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** It costs him a fortune in closet doors.
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* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Lampshaded and mocked. Danny points out that Slater's thick Austrian accent is weird for a native Angeleno. Slater's response? "Egghcent? Vaht egghcent?"
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* LargeHam: The chief of police aand Benedict.
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* LargeHam: The chief of police aand and Benedict.
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* LargeHam: The chief of police.
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* LargeHam: The chief of police.police aand Benedict.
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-->'''Benedict:''' Gentlemen. Since you are about to die anyway, I [[LampshadeHanging may as well]] [[JustBetweenYouAndMe tell you the entire plot]]! Think of villains, Jack. You want {{Dracula}}? Dra-cool-la? Hang on, (takes out the [[PlotCoupon ticket]]) I'll fetch him. Dracula? Huh. I can get Film/KingKong! We'll have a [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet nightmare with Freddy Krueger]], have a surprise party for AdolfHitler; [[SilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]] can [[ImAHumanitarian do the catering]], and then we'll have a christening for [[FetusTerrible Rosemary's Baby]]! All I have to do is snap my fingers and they'll be here. They're lining up to get here, and do you know why, Jack? Should I tell you why? Hmm? Because here, in this world, '''''[[TheBadGuyWins the bad guys can win!]]'''''
to:
-->'''Benedict:''' Gentlemen. Since you are about to die anyway, I [[LampshadeHanging may as well]] [[JustBetweenYouAndMe tell you the entire plot]]! Think of villains, Jack. You want {{Dracula}}? Dra-cool-la? Hang on, (takes out the [[PlotCoupon ticket]]) I'll fetch him. Dracula? Huh. I can get Film/KingKong! We'll have a [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet nightmare with Freddy Krueger]], have a surprise party for AdolfHitler; [[SilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]] can [[ImAHumanitarian do the catering]], and then we'll have a christening for [[FetusTerrible Rosemary's Baby]]! Film/RosemarysBaby! All I have to do is snap my fingers and they'll be here. They're lining up to get here, and do you know why, Jack? Should I tell you why? Hmm? Because here, in this world, '''''[[TheBadGuyWins the bad guys can win!]]'''''
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* ContractualImmortality: Lampshaded. Danny tries to invoke this this with Benedict by playing Chicken with him while Danny is on a girl's bike, and Benedict is in a limo. Danny keep saying that because he's the hero, it has to work, but backs off at the last second after realizing he's just the {{sidekick}}, and this trope does not apply to him.
to:
* ContractualImmortality: Lampshaded. Danny tries to invoke this this with Benedict by playing Chicken with him while Danny is on a girl's bike, and Benedict is in a limo. Danny keep saying that because he's the hero, it has to work, but backs off at the last second after realizing he's just the {{sidekick}}, ComicRelief, and this trope does not apply to him.
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*** You could infer he's praising himself, since in the real world, Arnold played the Terminator; and it was his inmediatly preceding picture, so up to that point, for Arnold, it was HIS best performance.
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*** You could infer he's praising himself, since in the real world, Arnold played the Terminator; and it was his inmediatly immediately preceding picture, so up to that point, for Arnold, it was HIS best performance.
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* FiveFiveFive: Lampshaded: "[[WritersCannotDoMath That's why we have area codes!]]"
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* FiveFiveFive: Lampshaded: "[[WritersCannotDoMath That's why we have area codes!]]"codes!]]" Actually, more like ComicallyMissingThePoint, even most people who are math challenged know that there would not be enough numbers to go around if every three-digit Central Office code was 555.
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It was directed by John [=McTiernan=], previously known for such films as ''Film/DieHard'' (1988), ''TheHuntForRedOctober'' (1990) and ''MedicineMan'' (1992). This was Schwarzenegger's first film after ''{{Terminator 2}}: Judgment Day''. Made to [[LighterAndSofter appeal to a bigger family audience]] (it was PG-13) than most of his films, the wave of hype promised that it would be, as the trailers put it, "The big ticket for '93!" It was released in ''very'' close proximity to ''Film/JurassicPark'', which was a bigger hit than ColumbiaPictures expected. ''Last Action Hero'' failed to live up to the hype at the box office, and while it was eventually profitable the film was widely regarded as a bomb.
to:
It was directed by John [=McTiernan=], previously known for such films as ''Film/DieHard'' (1988), ''TheHuntForRedOctober'' (1990) and ''MedicineMan'' (1992). This was Schwarzenegger's first film after ''{{Terminator 2}}: Judgment Day''. Made to [[LighterAndSofter appeal to a bigger family audience]] (it was PG-13) than most of his films, the wave of hype promised that it would be, as the trailers put it, "The big ticket for '93!" It was released in ''very'' close proximity to ''Film/JurassicPark'', ''Franchise/JurassicPark'', which was a bigger hit than ColumbiaPictures expected. ''Last Action Hero'' failed to live up to the hype at the box office, and while it was eventually profitable the film was widely regarded as a bomb.
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** The La Brea Tar Pits was a Take That to another 1993 film, ''Film/JurassicPark''. The Take That was made during ''production'' of both films; ''Last Action Hero'' was assuming it would be a blockbuster hit as well, so it ended up as being the equivalent of the ''StarWars'' "billboard" being blasted by Billy in ''{{Laserblast}}''. The ''{{Hamlet}}'' parody was also a Take That to Mel Gibson's ''Hamlet'' (1990), directed by Franco Zeffirelli.
to:
** The La Brea Tar Pits was a Take That to another 1993 film, ''Film/JurassicPark''.''Franchise/JurassicPark''. The Take That was made during ''production'' of both films; ''Last Action Hero'' was assuming it would be a blockbuster hit as well, so it ended up as being the equivalent of the ''StarWars'' "billboard" being blasted by Billy in ''{{Laserblast}}''. The ''{{Hamlet}}'' parody was also a Take That to Mel Gibson's ''Hamlet'' (1990), directed by Franco Zeffirelli.
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-->'''Benedict:''' Gentlemen. Since you are about to die anyway, I [[LampshadeHanging may as well]] [[JustBetweenYouAndMe tell you the entire plot]]! Think of villains, Jack. You want {{Dracula}}? Dra-cool-la? Hang on, (takes out the [[PlotCoupon ticket]]) I'll fetch him. Dracula? Huh. I can get KingKong! We'll have a [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet nightmare with Freddy Krueger]], have a surprise party for AdolfHitler; [[SilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]] can [[ImAHumanitarian do the catering]], and then we'll have a christening for [[FetusTerrible Rosemary's Baby]]! All I have to do is snap my fingers and they'll be here. They're lining up to get here, and do you know why, Jack? Should I tell you why? Hmm? Because here, in this world, '''''[[TheBadGuyWins the bad guys can win!]]'''''
to:
-->'''Benedict:''' Gentlemen. Since you are about to die anyway, I [[LampshadeHanging may as well]] [[JustBetweenYouAndMe tell you the entire plot]]! Think of villains, Jack. You want {{Dracula}}? Dra-cool-la? Hang on, (takes out the [[PlotCoupon ticket]]) I'll fetch him. Dracula? Huh. I can get KingKong! Film/KingKong! We'll have a [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet nightmare with Freddy Krueger]], have a surprise party for AdolfHitler; [[SilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]] can [[ImAHumanitarian do the catering]], and then we'll have a christening for [[FetusTerrible Rosemary's Baby]]! All I have to do is snap my fingers and they'll be here. They're lining up to get here, and do you know why, Jack? Should I tell you why? Hmm? Because here, in this world, '''''[[TheBadGuyWins the bad guys can win!]]'''''
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* IAmNotLeonardNimoy: The opening credits of ''Jack Slater IV'' give an AndIntroducing credit to Meredith Caprice, the fictional actress who plays Whitney. When he actually meets her, Danny keeps accidentally calling her Meredith.
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* IAmNotLeonardNimoy: The opening credits of ''Jack Slater IV'' give an AndIntroducing And Introducing credit to Meredith Caprice, the fictional actress who plays Whitney. When he actually meets her, Danny keeps accidentally calling her Meredith.
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* IAmNotLeonardNimoy: The opening credits of ''Jack Slater IV'' give an AndIntroducing credit to Meredith Caprice, the fictional actress who plays Whitney. When he actually meets her, Danny keeps accidentally calling her Meredith.
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* BulletProofFashionPlate: Played with: Jack falls into a tar pit, comes out completely covered in tar, and begins to wipe himself off. The camera cuts away briefly, and when it cuts back he's completely clean. HIs sidekick remarks that dirt sticks to some people.
to:
* BulletProofFashionPlate: Played with: Jack falls into a tar pit, comes out completely covered in tar, and begins to wipe himself off. The camera cuts away briefly, and when it cuts back he's completely clean. HIs sidekick Danny remarks that dirt "you know, tar actually sticks to some people.people".
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-->'''Benedict:''' Gentlemen. Since you are about to die anyway, I [[LampshadeHanging may as well]] [[JustBetweenYouAndMe tell you the entire plot]]! Think of villains, Jack. You want {{Dracula}}? Dra-cool-la? Hang on, (takes out the [[PlotCoupon ticket]]) I'll fetch him. Dracula? Huh. I can get KingKong! We'll have a [[NightmareOnElmStreet nightmare with Freddy Krueger]], have a surprise party for AdolfHitler; [[SilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]] can [[ImAHumanitarian do the catering]], and then we'll have a christening for [[FetusTerrible Rosemary's Baby]]! All I have to do is snap my fingers and they'll be here. They're lining up to get here, and do you know why, Jack? Should I tell you why? Hmm? Because here, in this world, '''''[[TheBadGuyWins the bad guys can win!]]'''''
to:
-->'''Benedict:''' Gentlemen. Since you are about to die anyway, I [[LampshadeHanging may as well]] [[JustBetweenYouAndMe tell you the entire plot]]! Think of villains, Jack. You want {{Dracula}}? Dra-cool-la? Hang on, (takes out the [[PlotCoupon ticket]]) I'll fetch him. Dracula? Huh. I can get KingKong! We'll have a [[NightmareOnElmStreet [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet nightmare with Freddy Krueger]], have a surprise party for AdolfHitler; [[SilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]] can [[ImAHumanitarian do the catering]], and then we'll have a christening for [[FetusTerrible Rosemary's Baby]]! All I have to do is snap my fingers and they'll be here. They're lining up to get here, and do you know why, Jack? Should I tell you why? Hmm? Because here, in this world, '''''[[TheBadGuyWins the bad guys can win!]]'''''
