The Fall of Die Hard

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For me, Die Hard is the most complete action film of all time, though the franchise steadily declined in quality from that first film. What led to its downfall, and should the series continue?
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I am a full time video editor who has worked in the past as a director and editor on a number of small films, and have experience on films of all sizes. Over the years I have been lucky to meet and spend time with industry veterans and up-and-comers alike, and have learnt a lot about action filmmaking. Here you can learn with me more about action cinema.

[@defvent]

They can't kill John McLane, but they certainly killed the franchise.

[@youknowwhoiam6057]

Disney will take care of this franchise with a song,3D animation graphics.

[@nossasenhoradoo871]

"but they certainly killed the franchise" No, it died on its own - and public started to wake up. The first film has lots of great one-liners about how the media works like, "I read about them [Asian Dawn] in 'Time' magazine." Which means that Asian Dawn, like all terrorist groups, are simply an invention of the press and news.

[@DurangoCzechoslovakia]

@Bob Jones i heard about MacTiernan being in prison for eavesdropping now lol so he is not able to make more of these masterpieces for us.

[@TheAnimalWolverine]

defvent yeah

[@fundhund62]

They actually should kill McClane. Years ago there were talks about a sixth installment with Morgan Freeman as a villain, and I always thought that sounded like an epic send-off. Make him fight for his survival in a constricted environment one last time, make him human and vulnerable again, and let him die in the end.

[@YouFightLikeACow]

While I agree that Die Hard 2 is more of a Die Hard film than 3, I still think 3 is more memorable.

[@someguy43210]

Guess I have to give 3 a shot, I lost interest after 2.

[@Tenpouin]

@@someguy43210 man go watch it. I think 3 is so much better than 2

[@wyldshot666]

I thought 3 began the decline of the franchise.

[@duffman18]

3 is the best Die Hard film. And it never gets old. Can watch it over and over. There's few films as fun as die hard 3

[@TheNickcone]

I really like 2 personally.

[@Sixstringman]

John Mctiernan went straight from Predator to Die Hard. What a master.

[@seanchukwuezi3079]

Last action hero anyone

[@ShiksaWithChutzpah1]

Rollerball remake too lol

[@jaimonjohn2516]

That's the definition of a one two punch

[@khanhnguyen-tt3ff]

Let not forget about Bruce Willis falling out of love for acting

[@mrjones29]

But he still acts. Did you not see Glass in January?

[@khanhnguyen-tt3ff]

@@mrjones29 it look like he trying hard not to fall asleep, it does not help that both his co star seem to outshine him on scene they together. I'm just saying Bruce Willis now a day seem to phone in most of his performances

[@mrjones29]

@@khanhnguyen-tt3ff​ khanh nguyen I understand what you are saying. It is partly his acting style too, to appear that way laid back on purpose. It is a pity that Hollywood no longer find use or him anymore and most of his new films end up straight to video like Van Damme and Seagal.

[@khanhnguyen-tt3ff]

@@mrjones29 that clearly not his style just compares the movie he try like die hard , looper,red you will see put in more effort in these movie then the one he not. Plus as an actor he should try to get more different role, even Arnold and most of star in his era do.

[@mrjones29]

@@khanhnguyen-tt3ff I take your point.

[@midnightmosesuk]

It's a shame really. I went to see Die Hard at the cinema when it was released and was totally blown away by it. I was less impressed by No.2 but thought things picked up again with No.3. And that's where it should've been left, as a trilogy, because after that the quality dropped quicker than Hans Gruber from the 83rd floor of The Nakatomi Plaza.

[@FilmFightFanatic]

Kinda ironic that both the Die Hard and Fast & Furious franchises both transitioned into completely unrealistic over-the-top action yet the Fast & Furious series has only gained more momentum and popularity over the years while the Die Hard series has sort of faded into obscurity...

[@lennynero635]

Even more ironic is the fact that Die Hard 5 is the worst movie in the franchise while FF5 is by far the best one in the FF franchise.

[@shrekscousin1389]

I watched both of em over the weeks

[@LordMalice6d9]

@@lennynero635 I think the Fast and Furious Franchise has gone on for too long now.

[@lennynero635]

@@LordMalice6d9 I totally agree with you. In my book, there are only two FF movies worth watching. That being the first and the fifth installment.

[@ninjanibba4259]

That's cuz Fast and Furious started out tame but still had unrealistic tropes in it that made it fun, each film made it more fun and ridiculous but you connect to the characters at least I say after 6 is where they started pushing it plot wise and character wise, but i still enjoy them cuz of the of the topness that's been present in ALL of the films.....but there's a point where ridiculousness turns into b.s. completely Hobbs and Shaw and FF9....😵

[@simplyepic1732]

Die Hard 3 is sooo amazing and underrated, wish it ended there

[@megan2484]

I kind of agree,but 4 had good things to it

[@bltvd]

I think it is better than the first!

[@arifrafique1439]

3 was great movie

[@videovoidtv]

It does in there. The others don’t exist in my head canon. I love 3 and think the buddy team is classic but unique at the same time. Sam Jackson is great and the weird puzzles change things up enough to not make it feel tired.

