Despite the World Identifying Arnold Schwarzenegger as Terminator, His Youngest Son Picks This Critical and Commercial Disappointment as His Favorite Dad Movie

Arnold Schwarzenegger rose to prominence in the acting world after starring in the movie, Conan the Barbarian. However, while the 1982 movie put the budding actor on the map, The Terminator (1984) turned him into an icon. The Conan franchise didn’t reach the heights initially hoped, but The Terminator then Predator (1987) and Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) turned the former Mr. Olympia into a global icon. However, it all came crashing down momentarily after the disaster that was the Last Action Hero.

Surprisingly, the 1993 critical and commercial failure holds a special place in Joseph Baena’s heart. During the premiere of FUBAR, the media caught up with Schwarzenegger and his kids. While talking to Arnie’s 25-year-old son, Joseph Baena, Access Hollywood asked him about his favorite movie starring his “Pops.” However, Baena’s answer even surprised the interviewer. So why does Jo Baena love The Last Action Hero?

A masterpiece no one understood?

“Man… great question,” said the 25-year-old after the reporter asked him to name his favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. “I’m gonna have to go with Last Action Hero,” he added. Baena wasn’t the first person whom the reporter asked the question. “No one’s said that yet tonight,” responded the interviewer. However, the young actor had an answer.

“You know why? Because they probably haven’t watched it, and they need to,” said the Bully High actor. Baena explained why the 1993 box-office blunder is his favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger film. “It makes fun of like the cliche 80s movies, but like in the best way, the action is amazing, the one-liners are hilarious and it’s so light-hearted,” he added.

Schwarzenegger’s youngest child said he loves the John McTiernan film because not only is it clever, but also a “feel-good,” movie. While the movie made Baena feel good, his 75-year-old father felt quite different when the film released to a dismal reception.

The film’s reception devastated Arnold Schwarzenegger

In his memoir Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, the seven-time Mr. Olympia described how he felt after The Last Action Hero hit theaters. While the team had kept expectations low due to the roaring success of Steven Speilberg’s epic Jurassic Park, it didn’t matter. The ticket sales died down, and people who gave it a chance stepped out of the theaters with mixed reactions.

via Imago

The critics wiped the floor with the film. Besides thrashing it in reviews, they even dragged down Schwarzenegger’s previous films. The action star felt so devastated he thought his movie career was over. However, the former Mr. Universe had a quick turnaround when he starred in James Cameron’s True Lies (1994). The James Cameron film was a massive hit that reestablished Arnie as one of the top dogs in Hollywood.