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fix Namespace stuff
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* GunsAkimbo: Jack does the ''[[TheMatrix Matrix]]'' version with dual [=SMG=]s.
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* GunsAkimbo: Jack does the ''[[TheMatrix ''[[Film/TheMatrix Matrix]]'' version with dual [=SMG=]s.
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* PlotArmor: Lampshaded.
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* PlotArmor: Lampshaded.
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* PlotArmor: Lampshaded.
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* PlotArmor: Lampshaded.
**[[spoiler: When Slater is shot in the real world, part of the post-climax is getting him back into the movie world]], making this a rare case where the trope is ''actually invoked''!
**[[spoiler: When Slater is shot in the real world, part of the post-climax is getting him back into the movie world]], making this a rare case where the trope is ''actually invoked''!
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* PrecisionFStrike: Subverted. Daniel tries to get Slater to say a certain word - and he can't...[[GenreSavvy because it's a PG-13 movie]]. Later DoubleSubverted when Daniel gets an "[[OhCrap Oh shit!]]" line.
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* WhenDimensionsCollide: Although Jack Slater loses his action-hero resistance to pain when he visits the real world, Death is not so restricted, apparently carrying the laws of his home reality with him.
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* WaitHere: Lampshaded when Jack tells Danny to stay in the car while he goes off to locate a bomb:
-->'''Jack:''' Stay in the car. \\
'''Danny:''' No, I am coming with you. \\
'''Jack:''' ''(annoyed)'' Let us say this ''is'' a movie; if someone says "stay in the car" and the guy does not, what happens? \\
'''Danny:''' He [[GenreSavvy saves the day.]] \\
'''Jack:''' Or gets killed. \\
'''Danny:''' Good point; I will stay. \\
(Jack begins walking off) \\
'''Danny:''' Wait a minute! What if staying in the car is what gets me killed? \\
'''Jack:''' ''(aggravated)'' ...There's a gun in the glove compartment!
-->'''Jack:''' Stay in the car. \\
'''Danny:''' No, I am coming with you. \\
'''Jack:''' ''(annoyed)'' Let us say this ''is'' a movie; if someone says "stay in the car" and the guy does not, what happens? \\
'''Danny:''' He [[GenreSavvy saves the day.]] \\
'''Jack:''' Or gets killed. \\
'''Danny:''' Good point; I will stay. \\
(Jack begins walking off) \\
'''Danny:''' Wait a minute! What if staying in the car is what gets me killed? \\
'''Jack:''' ''(aggravated)'' ...There's a gun in the glove compartment!
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* BetterThanABareBulb: enough {{Lampshades}} to open a shop.
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It was directed by John [=McTiernan=], previously known for such films as ''Film/DieHard'' (1988), ''TheHuntForRedOctober'' (1990) and ''MedicineMan'' (1992). This was Schwarzenegger's first film after ''{{Terminator 2}}: Judgment Day''. Made to [[LighterAndSofter appeal to a bigger family audience]] (it was PG-13) than most of his films, the wave of hype promised that it would be, as the trailers put it, "The big ticket for '93!" It was released in ''very'' close proximity to ''JurassicPark'', which was a bigger hit than ColumbiaPictures expected. ''Last Action Hero'' failed to live up to the hype at the box office, and while it was eventually profitable the film was widely regarded as a bomb.
to:
It was directed by John [=McTiernan=], previously known for such films as ''Film/DieHard'' (1988), ''TheHuntForRedOctober'' (1990) and ''MedicineMan'' (1992). This was Schwarzenegger's first film after ''{{Terminator 2}}: Judgment Day''. Made to [[LighterAndSofter appeal to a bigger family audience]] (it was PG-13) than most of his films, the wave of hype promised that it would be, as the trailers put it, "The big ticket for '93!" It was released in ''very'' close proximity to ''JurassicPark'', ''Film/JurassicPark'', which was a bigger hit than ColumbiaPictures expected. ''Last Action Hero'' failed to live up to the hype at the box office, and while it was eventually profitable the film was widely regarded as a bomb.
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** The La Brea Tar Pits was a Take That to another 1993 film, ''JurassicPark''. The Take That was made during ''production'' of both films; ''Last Action Hero'' was assuming it would be a blockbuster hit as well, so it ended up as being the equivalent of the ''StarWars'' "billboard" being blasted by Billy in ''{{Laserblast}}''. The ''{{Hamlet}}'' parody was also a Take That to Mel Gibson's ''Hamlet'' (1990), directed by Franco Zeffirelli.
to:
** The La Brea Tar Pits was a Take That to another 1993 film, ''JurassicPark''.''Film/JurassicPark''. The Take That was made during ''production'' of both films; ''Last Action Hero'' was assuming it would be a blockbuster hit as well, so it ended up as being the equivalent of the ''StarWars'' "billboard" being blasted by Billy in ''{{Laserblast}}''. The ''{{Hamlet}}'' parody was also a Take That to Mel Gibson's ''Hamlet'' (1990), directed by Franco Zeffirelli.
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* BulletProofFashionPlate: Played with: Jack falls into a tar pit, comes out completely covered in tar, and begins to wipe himself off. The camera cuts away briefly, and when it cuts back he's completely clean. HIs sidekick remarks that dirt sticks to some people.
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* IdiotBall: "I might be looking for the other half of the ticket." To be fair, by that time it was just as much a BrickJoke.
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* IdiotBall: "I might be looking for the other half of the ticket." To be fair, by that time it was just as much a BrickJoke."
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* NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognize: In-universe, Daniel pegs a character as TheMole based solely on the fact that his actor (F. Murray Abraham) played Salieri in ''{{Amadeus}}''.
** To be fair, he's right.
** To be fair, he's right.
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* NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognize: In-universe, Daniel pegs a character as TheMole based solely on the fact that his actor (F. Murray Abraham) played Salieri in ''{{Amadeus}}''.
** To be fair, he's right.''{{Amadeus}}''. ''He's right!''
** To be fair, he's right.
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One of the few movies whose genre is accurately described as "Other". A 1993-era GenreSavvy young action movie fan is sucked into the latest film of his favourite hero and proceeds to {{lampshade|Hanging}} all manner of tropes. ArnoldSchwarzenegger plays an [[ActionHero action movie hero]] played by Arnold Schwarzenegger (who gets to enter the real world and meet [[CelebrityParadox Arnold Schwarzenegger himself]]!).
to:
One of the few movies whose genre is accurately described as "Other". A 1993-era GenreSavvy young action movie fan is sucked into the latest film of his favourite hero and proceeds to {{lampshade|Hanging}} all manner of tropes. ArnoldSchwarzenegger Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger plays an [[ActionHero action movie hero]] played by Arnold Schwarzenegger (who gets to enter the real world and meet [[CelebrityParadox Arnold Schwarzenegger himself]]!).
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** There's also Joan Plowright, LaurenceOlivier's wife, as the teacher who introduces his version of ''Hamlet'' and says the kids might recognize him from ''{{Clash of the Titans}}'' and some camera commercials.
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** There's also Joan Plowright, LaurenceOlivier's wife, as the teacher who introduces his version of ''Hamlet'' and says the kids might recognize him from ''{{Clash of the Titans}}'' ''ClashOfTheTitans'' and some camera commercials.
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* {{Catchphrase}}: "[[ArnoldSchwarzenegger I'll]] [[{{Terminator}} be back]]."
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* {{Catchphrase}}: "[[ArnoldSchwarzenegger "[[Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger I'll]] [[{{Terminator}} be back]]."
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* CosmicPlaything: When Slater finally has a chance to confront ArnoldSchwarzenegger in the RealWorld, he gives the actor an angry rant about turning him (Slater) into one of these for the amusement of others without giving any consideration to how ''Slater'' might feel about having to go through so many ridiculous (and sometimes tragic) ActionMovie situations.
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* CosmicPlaything: When Slater finally has a chance to confront ArnoldSchwarzenegger Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger in the RealWorld, he gives the actor an angry rant about turning him (Slater) into one of these for the amusement of others without giving any consideration to how ''Slater'' might feel about having to go through so many ridiculous (and sometimes tragic) ActionMovie situations.
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* DifferentWorldDifferentMovies: Mixed with CelebrityParadox. Because the movie's main character is played by ArnoldSchwarzenegger, in this world the main character of ''TheTerminator'' is played by SylvesterStallone.
to:
* DifferentWorldDifferentMovies: Mixed with CelebrityParadox. Because the movie's main character is played by ArnoldSchwarzenegger, Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger, in this world the main character of ''TheTerminator'' is played by SylvesterStallone. SylvesterStallone.
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* HellYesMoment: Danny has one of these when Whitney escapes her captors and pulls a gun on the guys holding him. Everyone notices.
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* HellYesMoment: Danny has one of these when Whitney escapes her captors and pulls a gun on the guys holding him. Everyone notices.