[@jdxsr85]

@Maori Boy Nice joke. A lame cash grab made by a studio who had no faith in the series after 12 years.

[@resaurus5446]

Sometimes, we just need to let some things end. Even though we love it

[@Disconnect350]

Same can be said about video games. Too many sequels.

[@ravager48]

Resaurus Like The Simpsons....

[@brianeells5663]

Agreed.., I felt the same way about the tv series 24. How many bad days can Jack Bauer have? Gotta end it before the character gets played out.

[@polykov798]

legit shut up

[@mrjones29]

Amen to that 😇

[@Jarbloko]

The best for me are 1 and 3

[@taiwilson8966]

agreement on that!

[@giovannyc3886]

I still remember watching 3 in the movie theater I was amazed and happy that we got a beautiful Trilogy

[@fundhund62]

I thought 3 was pretty lame. It was a decent action flick, but a bad Die Hard film. Probably should have been released outside that franchise.

[@theroebuck123456789]

Despite being the last one being bad, I'd take another Die Hard over a Terminator sequel anytime

[@kylesantos8190]

Preach!

[@JusRaeDae]

The first 4 are movies. The 5th is a cash grab. I love Vengeance. Sam Jackson casting makes it soo quotable.

[@harrymarshall]

The first is a Friday night tvmovie, the rest are blockbuster video rentals

[@paddykriton3475]

You can’t compete with Alan Rickman. It was always going to be tough to have another bad guy as brilliant as him

[@taiwilson8966]

idk, jeremy irons was getting somewhere, but he was barely in it (for being the villain)

[@fundhund62]

Irons and Sadler were pretty good, too! The guys in 4 and 5 were completely forgettable, though.

[@archivedaccount5990]

Die Hard 1: Awesome, easily one of the best action movies of all time Die Hard 2: Not as good as the first, but still pretty fun Die Hard With a Vengeance: Interesting Live Free or Die Hard: Controversial Opinion, I thought it was pretty enjoyable even if it jumped the shark a bit too much and the PG-13 rating felt out of place A Good Day To Die Hard: Pretty bad. A complete bastardization of the protagonist, relegating him to a sidekick to his own movie, not helping matters is that it's from the same director behind the Max Payne movie.

[@Birdy890]

Best: Die Hard Second Best: Die Hard 3 Decent: Diehard 4 Watchable: Diehard 2 Don't even talk about the other one.

[@fundhund62]

I have no idea why people hate 5 so much. It IS a bad movie, but I still think it´s better than 4. In terms of bringing the franchise down, I think Die Hard with a vengeance is the culprit. It´s the one that started the decline, and to this day, the series never recovered.

[@tylerrumfelt3353]

Say it! Say it! You was gonna say a good day to die hard weren’t ya?

[@ghosface353]

I agree with your ranking, except I feel With A Vengeance is better than Die Hard 2. Die Hard is a 10/10, while With A Vengeance is a 9/10 and Die Hard 2 is 8/10. I think the fourth is a 7/10, and A Good Day To Die Hard was pretty bad. Probably below a 5, but so long since I have seen it. What is weird about Die Hard is that everything is great about the film, but none of the action scenes are in my top favorite list. I probably could come up with a list of a top 50 action scenes, and none from Die Hard would be there. But the characters are great and are the thing that makes the film.

[@Rossatron]

I remember always enjoying DH3 more than 2, but then returning to the franchise laterI did notice how convoluted the third ends up being compared to the relative simplicity of 2. The reveal the soldiers are on the bad guys' side in DH2 works way better than the reveal for example in Vengeance that the woman is actually on Irons' side. Vengeance just feels a bit more bloated to me, and I do think it lacks something without Holly's presence. That said, I like both.

[@ghosface353]

@@Rossatron But what about the reveal of Irons being Hans Grubers brother? I feel that is the main reveal. I kinda feel that works better than John Amos is a bad guy. Col. Stuart is kinda straight forward. I think the main problem with DH2 is that is very much trying to capture DH1 and instead of doing something new. There are all these jokes about "how can the same thing happened to the same guy again". But I do think the Skywalk shootout is my favourite action scene of all of the Die Hard. The only director that does better squibs than Renny Harlin is Paul Verhoeven. DH2 and WAV does have one thing in common. They all end anti-climax by blowing up the bad guy. You have tons of henchmen and McClane just blows them up, and he doesn't kill any of them in DHWAV. In DH he dealt with all of them, I guess with the exception of Theo, which Argyle took out, and I guess Al taking out the second comming of Karl.

[@killerkevinkross6243]

for an action movie, die hard is good but definitely not a 10, probably 8,2, the only movie that can go near a 9,5 is the godfather, there is no action movie that can go above 8,5 not even killbill

[@jdxsr85]

@Bobo Boy 4 is the biggest cash grab of them all. Making the movie accessible for younger audiences. Families can watch it together? Give me a break. Die Hard is a violent series about a wise cracking cop who swears, drinks and smokes. He gets entangled in situations he doesn't want to be in but he does what he must. Len Wiseman and his writers had no clue what made Die Hard so special in the first place but hey, there's lots of action and explosions so who cares, right?

