morning while parents were asleep so i could watch last action hero and terminator 2. Always makes me feel great when i watch last action hero.

The MCU tricksters got away with the theft of Danny, his mom and Jack in the apartment. Tony Stark, Aunt Mae and Peter Parker. Not to mention the Multiverse of Madness

Great work i have seen the movie since i was 9 years old, but never saw this view! Thank you for the Work! Keep on making that kind of video!

Danny would be one of them fuck-ups that laughs their way through happy tree friends.

8:25 Benedict's eye is also different at the start and end of this scene.

16:05 he was the driver from Dukes of Hazzard it’s funny how they put him as a cameo 😮😂 👍🏽

I don't think the shot in the mirror is accidental. It's a very dynamic shot with camera arching around the actor to stop right where the actor and the mirror are fully aligned with the camera crew. This kind of dynamic shot (moving actor with a camera "wrapping around" the actor) isn't used in the movie anywhere else except here so it seems to me it's a very deliberate movement. Couple that to the fact that this is the only scene in which the fourth wall is broken that it seems highly likely the mirror shot was done on purpose.

Hollywood is all about two things. Mirroring and Recycling. One giant Jack Slater PLAY DOH figure comprised of 1 million smaller action hero dolls

Fantastic video. Another way to see this movie. I liked the movie when it came out.

still one of my favs. watch at least once a year haha

it's on Netflix now 🙌

Burt Reynolds broke the 4th Wall in Smokey & The Bandit, in the best way.

They could have made a Jack Slater spin-off movie series separate from The Last Action Hero as a real movie series based on the fictional movies within a fictional movie. The Last Action Hero had already laid the foundations, a lore about what Jack's character and his world were like, so starting with Jack Slater 1 movie and with the hype that would already carry behind him, while connecting with various references, scenes and characters from The Last Action Hero like the lieutenant Dekker, the evil Ripper and Slater's daughter Whitney, would have been great, because the movies could have had a certain feel to the Die Hard movies, which are loaded with action but with touches of humor, except that, in the case of Slater, it would be verging a little more towards parody humor, just as it happens with The Last Action Hero, same tone but different ways. If The Last Action Hero had not worked commercially just as it really happened, Jack Slater separately might have worked, even giving greater recognition to the Last Action Hero, the two films going hand in hand. Just imagine a saga of action and parody movies loaded with references, cameos and humor, but a classic subtle humor, not the cloying and family friendly "humor" of today's movies, I'm sure I would have liked. For example, that the real villain of Jack Slater IV had actually been Benedict, showing in her scenes within the movie of The Last Action Hero. In essence, we would see Jack Slater movies in real life like the way Danny did in the theater. I mean, if fictional movies are made in real life, then why haven't they made real fictional movies based on the same fiction? For its time, even innovative and ahead of its time it would have been, although they probably wouldn´t have been movies of the quality of Terminator or Predator, but surely they would still be much better than all the average mediocre movies of today, you know, considering that Hollywood currently only makes clunkers. A pity, but it was a great potential that never saw the light... Sorry for my english.

I could watch it again

I’ve always loved this movie and still do. Saw it as a kid and have watched it many times!

explanation at 09:00 is so fucking dark and melancholic along with that music

I loved it as a kid. I had a pair of those snakeskin boots and jacket.

As a longtime fan of this underappreciated movie I thoroughly enjoyed this analysis sir! While I don't sincerely think the film makers meant the movie to be interpreted the way you presented it I really liked exploring it as a thought experiment. You just got yourself a new subscriber, I look forward to your content in the future 👍

A deep analysis of a simple plot. 🎬

Great video mate! Easily one of my favourite movies of all time. I’d honestly prefer an older arnie over the rock. Play more on the ageism of hollywood, and how everyone thinks he wouldn’t be capable because of his age, but he’s still just as bad ass lol

it just hit me while watching this video, Last Action Hero is an "isekai" anime. yeesh.

I want a T2 poster with Sylvester Stallone as the lead… and the correct one side by side

I think it's simpler than the masking trauma or danny is a psycho theory. The "real world" that danny lives in, is a movie. It's filled with similar tropes and commentary just a different genre from the movie he got transported into. The only difference is that they can't enter our world physically. Perhaps Benedict didn't realize this when he stepped through the screen and didn't see an audience, even though he talks directly to us after killing his boss. Thinking it was a world were villains could win, he was probably satisfied, yet didn't realize it wasn't actually the real world. Regardless what "genres" or tropes are relevant to Danny's world there's also the possibility that both Slater and Benedict drag their tropes into danny's movie world. So i feel it meets in the middle from a dark character study like Taxi Driver, and Slater's world which works more like Beverly Hills Cop. The world transitions to a genre akin to a movie like Robocop (minus the meta context).

Thank you for the video. I subscribed. Well done.

This film deserved more popularity. Maybe it would have been a bigger if released 10 years earlier or later?