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* IdiotBall: "I might be looking for the other half of the ticket." To be fair, by that time it was just as much a BrickJoke.
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* IdiotBall: "I might be looking for the other half of the ticket." To be fair, by that time it was just as much a BrickJoke.
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* OnceAnEpisode: Jack appears to randomly shoot into his closet when he comes home, but then a dead assassin falls out. Apparently there's ''always'' one in there.
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* OnceAnEpisode: Jack appears to randomly shoot into his closet when he comes home, but then a dead assassin falls out. Apparently there's ''always'' one in there.
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* PowerPerversionPotential: In-universe, upon learning that the ticket actually works, Nick considers the possibility of visiting Greta Garbo and JeanHarlow.
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* PowerPerversionPotential: In-universe, upon learning that the ticket actually works, Nick considers the possibility of visiting Greta Garbo and JeanHarlow.
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It was directed by John [=McTiernan=], previously known for such films as ''DieHard'' (1988), ''TheHuntForRedOctober'' (1990) and ''MedicineMan'' (1992). This was Schwarzenegger's first film after ''{{Terminator}} 2: Judgment Day''. Made to [[LighterAndSofter appeal to a bigger family audience]] (it was PG-13) than most of his films, the wave of hype promised that it would be, as the trailers put it, "The big ticket for '93!" It was released in ''very'' close proximity to ''JurassicPark'', which was a bigger hit than ColumbiaPictures expected. ''Last Action Hero'' failed to live up to the hype at the box office, and while it was eventually profitable the film was widely regarded as a bomb.
to:
It was directed by John [=McTiernan=], previously known for such films as ''DieHard'' ''Film/DieHard'' (1988), ''TheHuntForRedOctober'' (1990) and ''MedicineMan'' (1992). This was Schwarzenegger's first film after ''{{Terminator}} 2: ''{{Terminator 2}}: Judgment Day''. Made to [[LighterAndSofter appeal to a bigger family audience]] (it was PG-13) than most of his films, the wave of hype promised that it would be, as the trailers put it, "The big ticket for '93!" It was released in ''very'' close proximity to ''JurassicPark'', which was a bigger hit than ColumbiaPictures expected. ''Last Action Hero'' failed to live up to the hype at the box office, and while it was eventually profitable the film was widely regarded as a bomb.
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** Also possible subversion, given that Whitney hardly does anything, despite her actress receiving top billing alongside Schwarzeneggar (in ''Jack Slater IV'', that is). It's possible that Danny stepping in meant he took over her role as Slater's sidekick.
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* EvilBrit: Benedict, played by a [[LargeHame deliciously hammy]] Charles Dance.
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* EvilBrit: Benedict, played by a [[LargeHame [[LargeHam deliciously hammy]] Charles Dance.
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* EvilBrit: Benedict, played by a [[LargeHame deliciously hammy]] Charles Dance.
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** Oddly, while the Pandora is a real theater in Los Angeles - and the film was shot in it - there is no Pandora Theater in New York.
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* ShoutOut: A visual gag referencing ''{{ET}}''.
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* ShoutOut: A visual gag referencing ''{{ET}}''.''Film/{{ET|The Extraterrestrial}}''.
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*** You could infer he's praising himself, since in the real world, Arnold played the Terminator; and it was his inmediatly preceding picture, so up to that point, for Arnold, it was HIS best performance.
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[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/13980_3895.jpg]]
One of the few movies whose genre is accurately described as "Other". A 1993-era GenreSavvy young action movie fan is sucked into the latest film of his favourite hero and proceeds to {{lampshade|Hanging}} all manner of tropes. ArnoldSchwarzenegger plays an [[ActionHero action movie hero]] played by Arnold Schwarzenegger (who gets to enter the real world and meet [[CelebrityParadox Arnold Schwarzenegger himself]]!).
It was directed by John [=McTiernan=], previously known for such films as ''DieHard'' (1988), ''TheHuntForRedOctober'' (1990) and ''MedicineMan'' (1992). This was Schwarzenegger's first film after ''{{Terminator}} 2: Judgment Day''. Made to [[LighterAndSofter appeal to a bigger family audience]] (it was PG-13) than most of his films, the wave of hype promised that it would be, as the trailers put it, "The big ticket for '93!" It was released in ''very'' close proximity to ''JurassicPark'', which was a bigger hit than ColumbiaPictures expected. ''Last Action Hero'' failed to live up to the hype at the box office, and while it was eventually profitable the film was widely regarded as a bomb.
Still the movie is regarded as a cult classic and is often praised for poking fun at the action movie tropes.
----
!!This movie provides examples of the following:
* AccidentalKiss: Whitney kisses Danny when she believes he's the freshman she's been assigned to kiss when he comes to her door.
* AcmeProducts: The guys in the red pick-up truck have a crate of Acme Dynamite.
* ActionDuo
* ActionGirl: Whitney Slater.
** Deconstructed. Slater tells Danny that he wishes his daughter were more "normal". He tells Danny that she has no friends or social life, and spends all her spare time with her guns.
* ActorAllusion: The Stallone-Schwarzenegger jabs continue. In Slater's world, Stallone is ''TheTerminator.'' Danny ''cannot'' believe it. More directly, the fact that F. Murray Abraham played Salieri in ''{{Amadeus}}'' is mentioned, ''then it becomes a plot point.''
* AdamWesting: Taken to meta-levels. Arnold plays himself in the real world as a flighty celebrity led around by his wife.
* AllPartOfTheShow: Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Jack Slater IV premier assumes this is the case with the Slater/Ripper fight in the balcony. When Slater runs out of the theater afterward the throng of paparazzi assumes he is Schwarzenegger.
** Tom Noonan's agent thinks The Ripper is Tom. It gets him killed.
** Averted later in the film, when a whole theater of frightened people runs away from the Grim Reaper. The fact that they actually saw him walk him out of the movie and into the theatre probably helped a good deal.
* {{Angrish}}: Slater's sergeant.
* AntiHero: Parodied.
* ApatheticCitizens: In the film's [[TruthInTelevision real world]] New York, Benedict conducts an experiment:
--> '''Benedict''' (shouting in the street): Hello! I have just shot a man and I did it on purpose! ([[ChirpingCrickets silence]]) I ''said'', I have just murdered a man, and I wish to confess!
--> '''Citizen''': Hey, shut up down there!
** His smug grin [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy says it all]].
* AsideGlance: The Grim Reaper before he comes out of ''The Seventh Seal''.
* AudienceSurrogate: Danny is a ''literal'' one. Naturally, like everything else in the film, this is lampshaded.
* AxCrazy: The Ripper.
* {{Badass}}: Parodied.
* BadassBoast: A genuine one by Jack Slater.
-->'''Benedict:''' I snap my fingers again and tomorrow you emerge from several canine recta. Or you and Toto can go back to Oz. Questions?
-->'''Jack:''' Yes. Two of them. Why am I wasting time on a putz like you when I could be doing something dangerous like rearranging my socks? ''(smokes cigar)'' And how will you snap your fingers ''after I rip off both your thumbs?''
* BeardOfEvil: Benedict
* TheBeautifulElite: Lampshaded. Daniel tries convincing Slater they're in a movie by pointing out that all the female passersby are insanely hot, and that there are no unattractive women in existence.
-->'''Danny:''' ''(indicating the video clerk)'' She is too attractive to work here.
-->'''Jack:''' I agree. I think she should work with us. Undercover of course.
-->'''Danny:''' The point is there are no unattractive women here. Where are the ordinary women? Nowhere, because this is a ''movie''.
-->'''Jack:''' No, this is [[HollywoodCalifornia Kuh-lee-FOO-nee-yuh]].
* BigBadFriend: John Practice.
* BlownAcrossTheRoom: Parodied.
* BondOneLiner: Lampshaded and taken to the most absurd extreme in several cases, most notably a scene in which Jack kills a villain with an ice cream cone and says, "Iced that guy...to cone a phrase!" This becomes HilariousInHindsight considering [[Film/BatmanAndRobin what Arnold would go on to do...]]
* BottomlessMagazines: Lampshaded, particularly in the climax. And played straight in the movie whenever possible, sometimes to ridiculous degrees.
-->'''Jack:''' Did you make another movie mistake? You forgot to reload the damn gun!\\
'''Benedict:''' [[spoiler: No, I just left one chamber empty. (And he shoots.)]]
* BreakawayPopHit: Upon the film's release, "What the Hell Have I", a new Music/AliceInChains song recorded for the film's soundtrack was better received than the movie.
** As well as "Angry Again" by Music/{{Megadeth}}.
* BuddyCopShow: Parodied, and lampshaded in a hilarious scene with a line of cops being paired up with ethnic stereotypes culminating ridiculously with [[WesternAnimation/{{Bonkers}} a female cop being paired with an animated cat detective]].
** Another cop teams up with the [[DeliberatelyMonochrome black and white]] digitalization of HumphreyBogart.
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Played with. Danny warns Slater not to trust Practice, because "he killed Mozart" (a reference to the actor, F. Murray Abraham, having done so in ''{{Amadeus}}''). When Slater later repeats the accusation, misremembering it as "you killed Moe Zart," Practice is confused, but concedes it's possible: "I kill a lot of people. I can't remember half of them."
* TheCameo: In addition to several sight gags earlier in the film, the ''Jack Slater IV'' premiere apparently desires to showcase as many celebrity cameos as possible, including other action stars like JeanClaudeVanDamme.
** There's also Joan Plowright, LaurenceOlivier's wife, as the teacher who introduces his version of ''Hamlet'' and says the kids might recognize him from ''{{Clash of the Titans}}'' and some camera commercials.