[@joeyjerry1586]

Have to agree. The action in Die Hard isn’t terrible but it’s pretty unmemorable. The script however is fantastic and the camerawork, editing, soundtrack and acting are fantastic

[@lars9925]

Yes, Die Hard 5 was bad, but I don't get why people don't like Die Hard 4. His charakter has changed a little bit over the years, like everyone's charakter do, but he is still the hero who doesn't want to be one. He is more confident and experianced in combat but lacks some other traids. I like Die Hard 4 more than Die Hard 2.

[@majormononoke8958]

I didnt watched any of this die hards movies... But from the parts the video showed it seems pretty obvious that it is just an other "action movie" with i am a hero i do stuff, destroy things ... Explosions chase scene, shaky came, Chaos, "cool words" (no they are not ), Grey filter, Explosions, and boring unrealistic realtionships -interactions ... Explosions

[@lars9925]

@@majormononoke8958 There is nothing like "just an other action movie". This is a entire genre with good, bad and mediocre films and Die Hard 4.0 was definitely a good one.

[@majormononoke8958]

@@lars9925 Actually there are just look at every month film releases, similar plot, similar editing, similar music/score, similar characters, similar, studios, similar ... I mean same,,,

[@agt_pendergast8899]

The video kinda touches upon a lot of it. More vehicular based set pieces and less intimate fights and shoot outs, McClane having a lot less personal stakes and feeling out of place, lack of grit the R rating provides. I don't know about others, but the jet fighter sequence felt like a pretty clear cut 'jump the shark' moment.

[@majormononoke8958]

for a moment i thought lol , Macclane has a cameo in transformers ?@@agt_pendergast8899

[@GeahkBurchill]

There are only two Die Hard movies. Die Hard, and it’s direct sequel, Die Hard: With a Vengeance.

[@GeahkBurchill]

Think about these two Die Hard movies without any of the others. Consider how GREAT Die Hard with a Vengeance is as a *counterpoint* to the original. A perfect pair, ruined by the filler of Die Harder. (A weak clone of the original)

[@benjameshowden]

Love it! I saw the 3rd one first as a kid and it imprinted on me as The Perfect Action Film. The 1st is really excellent but I still prefer the aesthetic and pacing of the 3rd

[@Tenpouin]

I like how you think, good sir. That's exactly how I feel about it

[@bigkmoviesandgames]

@Cyberdemon Mike it's ok but it's watered down compared to the rest of the franchise.

[@lennynero635]

@@GeahkBurchill While I do agree that Vengeance serves as a perfect counterpoint to the original I still like Die Harder a lot. Of course it is - to some extent - a copy of the original but I for me that works for the movie and against it at the same time. I usually do not appreciate it if the sequel is too close to the original when it comes to the plot/structure (that is the hardest part of making a good sequel: Make the sequel too different people wonder what it has got to do with the original, make it too close and people wonder why they should pay to see the same movie again.) However, in this case I felt that Die Harder is the last "real" Die Hard movie for a number of reasons: McClane is on his own, nobody believes him at first, tone and atmosphere are reminiscent of the first installment, the emotional component of saving his wife's life and the whole action takes place in a contained environment. Vengeance continues the story from the first movie (and does not feel as contrived as Die Harder in that respect) but to me it never really felt like a Die Hard movie. some might argue that Die Harder is too close to the original others (me included) might argue Vengeance strays too far away from what constitutes a Die Hard movie. Don't get me wrong: I like Vengeance as an action movie and it is part of my Bluray collection but I always preferred Die Hard 2. I guess it is time to watch Vengeance again and see if my opinion will change but for now I will defend Die Hard 2 as my second favorite Die Hard movie (There are only three Die Hard movies!).

[@BajaShouta]

I HIGHLY recommend the Unrated Cut of Live Free or Die Hard. It's still got most of the problems you've pointed out in this video, but it's got a lot more John McClane moments, and the action feels a hell of a lot better. It definitely moves it closer into the "With A Vengeance" realm, and farther from the "A Good Day" realm.

[@ezza2x899]

It amazes me how many people do not know this cut exists!

[@kylesantos8190]

1st. Great! Wonderful! Delightful! 2nd. Good jod. 3rd. The Perfection. 4th. Nice work. 5th. 😴

[@vicentegeonix]

Third is perfection? Really?

[@vampirascoffin870]

@@vicentegeonix yes bitch

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

The 5th movie would have been better with Patrick Stewart as the main villain, as first organized...

[@giovannyc3886]

Well part 3 is as good as it got. It completed what the first one started. It's what a Trilogy should be... But producers and movie execs needs their $$$ so we got two unwanted sequels

[@tonyfknb3896]

Die Hard 1 he saves a building Die Hard 2 he saves a air port Die Hard 3 he savea a city Die Hard 4 he saves the U.S Die Hard 5 he saves the World Lol that escalated quickly...bigger, bigger, bigger.