* CardCarryingVillain: Benedict
* CassandraTruth: At first, neither Jack Slater or DaChief believe Danny's claims that he's from outside the movie.
* {{Catchphrase}}: "[[ArnoldSchwarzenegger I'll]] [[{{Terminator}} be back]]."
--> '''Jack:''' Hah! You didn't know I was going to say that, did you?\\
'''Daniel:''' That's [[LampshadeHanging what you]] [[GenreSavvy always say]].\\
'''Jack:''' I do?
** Parodied:
--->'''Jack:''' "Rubber baby buggy bumpers!" Didn't know I would say ''that'', did you?
** Jack also has his own: "Big mistake." His daughter seems to have inherited it.
* CelebrityParadox: Played straight at first with Danny discovering Stallone was the star of the Terminator films in the land of Jack Slater. Later averted when Jack Slater runs into Arnold Schwarzenegger after RealityEnsues.
* ChandlersLaw: Averted. Once BigBad Benedict ditches Slater in the real world, he decides against giving him a new lead in the form of a hitman who'll almost definitely fail. He just executes his plan while Slater lampshades this, waiting for said killer to show up.
* ChekhovsGun: The key thrown to Danny by the burglar to free himself from the handcuffs during the robbery attempt. He keeps it and, after Practice handcuffs him in the film-within-a-film, uses it again -- perhaps because this is a movie, it automatically works.
** TruthInTelevision: Most handcuff keys are interchangeable. It's very rare that your arresting officer will be with you from the time he yanks you off the street 'til you're finally placed in lock-up, so having interchangeable cuff keys is practical.
** Also, when Nick tears the magic movie ticket in half while admitting Danny in to see the new Slater film. During the ending, the Grim Reaper tells Danny to find "the other half of that ticket".
* ChristmasRushed: It was rushed to open for the 1993 big summer movie season, to the point that post-production on the film was only finished a few weeks before its initial release.
* ContractualImmortality: Lampshaded. Danny tries to invoke this this with Benedict by playing Chicken with him while Danny is on a girl's bike, and Benedict is in a limo. Danny keep saying that because he's the hero, it has to work, but backs off at the last second after realizing he's just the {{sidekick}}, and this trope does not apply to him.
** Danny also tries to remind Jack of this when he tries to play Chicken in the real world.
** Also {{lampshaded}} when Danny tells Jack he can't die until the box office grosses wane.
* CouldHaveBeenMessy: Lampshaded.
* CosmicPlaything: When Slater finally has a chance to confront ArnoldSchwarzenegger in the RealWorld, he gives the actor an angry rant about turning him (Slater) into one of these for the amusement of others without giving any consideration to how ''Slater'' might feel about having to go through so many ridiculous (and sometimes tragic) ActionMovie situations.
-->'''Slater:''' (to Schwarzenegger) "You ''ruined'' my ''life!"
* DaChief
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Benedict is GenreSavvy already, but becomes more so after his escape from the Jack Slater film.
* DifferentWorldDifferentMovies: Mixed with CelebrityParadox. Because the movie's main character is played by ArnoldSchwarzenegger, in this world the main character of ''TheTerminator'' is played by SylvesterStallone.
* DirtForcefield: Jack Slater is spotless within seconds of crawling out of the La Brea Tar Pits; naturally this is {{Lampshaded}} by Danny.
* TheDragon: Mr. Benedict is introduced as Vivaldi's right-hand-man. However, he [[TheStarscream turns on his employer]] immediately after finding [[BigBad much better prospects]].
** DragonInChief: Apparently, he didn't notice until he found the ticket.
* {{Deconstruction}}: A fascinating form of it: While most action tropes are simply lampshaded to the point of lunacy when Daniel is dropped into "Jack Slater IV", when the characters are turned loose into the Real World, RealityEnsues. In one moving scene, [[{{Determinator}} Jack Slater]] reveals that under his DeadpanSnarker typecasting he's mostly just ''[[ZenSurvivor tired]]'' after repeatedly surviving implausible, stressful scenarios while everyone around him died, he's faking the calls from his ex-wife which supposedly prove she still cares (but she's remarried and moved on), and he's deeply depressed that his ActionGirl daughter skipped her prom to field-strip an AK-47 (he fears she'll grow up alone). This is a side of Slater that Daniel was shocked to see, but nevertheless, he was able to get him out of this funk to continue the action of the movie.
-->'''Jack:''' [[IJustWantToBeNormal I just want to be a good cop!]] Instead I keep getting caught up in these crazy adventures!
** Likewise, the MagnificentBastard Benedict quickly notices that the Real World is rather short on [[CardCarryingVillain card-carrying action movie villains]] such as himself -- and forces to properly oppose him. In his own RealityEnsues scene, he kills a man at night in the middle of a run-down neighborhood and is surprised that neither Slater nor police show up to prevent it, nor do bystanders even care -- thus proving to him that he can do a ''lot'' more damage and gather a ''lot'' more wealth and power than he did in the movies.
--->'''Benedict:''' If God were a villain - [[AGodAmI he'd be me]]!
* DiabolusExMachina: In-universe, at the end of ''Jack Slater III''. Lampshaded by Jack.
-->'''Jack:''' Let us push his son off the building. You will have eternal nightmares, but you are fictional, so who cares?
* TheDon: Tony Vivaldi.
* EveryCarIsAPinto: Parodied, also by taking it to the extreme. Later, Deconstructed and averted as they go to the real world.
** A particularly egregious example has a bad guy shot, fly through the air, and through the windshield of an ice cream truck...which inexplicably explodes.
* EveryoneIsArmed: The funeral scene.
* ExtendedDisarming: During the opening scene, Jack is told to disarm. It takes him several seconds, during which the villain and his hostages stare at him in disbelief. His arsenal includes a [[ImprobableWeaponUser grenade with a knife that pops out of it.]]
* FantasticRacism: Jack accuses Daniel of this after he points out that Whiskers the cat shouldn't be a police detective because he's a cartoon.
-->'''Slater:''' He's supposed to be back! He was only suspended for a month! [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight So what's your point?]]
* FiveFiveFive: Lampshaded: "[[WritersCannotDoMath That's why we have area codes!]]"
* FourthWallObserver: When Jack finally gets home, he still remembers that he's a film character. He deliberately lampshades the nearest comedy trope character (his boss), then winks at the audience.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: After Slater has momentarily escaped the villains by ramping his convertible through the air and landing safely, while he and Danny have a leisurely chat about the fruits of life, we watch the black van that was chasing them attempt to replicate Slater's stunt, fail, and crash spectacularly behind them. Neither notices.
* GatlingGood: The black van with the sawed-off minigun in the door. And two of these are mounted on the helicopter at the funeral. And none of them sounds like it's shooting at a realistic firing rate.
* GenreSavvy: First Daniel, then Benedict and later Jack Slater.
* GoodNightSweetPrince: Parodied.
* GoshDangItToHeck: {{Lampshaded}}, of course. Jack refuses to say any serious swear words; Danny points out that he ''can't'' because "this movie's only PG-13."
* TheGrimReaper: Plucked by the magic ticket from ''TheSeventhSeal''. And played by Sir Ian [=McKellen=], no less!
* GroinAttack: "You want to be a farmer? [[IncrediblyLamePun Here's a couple of achers!"]]
* GunsAkimbo: Jack does the ''[[TheMatrix Matrix]]'' version with dual [=SMG=]s.
* HandCannon: Jack Slater's Desert Eagle and Benedict's Dan Wesson revolver.
* HellYesMoment: Danny has one of these when Whitney escapes her captors and pulls a gun on the guys holding him. Everyone notices.
* HeroInsurance: Lampshaded, of course.
--> '''Danny''': "He's only mad because you destroyed more of the city than usual..."
* HiddenDepths: Jack Slater. He's leading a pitiful life that even his screenwriters didn't expect.
-->'''Danny:''' Look on the good side. You have a great daughter. And your ex-wife wouldn't call if she didn't want you back.
-->'''Jack:''' You think she can't tell the real voice from a taped one? I pay a cashier to call me at work, so the guys think I have a life. My ex-wife is happily remarried. She ''never'' calls. And Whitney -- why can't she be a normal teenager? On prom night she stays home to field strip an AK-47! She's going to die a young maid, I know it. I'm going to buy it soon, too.
-->'''Danny:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint No way. You can't die until the grosses go down.]]
* HollywoodHomely: In-universe. Danny explicitly points out how there are no "unattractive people" in Jack's world. Jack sees nothing unusual about it.
* HurricaneOfEuphemisms: Lt. Dekker has dozens of them for his anus.
* IdiotBall: "I might be looking for the other half of the ticket." To be fair, by that time it was just as much a BrickJoke.
* IKEAWeaponry: The Ripper's axe.
* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: The thugs in the beginning. Again, {{lampshaded}} as usual.
* ImpressivePyrotechnics: ''Every'' explosion features a far-larger-than-life fireball as if the exploding object was filled with gasoline.
* IncrediblyLamePun: Lampshaded. The movie delivers them by the truckload.
* IndecisiveParody: While obviously a parody, it can't seem to decide what kind. The movie tends to bounce between AffectionateParody and outright mockery, a trait most of its detractors point to.
** [[ComicallyMissingThePoint If they're even aware that it's a parody at all.]]
* InstantDeathBullet: Benedict's test kill is this. One of the few tropes in this movie played straight in the real world section (we don't see where he shoots the guy, but he was using a match-grade revolver at close range and might have aimed for the head).
* InstantEmergencyResponse: Lampshaded. When Benedict first enters the Real World, he's shocked to discover that you can steal a car without sirens instantly sounding. To test this new situation, he walks up to a man and shoots him repeatedly, then waits for the sirens. When that doesn't work, he yells that he's just shot and killed a man, to which the only response is someone off-screen to telling to quit making a racket.