[@shawnpayne2479]

Kittens, cats, sacks and wives...Die Hard ended in '95.

[@droneeveryone]

SEVEN GUYS WITH SEVEN WIVES!

[@clivetrash9044]

How many going to st'ives?

[@ThomasTHEONEANDONLY]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, I didn’t say Simon Says.

[@ThomasTHEONEANDONLY]

@@droneeveryone, “Shut the f*ck up McClaine.

[@purplehaze2358]

The _Die Hard_ franchise died hard.

[@davidraley3054]

It died ugly.

[@thomashumphrey4953]

Nope, Check out Die Hard is Back Trailer!!

[@SilverFoxKnows1]

The first Die Hard is still my favorite Christmas movie. And it's a brilliant action flick.

[@SkolneyVikings]

I will always go to bat for Live Free Or Die Hard. That movie is a ton of fun.

[@PurpleStormProductions]

I totally agree. While some of the action is too epic (jet scene), the movie never breaks the character of John McClane, how he'd react in crazy situations and what he would do in those situations. It was a fun ride, Timothy Olopant was an awesome villain, and Justin Long is the best Die Hard sidekick. It's the third-best Die Hard (behind 1 and 3). The PG-13 rating only ruined one aspect of the movie for me: "Yippie-Ki-Ay Motherfu-"

[@fundhund62]

I thought it was terrible. It turned McClane into a superhero, which was stupid and boring. No more ordinary guy trapped in extraordinary circumstances, but just an indestructable killing machine cracking one-liners for no apparent reason. Yaaaaawn! Plus, the villain was arguably the most forgettable of the franchise. Even the guy in 5 felt more like a bad guy than baby-faced Timothy Olyphant.

[@MrBobbywan007]

A 22 minutes video from Rossatron? Count me in!

[@traxxas544]

John Mctiernan was a good action-suspense director, Die Hard and Predator, 2 movies were you forget to breath.

[@jdxsr85]

@Optimus Prime Nothing cheesy about Predator or Die Hard.

[@brajuhani]

@Mammoth Supremacy 55 First Die Hard is great, just watch it.

[@cameleyez]

@@jdxsr85 yeah exactly. Nothing cheesy at all they are 2 of the best action movies ever.

[@Restless_Hermit80]

I've become allergic to Disney. Even just hearing the name makes me gag.

[@jp3813]

Glad to see DH2 still getting some love. Interestingly, respected critics Siskel & Ebert considered it to be the best in the series. Roger somehow didn't like the original, while Gene ranked that first sequel as the 6th best film of 1990 above the likes of Dances with Wolves and Godfather 3. Screen Junkies did a couple of "Honest Action" videos for the series, and it was determined that McClane's chances of survival was actually at its most plausible in DH2. It also has one of the greatest finales ever, imo. Throughout the movie, the villains are always ahead of the protagonist. Even though the hero makes progress w/ each action scene, all of them (prior to the climax) ends w/ a trade-off of him losing: no one was left to interrogate after the baggage fight, the antenna array explodes and a plane is crashed after the skywalk shootout, Esperanza escapes after landing, and McClane ends up w/ blank ammunition in the snowmobile chase. All leading up to the plane fight where John loses against Stuart, and it seems that all hope is lost for Holly's plane. This is what Chris Stuckmann likes to call the "Breaking Point" moment, where the hero is at his lowest point in an action sequence and has to come up w/ a way to get out of that predicament. McClane does so after uttering his famous catchphrase and lighting the fuel trail left by the plane. With a single stroke, he finally defeats the bad guys and saves all of the hostages.

[@Guile21]

Absolutely. I tend to prefer DH and DH3 more than the second film, from a structural standpoint. The 2nd one always felt a little... slow paced and arythmic. Like there's always an action scene that leads to nowhere or nothing great, where the first and third film have the elements tightly interwebbed from one scene to another. But it doesn't mean that's a bad movie, cause that structural "one step forward, two steps back" is precisely what the movie is aiming for, precisely because of the point you're making here. McLane fails thourough the movie, and that's actually a pretty clever thing to do after the first one. Saying the second movie is just a rip off of the first one is not giving it as much credit as it deserves.

[@jp3813]

@@Guile21 Well, I already said that "the hero makes progress w/ each action scene", so we definitely differ in our assessment of that aspect. I'd say the only pointless one is the brief "eye-cicle" fight, ironically enough. I actually thought that the narrative moved faster then the original since the urgency of the situation didn't make much room for casual talks between characters. Which I understand can be seen as a negative since the relationships in the first film are so beloved.

[@Zapp__Brannigan]

Damn, this is a _great_ comment. I really like the second Die Hard and this comment hits on something about it that contributes to _why_ I like it, but that I never really noticed.

[@PAKA62]

The Last Boy Scout is kind of a John McClane movie.

[@Crunch_Buttsteak]

Hudson Hawke too

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

Shane Black made better films...😏

[@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812]

The Last Boy Scout is awesome. It's my favorite Bruce Willis movie.