* IronicEcho: Danny tries to make one out of John Practice's {{Catchphrase}} ("How do you get to Carnegie Hall?"), with little success.
* ItIsNotYourTime: [[spoiler: Danny's encounter with the Grim Reaper.]]
* JustBetweenYouAndMe: "Since you're about to die anyway, I may as well tell you the entire plot."
* KarmaHoudini: The burglar since this is real life and not a movie.
* LampshadeHanging: More lampshades than a Shriner Convention.
* LargeHam: The chief of police.
* LawOfInverseRecoil: Played straight naturally in the Movie world. In the real world, Jack fires his Desert Eagle pointed up and is knocked down.
** On the other hand, Benedict can shoot his giant revolver one-handed in the real world.
*** A .357 that size and weight (and compensated as it is)wouldn't actually have that much recoil.
* LighterAndSofter: In comparison to most of Schwarzenegger's other movies.
* LimitedWardrobe: While not pointed out, the brief look in Slater's closet has a line of identical outfits.
* MadeOfIron: Slater, at least in the movies. When he arrives in the real world, he's genuinely shocked that punching out a car window with his bare hand hurts.
* TheMafia
* {{Malaproper}}. Vivaldi, who keeps mixing metaphors and getting idioms wrong, which finally gets him killed by an exasperated Benedict.
* MeaningfulName: If you're going to employ a [[TheDragon Dragon]], don't pick a guy named Benedict! There's also the Pandora Theater. And stay away from gangsters named "[=LeFart=]".
* MediumAwareness: Danny, justified as he is literally trapped in a movie.
* MoodWhiplash: Danny's encounter with the burglar, which leaves a ChekhovsGun ([[spoiler: the key to the handcuffs]]) and gives Danny and Jack a explanation for the latter's presence to his mom.
** Also when Danny and Slater [[spoiler: enter the real world, Slater's acts of GenreBlindness are initially played off for laughs. The duo chase Benedict through New York in stolen cars, ending up in a back-alley where they are challenged to a game of chicken. The scene is tense, Danny warns Slater he could die, but Slater drops off Danny and speeds off. However neither vehicle manages to build much speed (unlike in the movie world). Compared to all the things Slater has survived up to this point, as well as what most action heroes survive, most viewers wont be expecting much of a crash, even if it is the real world. Cue the actual crash at around 40 k/Ph which causes the cars rears to lift off the ground. It does not help that Slater's taillights go out and one of the car horns goes off.]]
* MoreDakka: At Leo The Fart's funeral, when Jack steals the corpse, every single guest, even the priest, the nuns and several little old ladies pull out military grade automatic weapons.
** Then again, [[HandWave it was a mafia funeral]].
** The goons in the black van shoot at Slater with a Gatling gun.
** How about the helicopter that ''shoots through an entire building''?
* MrExposition: Jack's favorite second cousin, Frank, who conveniently expires after delivering a RedHerring.
* NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognize: In-universe, Daniel pegs a character as TheMole based solely on the fact that his actor (F. Murray Abraham) played Salieri in ''{{Amadeus}}''.
** To be fair, he's right.
--->'''Jack:''': Danny said not to trust you. He said you killed Moe Zart.\\
'''Practice''': Moe who?\\
'''Jack''': Zart.\\
'''Practice''': ''(shrugs)'' Ah, you know, [[ButForMeItWasTuesday I've killed a lot of people]], I can't remember half of 'em.
* NonFatalExplosions
* OhCrap: Danny does this a ''lot''.
* OnceAnEpisode: Jack appears to randomly shoot into his closet when he comes home, but then a dead assassin falls out. Apparently there's ''always'' one in there.
* OnlyAFleshWound: Played with and lampshaded: [[spoiler: Slater suffers a gunshot wound from Benedict in the real world, causing a race against time to get him back into the movie world, where the doctor "wouldn't even call it a flesh wound."]]
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Lampshaded - since the screenwriter for ''Jack Slater IV'' never bothered to give the nerdy freshman "Skeezie" an actual name, he doesn't have one. "Skeezie" is the full name he gives on a police report.
-->'''Skeezie:''' ''(to policeman)'' Skeezie. S-K-E...
** He doesn't even know how to finish spelling it. "I-E... no, 'Y'."
* PlotArmor: Lampshaded.
* PluckyComicRelief: The kid realizes he is this during a game of "Chicken" ''with a car'', while riding a ''bike''.
--> '''Daniel:''' I'm the comedy sidekick... Oh, ''shit'', I'm the comedy sidekick! '''This isn't going to work!'''
* PoirotSpeak: Vivaldi has a thick Italian accent and frequently [[{{Malaproper}} butchers idioms]].
* PowerPerversionPotential: In-universe, upon learning that the ticket actually works, Nick considers the possibility of visiting Greta Garbo and JeanHarlow.
* RageAgainstTheAuthor: Slater's understandable rage about the writers killing off his son in the third movie. He also rips into Schwartzenegger when he finally meets him.
* RecursiveReality: There are movies in Jack Slater's universe, making them movies within a movie ... within a movie.
* RedShirt / {{Retirony}}: Lampshaded.
* RememberTheNewGuy: At the end of ''Jack Slater III'', Jack's son Andrew is killed. ''Jack Slater IV'' introduces Whitney, Jack's daughter who has been living with his ex-wife. Oddly, this is never lampshaded, aside from her [[AndStarring And Introducing]] credit.
* RevolversAreJustBetter: Used to maximum effect by Benedict.
* RooftopConfrontation
* SelfDeprecation: Aside from the self-parody of his films, Arnold shows up at the film premiere, answering questions and hamfistedly promoting his ''Planet Hollywood'' chain of restaurants, to the embarrassment of his real-life wife Maria Shriver.
* SequelEscalation: Jack moans that his adventures seem to get more and more difficult to deal with. Danny tells him that the sequels ''have'' to get harder and more exciting. Jack's not amused.
* ShoutOut: A visual gag referencing ''{{ET}}''.
** When entering the LA Police Station in ''Jack Slater IV'', Danny is astonished to see both the [[{{Terminator}} T-1000]] and [[BasicInstinct Catherine Tramell]] walking by.
* SoftGlass: Lampshaded. While in the real world, Jack notes that his hand really hurts after punching through a car window.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Parodied with the female police officers' {{Custom Uniform}}s.
* StuffBlowingUp: With several {{Lampshade Hanging}}s, such as when Danny insists that the trouble at Leo Le Fart's funeral can't possibly be "just" another explosion, because the Slater film has had several explosions already.
* TakeThat:
** Part of the playful feud Arnold has with Sylvester Stallone is played out here; when Danny goes to the video store to show Jack the guy who played him in another movie, he finds an advertisement for ''{{Terminator}} 2: Judgment Day'' starring Stallone.
---> '''Jack:''' The man is an artist. It's his best performance ever!
*** He's either saying he'd have played it better, or that it was his best performance because it didn't happen.
** The La Brea Tar Pits was a Take That to another 1993 film, ''JurassicPark''. The Take That was made during ''production'' of both films; ''Last Action Hero'' was assuming it would be a blockbuster hit as well, so it ended up as being the equivalent of the ''StarWars'' "billboard" being blasted by Billy in ''{{Laserblast}}''. The ''{{Hamlet}}'' parody was also a Take That to Mel Gibson's ''Hamlet'' (1990), directed by Franco Zeffirelli.
* ThisIsReality: And Benedict, being DangerouslyGenreSavvy, ''likes'' it. His JustBetweenYouAndMe speech is NightmareFuel:
-->'''Benedict:''' Gentlemen. Since you are about to die anyway, I [[LampshadeHanging may as well]] [[JustBetweenYouAndMe tell you the entire plot]]! Think of villains, Jack. You want {{Dracula}}? Dra-cool-la? Hang on, (takes out the [[PlotCoupon ticket]]) I'll fetch him. Dracula? Huh. I can get KingKong! We'll have a [[NightmareOnElmStreet nightmare with Freddy Krueger]], have a surprise party for AdolfHitler; [[SilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]] can [[ImAHumanitarian do the catering]], and then we'll have a christening for [[FetusTerrible Rosemary's Baby]]! All I have to do is snap my fingers and they'll be here. They're lining up to get here, and do you know why, Jack? Should I tell you why? Hmm? Because here, in this world, '''''[[TheBadGuyWins the bad guys can win!]]'''''
* [[TrappedInTVLand Trapped In Movie Land]]
* {{Troperiffic}}: The whole point of the movie is [[PlayingWithATrope lampshading, deconstructing, reconstructing, subverting and inverting]] as many action movie tropes as possible.
* TurnInYourBadge: Complete with smoke coming out the ears.
-->'''Danny:''' He only took your badge because you destroyed more of the city than usual.
* TheUnpronounceable: Believe it or not, Arnold Schwarzenegger; Jack can't even pronounce the name of the actor who plays him, and ends up calling him "[[MyNameIsNotDurwood Arnold Braunschweiger]]" most of the time.
** Leads to a brilliant {{Woolseyism}} in the German and French versions, where he calls himself "Arnold Beckenbauer". Google it if you don't know the name; any- and everyone in Germany- wait, ''[[TheWorldCup in the world]]'' does.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Even in a loopy action film, it's bizarre to see 1) a talking animated cat, 2) [[BasicInstinct Catherine Trammell]] and [[TheTerminator the T-1000]] strolling around, 3) a black-and-white Humphrey Bogart, 4) steam ''literally'' coming out of a man's head when angry and 5) ''every'' woman with model looks. But being a live-action cartoon world, no one (but Danny) seems to even think it's ''slightly'' out of place.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The Grim Reaper advises Daniel to use the other half of the ticket to bring Jack Slater back to his movie, and then walks out. Does the Reaper keep the first half of the ticket and use it to return to ''The Seventh Seal'' from which he was accidentally taken from? The movie doesn't tell us.