[@doublep1980]

First Die Hard is an absolute classic and propably one of the greatest action movies of all time,who spawned not only a franchise but also a gazillion rip-offs.(''Under Siege'',''Sudden Death'' etc. etc.) Die Hard 2 is pretty much the same thing,just bigger. Some critics say it's ''uninspired'',that may be the case but goddamned it's a kickass action movie or what?! The showdown,where McLane blows up a fucking Jumbo Jet is just awesome 80's extravaganza at it's best. Die Hard 3 is something completely different,it's basically a buddy-comedy but a goddamn great one.Bruce Willis and Sam Jackson have great chemistry together and humour and violence are perfectly balanced. Die Hard 4 is just a generic,watered down action movie,that tries to copy elements from part 2 & 3 but fails miserably and it's PG-13. Die Hard 5,is just a total dumpsterfire of a movie. Plot doesn't make sense,villain is shit,McLane's son (played by the walking Aussie plank,Jai Courtney) is annoying and uncharismatic and worst of all Bruce Willis looks like he really doesn't give a shit and just wants to get his paycheck. The biggest problem with part 4 & 5 is: they turned McLane from a cynical,blue collar cop,with a heart of gold underneath to a douchebag cartoon-hero.

[@benjameshowden]

"Die Hard is about an everyman without a spectacular past, pulled into a situation he doesn't want to be in." Yes but it gives him a spectacular past! Personally I like the way McClane becomes more ruthless, confident etc over the course of the series... It reflects a natural arc of having busted so many heads. He is a kind of superhero after awhile. How could you have him be an everyman film after film??

[@DSan-kl2yc]

Down to earth and human. It's very possible.

[@frankunodostres473]

I rewatched die hard 4 recently and it's not nearly as bad as I remember it. it's a fine movie especially compared to the abysmal 5th installment. my ranking would be: 1, 3, 2, 4, 5

[@jdxsr85]

This is the only way people can defend the lame 4th movie. Oh it's not as bad as 5, I guess. Lol.

[@frankunodostres473]

@@jdxsr85 tbh not even close to 5. 5 was abysmal, 4 wasn't

[@jdxsr85]

@@frankunodostres473 Sorry, sarcasm doesn't translate well on social media. When I said it's not as bad as 5 I was actually mocking the people who always bring it up when defending the 4th film. Should've used quotation marks because I in no way want to be accused of defending that horrible Live Free or Die Hard which is Die Hard in name only as far as I'm concerned.

[@ThomasTHEONEANDONLY]

I would actually like to see a two-season miniseries where the first season covers The Detective and the sequel season covers Nothing Lasts Forever, both written by Rodrick Thorp. It would be much more faithful adaptions of them.

[@travisspazz1624]

Die Hard Die Hard with a vengeance Live Free or Die Hard (unrated) Die Hard 2 A Good Day to Die Hard

[@JR-ej9up]

4 was pretty good actually. I read the Director wanted Bruce to even hold the gun the same way as earlier movies. The music tried to replicate a lot of ambiance. And the action got alittle crazy with the plane. But kinda reminded me of part 3 with the tunnel scene. Driving the truck. Part 5 killed the franchise very Swifty. !!! Enough Said.

[@maxjones503]

Love the editing effort you put into the background scenery, linking the start of an explosion in one scene to the reaction in another, then an initial fall into the conclusion of one in another, etc.

[@allencampbell3350]

I had to pause it from laughing so hard when I heard Benny's lament at 17:36

[@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE]

The first 3 are just masterclasses in action film making. I wonder if John McTiernan will ever return to form and retake his place as the greatest action film director of all time? He seems to be blacklisted in Hollywood. P.S I like how the "The Predator" theme is playing during that short Bruce Willis interview clip around 5mins in for some reason haha....

[@bernierose719]

AJD OLD CHANNEL ARCHIVE mctiernan is working on a new film with uma Thurman

[@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE]

@@bernierose719 I'll be interested to see how that turns out. He is so good at doing the "macho" thing that having a female lead might not work out, instead being one of these feministic "woman who behaves like a man" flicks that just make your eyes roll into the back of your head.

[@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE]

@Optimus Prime Yeah that'd be great, McClane already must have seen his fair share of action and killings to be able to gun people down without hesitation like he did in Die Hard, so there is plenty of opportunity for tense situations and action set pieces that McTiernan would absolutely excel at. Maybe a bank heist gone wrong situation would be a good set-up, or drug bust.... something relatively low-key but with the potential for firefights and action at it's climax.

[@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE]

@Optimus Prime Haha... maybe he took an interest in architecture as a child/young man, a great film scored by John Williams, starring Paul Newman and Steve McQueen, "The Towering Inferno" has some great setups on crawl space and mechanical areas in large buildings that would make for a killer Die Hard setup. Maybe he had to escape a building like that after a fire/disaster, but I think that'd be too cheesy a setup personally.

[@nossasenhoradoo871]

"John McTiernan will ever return to form and retake his place as the greatest action film director of all time? He seems to be blacklisted in Hollywood." Or perhaps he never existed, it was a made up name. It's not unusual. After all, many actors work under aliases and most politicians do as well! For example, John Major's (former British prime minister) real name was John Ball - and he was (and remains) Jewish!

[@briang9581]

I've never seen Die Hard 5. I just can't have my heart broken, again. If Die Hard 6 was to be made they would need to change it up. Have McClane be the guy on the radio talking to a new character (not Jack) seemingly trapped and on his own in an overtaken building. At a Pivotal part, when all seems lost for our new character, McClane reluctantly goes into the building for the assist. Plot Twist: The new guy is in fact Hans Gruber Jr. and has lured John into a trap that is also... wait for it.... a robbery. [dramatic music]

[@BirdsElopeWithTheSun09]

1. Die Hard (10/10) 2. Die Hard 3 (9/10) 3. Die Hard 4 (7/10) 4. Die Hard 2 (7/10) 5. Die Hard 5 (2/10)

[@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE]

4 over 2? You've gotta be crazy ;)

[@lars9925]

​@@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE 2 is just a cash grab trying to copy the first one. 4 is quite good.

[@Disconnect350]

@@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE 4 is better. 2 felt too rushed.

[@Vimes86]

The same for me

[@mrcritical6751]

4 at least tries to be unique and plays in to John’s complete obliviousness to advanced technology as seen in the first movie as well as that the buddy cop relationship between John and Farrell was funny and a nice new interpretation of the buddy cop dynamic he had with Zeus in the third film (better than his relationship with Jack in the fifth film that’s for sure). Die Hard 2 is entertaining and fun but if I’m gonna watch a Die Hard movie it’s gonna be the first or the third one I only really watch Die Hard 2 around Christmas to go alongside a viewing of Die Hard

[@bojankotur4613]

Please, no more Die Hard movies. They screwed it up enough.

[@MrFacepunch33]

I’m a defender of 4, though your criticisms are spot on and it doesn’t come even close to 1 or 3. I would put it over 2 though, that movie just felt so off to me. And those are all the die hard movies that were ever made. Just four movies. Yes sir.

[@Rossatron]

I do say 4 is a decent enough if forgettable action film for me, where it falls down mainly is in how McClane is treated as a character within it. I'd probably prefer it if it had stayed as an original film instead of being adapted into a Die Hard sequel.

[@Dragonlochd0815]

Thank you so much for this, and of course for your love for action movies. This channel needs way more views.

[@kirkanam]

I really appreciate your editing. Most people would just slap random footage in the background. You take time to make sure they flow. Great stuff, man.

[@davidriley354]

You think 2 is better than 3? 3 felt so natural for the character. The marriage falling apart felt inevitable. The fact that he's smart but not a genius played well in the film and gave a brilliant reason for there to be an Al Powell replacement in Zeus. Zeus himself was clearly a well read man with issues of his own he had to get through (A brilliant arc), and I feel like he was a marvellous counterpoint to John's character. For me, 2 was highly forgettable. There were great moments, but the complete lack of having anyone on his side and for John to riff with lost all the charm of the first film that I feel could only have worked because of the heartfelt moments. If the order of quality for you is 1,2,3,4,5, it is poetic but 3, for me is a much stronger movie than 2. Loved the video by the way. Still baffled by your sound choices but your channel has been one of my favourites since I discovered it last year.

[@fundhund62]

3 was just a generic action flick. They probably should have released it outside of the Die Hard franchise, like they did with films like Last Boy Scout or Hostage. It didn´t feel like a Die Hard movie, and the character also didn´t really feel like McClane. Him chasing down the bad guys after surviving the boat explosion felt pretty out of character. Why would he even get involved? Let the pros handle it, and just call Holly back ;) To my mind, for all its flaws 2 is the only proper sequel to date.

[@Zapp__Brannigan]

@@fundhund62 What this guy said. Three, and every subsequent movie, was too much an "action hero" film and not a "regular guy" film.

[@smaragdchaos]

3 was a very underwhelming movie, with very bad and ambitious motives behind it. If it had existed outside of the Die Hard franchise, it would have been fine, but as a part of the Die Hard franchise it's just so out of place. The marriage falling apart was pretty ridiculous to me, considering John and Holly seemed quite capable of fixing issues in their marriage as shown in the previous films. John McClane went from this witty and deadly, yet also relatable cop to practically a superhero solving international issues that the likes of FBI, CIA etc should be solving instead, especially since Simon Gruber was detonating explosives throughout an entire city and looted the federal reserves... I mean, c'mon. The motivation behind John McClane and Zeus working together was very weak also. Too much talking, too little action, dissatisfying ending, and John McClane involving himself in matters that he shouldn't involve himself in, that's probably the best way to summarize Die Hard 3. Die Hard 2 is the only real sequel to the first movie, in spite of its flaws. Even if it was a bit ambitious at times, at least it mostly stayed down to earth and preserved most of the core values presented in the first movie. Die Hard 3 is what started the downward spiral that deeply plagues Die Hard 4 and 5

[@Zapp__Brannigan]

@@smaragdchaos Could not have put it better myself.