** The ticket fell on the ground outside the arthouse theatre shortly before a stampede and was presumably lost. Death never had it, it just affected his theatre long enough to get him out.
* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Lampshaded and inverted when John Practice turns against Jack; Daniel's explanation of this trope is long enough for the bad guys to get the drop on him as well. ("You ain't so smart yourself, kid.")
-->'''Danny:''' (to Jack) I don't see ''you'' coming up with ideas.
** [[spoiler: Then double-inverted, as the bad guy does the exact same thing, except he actually gets shot, because the one who shot him is [[CallBack the previously-mentioned animated cat detective]] who is bound only to ToonPhysics and RuleOfFunny.]]
--->'''Jack:''' Whiskers! What kept you?
* WickedCultured: Benedict, who is ''way'' more worldly than any other character, ''especially'' Vivaldi.
* WrongGenreSavvy: Danny realizes almost too late that he's just PluckyComicRelief to Jack, so the bad guy car won't swerve out of the way of the kid [[TooDumbToLive playing chicken with it on a bicycle]].
* YouBastard: Slater doesn't particularly ''like'' being sucked into a new highly dangerous adventure each time the audience in the real world demands it. When he meets Schwarzenegger at the movie premiere, the character accuses his actor of being responsible for his suffering.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: Benedict to Vivaldi after he learns of the magic ticket's power.]]
----
One of the few movies whose genre is accurately described as "Other". A 1993-era GenreSavvy young action movie fan is sucked into the latest film of his favourite hero and proceeds to {{lampshade|Hanging}} all manner of tropes. ArnoldSchwarzenegger plays an [[ActionHero action movie hero]] played by Arnold Schwarzenegger (who gets to enter the real world and meet [[CelebrityParadox Arnold Schwarzenegger himself]]!).
It was directed by John [=McTiernan=], previously known for such films as ''DieHard'' (1988), ''TheHuntForRedOctober'' (1990) and ''MedicineMan'' (1992). This was Schwarzenegger's first film after ''{{Terminator}} 2: Judgment Day''. Made to [[LighterAndSofter appeal to a bigger family audience]] (it was PG-13) than most of his films, the wave of hype promised that it would be, as the trailers put it, "The big ticket for '93!" It was released in ''very'' close proximity to ''JurassicPark'', which was a bigger hit than ColumbiaPictures expected. ''Last Action Hero'' failed to live up to the hype at the box office, and while it was eventually profitable the film was widely regarded as a bomb.
Still the movie is regarded as a cult classic and is often praised for poking fun at the action movie tropes.
----
!!This movie provides examples of the following:
* AccidentalKiss: Whitney kisses Danny when she believes he's the freshman she's been assigned to kiss when he comes to her door.
* AcmeProducts: The guys in the red pick-up truck have a crate of Acme Dynamite.
* ActionDuo
* ActionGirl: Whitney Slater.
** Deconstructed. Slater tells Danny that he wishes his daughter were more "normal". He tells Danny that she has no friends or social life, and spends all her spare time with her guns.
* ActorAllusion: The Stallone-Schwarzenegger jabs continue. In Slater's world, Stallone is ''TheTerminator.'' Danny ''cannot'' believe it. More directly, the fact that F. Murray Abraham played Salieri in ''{{Amadeus}}'' is mentioned, ''then it becomes a plot point.''
* AdamWesting: Taken to meta-levels. Arnold plays himself in the real world as a flighty celebrity led around by his wife.
* AllPartOfTheShow: Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Jack Slater IV premier assumes this is the case with the Slater/Ripper fight in the balcony. When Slater runs out of the theater afterward the throng of paparazzi assumes he is Schwarzenegger.
** Tom Noonan's agent thinks The Ripper is Tom. It gets him killed.
** Averted later in the film, when a whole theater of frightened people runs away from the Grim Reaper. The fact that they actually saw him walk him out of the movie and into the theatre probably helped a good deal.
* {{Angrish}}: Slater's sergeant.
* AntiHero: Parodied.
* ApatheticCitizens: In the film's [[TruthInTelevision real world]] New York, Benedict conducts an experiment:
--> '''Benedict''' (shouting in the street): Hello! I have just shot a man and I did it on purpose! ([[ChirpingCrickets silence]]) I ''said'', I have just murdered a man, and I wish to confess!
--> '''Citizen''': Hey, shut up down there!
** His smug grin [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy says it all]].
* AsideGlance: The Grim Reaper before he comes out of ''The Seventh Seal''.
* AudienceSurrogate: Danny is a ''literal'' one. Naturally, like everything else in the film, this is lampshaded.
* AxCrazy: The Ripper.
* {{Badass}}: Parodied.
* BadassBoast: A genuine one by Jack Slater.
-->'''Benedict:''' I snap my fingers again and tomorrow you emerge from several canine recta. Or you and Toto can go back to Oz. Questions?
-->'''Jack:''' Yes. Two of them. Why am I wasting time on a putz like you when I could be doing something dangerous like rearranging my socks? ''(smokes cigar)'' And how will you snap your fingers ''after I rip off both your thumbs?''
* BeardOfEvil: Benedict
* TheBeautifulElite: Lampshaded. Daniel tries convincing Slater they're in a movie by pointing out that all the female passersby are insanely hot, and that there are no unattractive women in existence.
-->'''Danny:''' ''(indicating the video clerk)'' She is too attractive to work here.
-->'''Jack:''' I agree. I think she should work with us. Undercover of course.
-->'''Danny:''' The point is there are no unattractive women here. Where are the ordinary women? Nowhere, because this is a ''movie''.
-->'''Jack:''' No, this is [[HollywoodCalifornia Kuh-lee-FOO-nee-yuh]].
* BigBadFriend: John Practice.
* BlownAcrossTheRoom: Parodied.
* BondOneLiner: Lampshaded and taken to the most absurd extreme in several cases, most notably a scene in which Jack kills a villain with an ice cream cone and says, "Iced that guy...to cone a phrase!" This becomes HilariousInHindsight considering [[Film/BatmanAndRobin what Arnold would go on to do...]]
* BottomlessMagazines: Lampshaded, particularly in the climax. And played straight in the movie whenever possible, sometimes to ridiculous degrees.
-->'''Jack:''' Did you make another movie mistake? You forgot to reload the damn gun!\\
'''Benedict:''' [[spoiler: No, I just left one chamber empty. (And he shoots.)]]
* BreakawayPopHit: Upon the film's release, "What the Hell Have I", a new Music/AliceInChains song recorded for the film's soundtrack was better received than the movie.
** As well as "Angry Again" by Music/{{Megadeth}}.
* BuddyCopShow: Parodied, and lampshaded in a hilarious scene with a line of cops being paired up with ethnic stereotypes culminating ridiculously with [[WesternAnimation/{{Bonkers}} a female cop being paired with an animated cat detective]].
** Another cop teams up with the [[DeliberatelyMonochrome black and white]] digitalization of HumphreyBogart.
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Played with. Danny warns Slater not to trust Practice, because "he killed Mozart" (a reference to the actor, F. Murray Abraham, having done so in ''{{Amadeus}}''). When Slater later repeats the accusation, misremembering it as "you killed Moe Zart," Practice is confused, but concedes it's possible: "I kill a lot of people. I can't remember half of them."
* TheCameo: In addition to several sight gags earlier in the film, the ''Jack Slater IV'' premiere apparently desires to showcase as many celebrity cameos as possible, including other action stars like JeanClaudeVanDamme.
** There's also Joan Plowright, LaurenceOlivier's wife, as the teacher who introduces his version of ''Hamlet'' and says the kids might recognize him from ''{{Clash of the Titans}}'' and some camera commercials.
* CardCarryingVillain: Benedict
* CassandraTruth: At first, neither Jack Slater or DaChief believe Danny's claims that he's from outside the movie.
* {{Catchphrase}}: "[[ArnoldSchwarzenegger I'll]] [[{{Terminator}} be back]]."
--> '''Jack:''' Hah! You didn't know I was going to say that, did you?\\
'''Daniel:''' That's [[LampshadeHanging what you]] [[GenreSavvy always say]].\\
'''Jack:''' I do?
** Parodied:
--->'''Jack:''' "Rubber baby buggy bumpers!" Didn't know I would say ''that'', did you?
** Jack also has his own: "Big mistake." His daughter seems to have inherited it.
* CelebrityParadox: Played straight at first with Danny discovering Stallone was the star of the Terminator films in the land of Jack Slater. Later averted when Jack Slater runs into Arnold Schwarzenegger after RealityEnsues.
* ChandlersLaw: Averted. Once BigBad Benedict ditches Slater in the real world, he decides against giving him a new lead in the form of a hitman who'll almost definitely fail. He just executes his plan while Slater lampshades this, waiting for said killer to show up.
* ChekhovsGun: The key thrown to Danny by the burglar to free himself from the handcuffs during the robbery attempt. He keeps it and, after Practice handcuffs him in the film-within-a-film, uses it again -- perhaps because this is a movie, it automatically works.
** TruthInTelevision: Most handcuff keys are interchangeable. It's very rare that your arresting officer will be with you from the time he yanks you off the street 'til you're finally placed in lock-up, so having interchangeable cuff keys is practical.
** Also, when Nick tears the magic movie ticket in half while admitting Danny in to see the new Slater film. During the ending, the Grim Reaper tells Danny to find "the other half of that ticket".