[@matthewgaudet4064]

Disney Die Hard is something fans don't want. Any more than a recast or reboot.

[@mediascissor2989]

Great analysis. Time to do the same for Rambo pretty soon.

[@scottpepper7028]

First blood is class and Rambo 4,but 2 and 3 are shit. Well looking forward to last blood

[@metalgrinch]

One of the biggest problems was Bruce Willis getting such an inflated ego over the years. So much that he stopped caring and phoning in all his performances.

[@nosidezero]

Your editing is great as always, Rossatron, and the cut at 11:20 definitely takes the cake for this video.

[@thehitherto5348]

Honestly, I only like the first one. Absolute action classic. Second one was entertaining, sure, but too much of a carbon copy. For the life of me, I cannot understand why the third one is so popular - far too much ridiculous stuff going on there. The less said about 4 the better.

[@fortworths]

You know what I like about your videos? You make me re-evaluate the films I've known for years in a different light. Excellent stuff.

[@tonyfknb3896]

Die Hard 1 he saves a building Die Hard 2 he saves an air port Die Hard 3 he saves a city Die Hard 4 he saves the U.S Die Hard 5 he saves the World Lol that escalated quickly...bigger, bigger, bigger.

[@ihavetubes]

When they explain everything to death and leave nothing for interpretation is what killed aliens. Great video

[@GRORGvideot]

I must say this was a great analysis of the series. Having seen 4 and 5 (the latter in a theater even) it was sad to watch how they ruined it. As a kid I was a huge fan of Willis, but in the newest DH movies it seems that Willis is just playing himself, maybe that also contributed to the character losing its soul. This might seem goofy, but I sometimes like to pretend 4 and 5 don't exist at all and that the Last Boy Scout and Hostage instead were the 4 and 5 continuations for McClane..

[@Spunney]

This is a really good critique! But I feel like one of the things you take issue with also happens in the second and third films (although to a much lesser extent), both towards their endings. In Die Hard 2, it's not really obvious why McClane jumped onto the plane, at least not to me. Now that the terrorists have what they want, the aiport staff are probably set to get some emergency lighting for the planes to safely land, so it really kind feels pointless. I get that the fire from the explosion helped the other planes land, but it doesn't even remotely seem like that was the plan. I think he even says something about "just not wanting to lose" which felt really detached from his character since that has never been one of his motivations before this point. The third film has sorta the same thing going on, the evil dudes essentially win and get away with it, and then he personally decides to give them a visit after everyone's safe. Of course I get why, he's a cop and that's his job and it's not like he went alone, but even if it make logical sense in-universe, it still felt really strange to me in the film because it felt detached from the spirit of the franchise. I think the reasons why those two endings ended up the way they did was that they couldn't think of a good motivation for the McClane to end the final arc of the film without just completely rehashing the first movie, but I really think they could've done a better job. Both of those endings feel kinda hollow to me, even if they're pretty spectacular. I think the alternate ending for the third film was very interesting. It's implied that McClane has gone a little mad from his life falling apart in addition to having been successfully toyed with by the villain, and so he takes him out with an ironic game of his own. It's dark and he still goes out of his way to do it, much more so than final ending even because he states that he's been fired from the police force, but I think it still feels cooler because of the aforementioned implication of him losing his mind a little bit which takes the character to an interesting place.

[@harleyx7332]

One person disliked your vid by mistake Rossatron - you put out nothing but hits!

[@P3t3rminator]

I like how The Raid and Dredd took part of the Die Hard formula and made excellent Action movies in their own way. Shows you that you don't necessarily have to go bigger to explore the same themes. For me that was a big Problem with 3, 4 and 5. The felt the need to go bigger every time and it didn't work out that well to various degrees. I'd still want to see the Die Hard movie one guy pitched in a full page add in an LA newspaper. The plot circled around John having to book himself into a South American Prison to get some information and then there was a revolt (I think). That would bring the character back into the better suited claustrophobic setting. Great Video and Keep up the superb work.Would be fun if you explored some lesser Action stars and why they dissappeared. I'm Always curious about what went down with Michael Dudikoff :)

[@asiamatron]

Yeah, I like the simplicity of Die Hard 1 and 2. It's also nice how Dredd and The Raid used that part of the formula as well. It's a set up that adds tension because we know the good guys are trapped in a location with the bad guys.

[@navylaks2]

The first die hard was losely based upon a book called Nothing Lasts forever

[@susanhillwig5784]

And Die Hard 2 is loosely based on a novel called 88 Minutes. I've read both, and the movies only lift about half of the material from each.

[@jerryjazzbo2845]

Having Alan Rickman as a villain was a very hard act to follow.