* ChristmasRushed: It was rushed to open for the 1993 big summer movie season, to the point that post-production on the film was only finished a few weeks before its initial release.
* ContractualImmortality: Lampshaded. Danny tries to invoke this this with Benedict by playing Chicken with him while Danny is on a girl's bike, and Benedict is in a limo. Danny keep saying that because he's the hero, it has to work, but backs off at the last second after realizing he's just the {{sidekick}}, and this trope does not apply to him.
** Danny also tries to remind Jack of this when he tries to play Chicken in the real world.
** Also {{lampshaded}} when Danny tells Jack he can't die until the box office grosses wane.
* CouldHaveBeenMessy: Lampshaded.
* CosmicPlaything: When Slater finally has a chance to confront ArnoldSchwarzenegger in the RealWorld, he gives the actor an angry rant about turning him (Slater) into one of these for the amusement of others without giving any consideration to how ''Slater'' might feel about having to go through so many ridiculous (and sometimes tragic) ActionMovie situations.
-->'''Slater:''' (to Schwarzenegger) "You ''ruined'' my ''life!"
* DaChief
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Benedict is GenreSavvy already, but becomes more so after his escape from the Jack Slater film.
* DifferentWorldDifferentMovies: Mixed with CelebrityParadox. Because the movie's main character is played by ArnoldSchwarzenegger, in this world the main character of ''TheTerminator'' is played by SylvesterStallone.
* DirtForcefield: Jack Slater is spotless within seconds of crawling out of the La Brea Tar Pits; naturally this is {{Lampshaded}} by Danny.
* TheDragon: Mr. Benedict is introduced as Vivaldi's right-hand-man. However, he [[TheStarscream turns on his employer]] immediately after finding [[BigBad much better prospects]].
** DragonInChief: Apparently, he didn't notice until he found the ticket.
* {{Deconstruction}}: A fascinating form of it: While most action tropes are simply lampshaded to the point of lunacy when Daniel is dropped into "Jack Slater IV", when the characters are turned loose into the Real World, RealityEnsues. In one moving scene, [[{{Determinator}} Jack Slater]] reveals that under his DeadpanSnarker typecasting he's mostly just ''[[ZenSurvivor tired]]'' after repeatedly surviving implausible, stressful scenarios while everyone around him died, he's faking the calls from his ex-wife which supposedly prove she still cares (but she's remarried and moved on), and he's deeply depressed that his ActionGirl daughter skipped her prom to field-strip an AK-47 (he fears she'll grow up alone). This is a side of Slater that Daniel was shocked to see, but nevertheless, he was able to get him out of this funk to continue the action of the movie.
-->'''Jack:''' [[IJustWantToBeNormal I just want to be a good cop!]] Instead I keep getting caught up in these crazy adventures!
** Likewise, the MagnificentBastard Benedict quickly notices that the Real World is rather short on [[CardCarryingVillain card-carrying action movie villains]] such as himself -- and forces to properly oppose him. In his own RealityEnsues scene, he kills a man at night in the middle of a run-down neighborhood and is surprised that neither Slater nor police show up to prevent it, nor do bystanders even care -- thus proving to him that he can do a ''lot'' more damage and gather a ''lot'' more wealth and power than he did in the movies.
--->'''Benedict:''' If God were a villain - [[AGodAmI he'd be me]]!
* DiabolusExMachina: In-universe, at the end of ''Jack Slater III''. Lampshaded by Jack.
-->'''Jack:''' Let us push his son off the building. You will have eternal nightmares, but you are fictional, so who cares?
* TheDon: Tony Vivaldi.
* EveryCarIsAPinto: Parodied, also by taking it to the extreme. Later, Deconstructed and averted as they go to the real world.
** A particularly egregious example has a bad guy shot, fly through the air, and through the windshield of an ice cream truck...which inexplicably explodes.
* EveryoneIsArmed: The funeral scene.
* ExtendedDisarming: During the opening scene, Jack is told to disarm. It takes him several seconds, during which the villain and his hostages stare at him in disbelief. His arsenal includes a [[ImprobableWeaponUser grenade with a knife that pops out of it.]]
* FantasticRacism: Jack accuses Daniel of this after he points out that Whiskers the cat shouldn't be a police detective because he's a cartoon.
-->'''Slater:''' He's supposed to be back! He was only suspended for a month! [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight So what's your point?]]
* FiveFiveFive: Lampshaded: "[[WritersCannotDoMath That's why we have area codes!]]"
* FourthWallObserver: When Jack finally gets home, he still remembers that he's a film character. He deliberately lampshades the nearest comedy trope character (his boss), then winks at the audience.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: After Slater has momentarily escaped the villains by ramping his convertible through the air and landing safely, while he and Danny have a leisurely chat about the fruits of life, we watch the black van that was chasing them attempt to replicate Slater's stunt, fail, and crash spectacularly behind them. Neither notices.
* GatlingGood: The black van with the sawed-off minigun in the door. And two of these are mounted on the helicopter at the funeral. And none of them sounds like it's shooting at a realistic firing rate.
* GenreSavvy: First Daniel, then Benedict and later Jack Slater.
* GoodNightSweetPrince: Parodied.
* GoshDangItToHeck: {{Lampshaded}}, of course. Jack refuses to say any serious swear words; Danny points out that he ''can't'' because "this movie's only PG-13."
* TheGrimReaper: Plucked by the magic ticket from ''TheSeventhSeal''. And played by Sir Ian [=McKellen=], no less!
* GroinAttack: "You want to be a farmer? [[IncrediblyLamePun Here's a couple of achers!"]]
* GunsAkimbo: Jack does the ''[[TheMatrix Matrix]]'' version with dual [=SMG=]s.
* HandCannon: Jack Slater's Desert Eagle and Benedict's Dan Wesson revolver.
* HellYesMoment: Danny has one of these when Whitney escapes her captors and pulls a gun on the guys holding him. Everyone notices.
* HeroInsurance: Lampshaded, of course.
--> '''Danny''': "He's only mad because you destroyed more of the city than usual..."
* HiddenDepths: Jack Slater. He's leading a pitiful life that even his screenwriters didn't expect.
-->'''Danny:''' Look on the good side. You have a great daughter. And your ex-wife wouldn't call if she didn't want you back.
-->'''Jack:''' You think she can't tell the real voice from a taped one? I pay a cashier to call me at work, so the guys think I have a life. My ex-wife is happily remarried. She ''never'' calls. And Whitney -- why can't she be a normal teenager? On prom night she stays home to field strip an AK-47! She's going to die a young maid, I know it. I'm going to buy it soon, too.
-->'''Danny:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint No way. You can't die until the grosses go down.]]
* HollywoodHomely: In-universe. Danny explicitly points out how there are no "unattractive people" in Jack's world. Jack sees nothing unusual about it.
* HurricaneOfEuphemisms: Lt. Dekker has dozens of them for his anus.
* IdiotBall: "I might be looking for the other half of the ticket." To be fair, by that time it was just as much a BrickJoke.
* IKEAWeaponry: The Ripper's axe.
* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: The thugs in the beginning. Again, {{lampshaded}} as usual.
* ImpressivePyrotechnics: ''Every'' explosion features a far-larger-than-life fireball as if the exploding object was filled with gasoline.
* IncrediblyLamePun: Lampshaded. The movie delivers them by the truckload.
* IndecisiveParody: While obviously a parody, it can't seem to decide what kind. The movie tends to bounce between AffectionateParody and outright mockery, a trait most of its detractors point to.
** [[ComicallyMissingThePoint If they're even aware that it's a parody at all.]]
* InstantDeathBullet: Benedict's test kill is this. One of the few tropes in this movie played straight in the real world section (we don't see where he shoots the guy, but he was using a match-grade revolver at close range and might have aimed for the head).
* InstantEmergencyResponse: Lampshaded. When Benedict first enters the Real World, he's shocked to discover that you can steal a car without sirens instantly sounding. To test this new situation, he walks up to a man and shoots him repeatedly, then waits for the sirens. When that doesn't work, he yells that he's just shot and killed a man, to which the only response is someone off-screen to telling to quit making a racket.
* IronicEcho: Danny tries to make one out of John Practice's {{Catchphrase}} ("How do you get to Carnegie Hall?"), with little success.
* ItIsNotYourTime: [[spoiler: Danny's encounter with the Grim Reaper.]]
* JustBetweenYouAndMe: "Since you're about to die anyway, I may as well tell you the entire plot."
* KarmaHoudini: The burglar since this is real life and not a movie.
* LampshadeHanging: More lampshades than a Shriner Convention.
* LargeHam: The chief of police.
* LawOfInverseRecoil: Played straight naturally in the Movie world. In the real world, Jack fires his Desert Eagle pointed up and is knocked down.
** On the other hand, Benedict can shoot his giant revolver one-handed in the real world.
*** A .357 that size and weight (and compensated as it is)wouldn't actually have that much recoil.
* LighterAndSofter: In comparison to most of Schwarzenegger's other movies.
* LimitedWardrobe: While not pointed out, the brief look in Slater's closet has a line of identical outfits.
* MadeOfIron: Slater, at least in the movies. When he arrives in the real world, he's genuinely shocked that punching out a car window with his bare hand hurts.
* TheMafia
* {{Malaproper}}. Vivaldi, who keeps mixing metaphors and getting idioms wrong, which finally gets him killed by an exasperated Benedict.
* MeaningfulName: If you're going to employ a [[TheDragon Dragon]], don't pick a guy named Benedict! There's also the Pandora Theater. And stay away from gangsters named "[=LeFart=]".
* MediumAwareness: Danny, justified as he is literally trapped in a movie.
* MoodWhiplash: Danny's encounter with the burglar, which leaves a ChekhovsGun ([[spoiler: the key to the handcuffs]]) and gives Danny and Jack a explanation for the latter's presence to his mom.
** Also when Danny and Slater [[spoiler: enter the real world, Slater's acts of GenreBlindness are initially played off for laughs. The duo chase Benedict through New York in stolen cars, ending up in a back-alley where they are challenged to a game of chicken. The scene is tense, Danny warns Slater he could die, but Slater drops off Danny and speeds off. However neither vehicle manages to build much speed (unlike in the movie world). Compared to all the things Slater has survived up to this point, as well as what most action heroes survive, most viewers wont be expecting much of a crash, even if it is the real world. Cue the actual crash at around 40 k/Ph which causes the cars rears to lift off the ground. It does not help that Slater's taillights go out and one of the car horns goes off.]]
* MoreDakka: At Leo The Fart's funeral, when Jack steals the corpse, every single guest, even the priest, the nuns and several little old ladies pull out military grade automatic weapons.
** Then again, [[HandWave it was a mafia funeral]].
** The goons in the black van shoot at Slater with a Gatling gun.
** How about the helicopter that ''shoots through an entire building''?
* MrExposition: Jack's favorite second cousin, Frank, who conveniently expires after delivering a RedHerring.
* NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognize: In-universe, Daniel pegs a character as TheMole based solely on the fact that his actor (F. Murray Abraham) played Salieri in ''{{Amadeus}}''.
** To be fair, he's right.
--->'''Jack:''': Danny said not to trust you. He said you killed Moe Zart.\\
'''Practice''': Moe who?\\
'''Jack''': Zart.\\
'''Practice''': ''(shrugs)'' Ah, you know, [[ButForMeItWasTuesday I've killed a lot of people]], I can't remember half of 'em.
* NonFatalExplosions
* OhCrap: Danny does this a ''lot''.
* OnceAnEpisode: Jack appears to randomly shoot into his closet when he comes home, but then a dead assassin falls out. Apparently there's ''always'' one in there.
* OnlyAFleshWound: Played with and lampshaded: [[spoiler: Slater suffers a gunshot wound from Benedict in the real world, causing a race against time to get him back into the movie world, where the doctor "wouldn't even call it a flesh wound."]]
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Lampshaded - since the screenwriter for ''Jack Slater IV'' never bothered to give the nerdy freshman "Skeezie" an actual name, he doesn't have one. "Skeezie" is the full name he gives on a police report.
-->'''Skeezie:''' ''(to policeman)'' Skeezie. S-K-E...
** He doesn't even know how to finish spelling it. "I-E... no, 'Y'."
* PlotArmor: Lampshaded.
* PluckyComicRelief: The kid realizes he is this during a game of "Chicken" ''with a car'', while riding a ''bike''.
--> '''Daniel:''' I'm the comedy sidekick... Oh, ''shit'', I'm the comedy sidekick! '''This isn't going to work!'''
* PoirotSpeak: Vivaldi has a thick Italian accent and frequently [[{{Malaproper}} butchers idioms]].
* PowerPerversionPotential: In-universe, upon learning that the ticket actually works, Nick considers the possibility of visiting Greta Garbo and JeanHarlow.
* RageAgainstTheAuthor: Slater's understandable rage about the writers killing off his son in the third movie. He also rips into Schwartzenegger when he finally meets him.
* RecursiveReality: There are movies in Jack Slater's universe, making them movies within a movie ... within a movie.
* RedShirt / {{Retirony}}: Lampshaded.
* RememberTheNewGuy: At the end of ''Jack Slater III'', Jack's son Andrew is killed. ''Jack Slater IV'' introduces Whitney, Jack's daughter who has been living with his ex-wife. Oddly, this is never lampshaded, aside from her [[AndStarring And Introducing]] credit.
* RevolversAreJustBetter: Used to maximum effect by Benedict.
* RooftopConfrontation
* SelfDeprecation: Aside from the self-parody of his films, Arnold shows up at the film premiere, answering questions and hamfistedly promoting his ''Planet Hollywood'' chain of restaurants, to the embarrassment of his real-life wife Maria Shriver.
* SequelEscalation: Jack moans that his adventures seem to get more and more difficult to deal with. Danny tells him that the sequels ''have'' to get harder and more exciting. Jack's not amused.
* ShoutOut: A visual gag referencing ''{{ET}}''.
** When entering the LA Police Station in ''Jack Slater IV'', Danny is astonished to see both the [[{{Terminator}} T-1000]] and [[BasicInstinct Catherine Tramell]] walking by.
* SoftGlass: Lampshaded. While in the real world, Jack notes that his hand really hurts after punching through a car window.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Parodied with the female police officers' {{Custom Uniform}}s.
* StuffBlowingUp: With several {{Lampshade Hanging}}s, such as when Danny insists that the trouble at Leo Le Fart's funeral can't possibly be "just" another explosion, because the Slater film has had several explosions already.
* TakeThat:
** Part of the playful feud Arnold has with Sylvester Stallone is played out here; when Danny goes to the video store to show Jack the guy who played him in another movie, he finds an advertisement for ''{{Terminator}} 2: Judgment Day'' starring Stallone.
---> '''Jack:''' The man is an artist. It's his best performance ever!
*** He's either saying he'd have played it better, or that it was his best performance because it didn't happen.
** The La Brea Tar Pits was a Take That to another 1993 film, ''JurassicPark''. The Take That was made during ''production'' of both films; ''Last Action Hero'' was assuming it would be a blockbuster hit as well, so it ended up as being the equivalent of the ''StarWars'' "billboard" being blasted by Billy in ''{{Laserblast}}''. The ''{{Hamlet}}'' parody was also a Take That to Mel Gibson's ''Hamlet'' (1990), directed by Franco Zeffirelli.
* ThisIsReality: And Benedict, being DangerouslyGenreSavvy, ''likes'' it. His JustBetweenYouAndMe speech is NightmareFuel:
-->'''Benedict:''' Gentlemen. Since you are about to die anyway, I [[LampshadeHanging may as well]] [[JustBetweenYouAndMe tell you the entire plot]]! Think of villains, Jack. You want {{Dracula}}? Dra-cool-la? Hang on, (takes out the [[PlotCoupon ticket]]) I'll fetch him. Dracula? Huh. I can get KingKong! We'll have a [[NightmareOnElmStreet nightmare with Freddy Krueger]], have a surprise party for AdolfHitler; [[SilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]] can [[ImAHumanitarian do the catering]], and then we'll have a christening for [[FetusTerrible Rosemary's Baby]]! All I have to do is snap my fingers and they'll be here. They're lining up to get here, and do you know why, Jack? Should I tell you why? Hmm? Because here, in this world, '''''[[TheBadGuyWins the bad guys can win!]]'''''
* [[TrappedInTVLand Trapped In Movie Land]]
* {{Troperiffic}}: The whole point of the movie is [[PlayingWithATrope lampshading, deconstructing, reconstructing, subverting and inverting]] as many action movie tropes as possible.
* TurnInYourBadge: Complete with smoke coming out the ears.
-->'''Danny:''' He only took your badge because you destroyed more of the city than usual.
* TheUnpronounceable: Believe it or not, Arnold Schwarzenegger; Jack can't even pronounce the name of the actor who plays him, and ends up calling him "[[MyNameIsNotDurwood Arnold Braunschweiger]]" most of the time.
** Leads to a brilliant {{Woolseyism}} in the German and French versions, where he calls himself "Arnold Beckenbauer". Google it if you don't know the name; any- and everyone in Germany- wait, ''[[TheWorldCup in the world]]'' does.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Even in a loopy action film, it's bizarre to see 1) a talking animated cat, 2) [[BasicInstinct Catherine Trammell]] and [[TheTerminator the T-1000]] strolling around, 3) a black-and-white Humphrey Bogart, 4) steam ''literally'' coming out of a man's head when angry and 5) ''every'' woman with model looks. But being a live-action cartoon world, no one (but Danny) seems to even think it's ''slightly'' out of place.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The Grim Reaper advises Daniel to use the other half of the ticket to bring Jack Slater back to his movie, and then walks out. Does the Reaper keep the first half of the ticket and use it to return to ''The Seventh Seal'' from which he was accidentally taken from? The movie doesn't tell us.
** The ticket fell on the ground outside the arthouse theatre shortly before a stampede and was presumably lost. Death never had it, it just affected his theatre long enough to get him out.
* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Lampshaded and inverted when John Practice turns against Jack; Daniel's explanation of this trope is long enough for the bad guys to get the drop on him as well. ("You ain't so smart yourself, kid.")
-->'''Danny:''' (to Jack) I don't see ''you'' coming up with ideas.
** [[spoiler: Then double-inverted, as the bad guy does the exact same thing, except he actually gets shot, because the one who shot him is [[CallBack the previously-mentioned animated cat detective]] who is bound only to ToonPhysics and RuleOfFunny.]]
--->'''Jack:''' Whiskers! What kept you?
* WickedCultured: Benedict, who is ''way'' more worldly than any other character, ''especially'' Vivaldi.
* WrongGenreSavvy: Danny realizes almost too late that he's just PluckyComicRelief to Jack, so the bad guy car won't swerve out of the way of the kid [[TooDumbToLive playing chicken with it on a bicycle]].
* YouBastard: Slater doesn't particularly ''like'' being sucked into a new highly dangerous adventure each time the audience in the real world demands it. When he meets Schwarzenegger at the movie premiere, the character accuses his actor of being responsible for his suffering.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: Benedict to Vivaldi after he learns of the magic ticket's power.]]
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