[@vojinvmilojkovic7622]

That moment when you understand more the character, then the people that are making the movies "about him" Great video Ros, glad i turned the notification bell, totally worth it ♥

[@Dude-oh8vq]

PG-13 and bad directors is what killed the series. Renny Harlin made one of his best films with Die Hard 2, but McTiernan has always been the best director, and his absence is another reason why we've yet to get another good installment. Get a director like McTiernan back, write a good script, film it with a legit old school R rating (Practical FX/squibs/real explosions and stunts), shoot on film, give it a budget of 75 million, and have good villains and McClane mostly on his own again. Wouldn't mind it being set back in Los Angeles, almost like a fitting end to have it set back where it all began. Kamen's music should be re-used in places, with a new composer mimicking his style for the other areas of the film. Of course, Bruce needs to be on his game as well... Love the guy, but he wasn't really McClane in 4 and 5.

[@Guile21]

As removed from the Die Hard franchise it is, and as generic it may seem for an action movie overall... I always thought that from a logistical/directing standpoint, Die Hard 4's action scenes are way over average. The movie itself isn't that exciting, lacking a lot of likable characters... but the action scenes are wonderfully shot. The first time I saw it, there was some editing choices that I thought were clever, and some framing are amazing. The second time I watched it, I just watched the action set pieces, and payed good attention on how they were shot. There's a lot of logic editing makig the most chaotic sequences flow really smoothly (I love how every new setting has a reaction shot leading to a establishing shot... like the ones when they get in the tunnel). There's a really good sense of control and spatial knowledge on every action scene. I get the movie isn't that great, and it's not much of a Die Hard by this point (the PG13 doesn't help)... but I think the action crafting in it is really underatted because of that. That movie should not have been a Die Hard, and the franchise should have ended at the third one. But man, It's more than decent. And for an over the top action movie, it's polished as hell.

[@Guile21]

The example : kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5DZaH55eM-rkKs How the helicopter is introduced in the roll around shot. The establishing shot of the tunnel entry. Justin long character pointing at it. The drift to go down to it. The shot with the helicopter in the frame shooting them as they go down the ramp. That's just an example of what the movie does constantly.

[@Neurodivergent-j1f]

I was at a 30th anniversary screening of Die Hard 1 with a Q/A after, and the writer of the first two films said they are the true Die Hard films because of the "one man in an isolated environment and limited help against the odds" aspect.

[@SMaddox50]

Keep killing it with the videos! Clicked on this as soon as the notification came up. So stoked.

[@Protoman85]

The only thing I liked about 5 was how the villains motives looked political but was actually about a heist, everything else just wasn't Die Hard. I do like 4 however, and as much as I would like to see him live happily ever after, I think the degradation of his family life makes sense.

[@Kujakuseki01]

lol @ Hans falling put with the titlecard. Loved that.

[@gridlo]

Michael Scott on Die Hard: "You know what, here's the thing about Die Hard 4. Die Hard one, the original, John McClane was just this normal guy. You know, he's just a normal New York City cop, who gets his feet cut, and gets beat up. But he's an everyday guy. In Die Hard 4, he is jumping a motorcycle into a helicopter."

[@lars9925]

1. Die Hard 3 2. Die Hard 1 3. Die Hard 4 4. Die Hard 2 ... 99. Nothing ... 999. Die Hard 5

[@BigCountryGeorge2]

The way you cut between the shots is fantastic. Clearly so much effort goes into editing these videos. Great work!

[@Rossatron]

I do try and do something a little different with them, glad people like it

[@1bottlejackdaniels]

Bruce, Alan and Ludwig ...shit gets real at the Nakatomi Plaza! man, i miss John McTiernan...

[@Foomandoonian]

Well, he's out of prison and making a new film at 68! Careful what you wish for...

[@kaggykarr]

That car chase scene in fifth movie constantly cuts between actual Moscow and Budapest and the geography is all over the place. I guess that even if you're unfamiliar with these cities your brain still can notice that's something is off, hence why it's so frantic. For counter example Bourne Supremacy did some geography tricks also (and almost every movie does I think), but you had to be a muscovite to notice them, the film didn't cut on the fly between two different countries, and, while that movie was a pinnacle of shaky cam technique, the end result was a pretty badass action piece. Also I have a theory that Skip Woods didn't actually writes screenplays, he just lets Hollywood use his name for the cases when there are no screenplay, just some basic outline and director with his crew improvises it on the fly. Kind of like Alan Smithee for screenwriters. He is credited for Wolverine Origins and two Hitman movies on top of fifth Die Hard after all. But hey, that's just a theory..

[@metalgrinch]

3 was definitely better than 2. It pumped up the "adventure" aspect of the "action/ adventure" genre and made it fun as hell thanks to the chemistry between Sam Jackson and Bruce Willis. The ending came too fast and his wife should have been in it, though.

[@lennynero635]

While I do agree that Vengeance serves as a perfect counterpoint to the original I still like Die Harder a lot. Of course it is - to some extent - a copy of the original but I for me that works for the movie and against it at the same time. I usually do not appreciate it if the sequel is too close to the original when it comes to the plot/structure (that is the hardest part of making a good sequel: Make the sequel too different people wonder what it has got to do with the original, make it too close and people wonder why they should pay to see the same movie again.) However, in this case I felt that Die Harder is the last "real" Die Hard movie for a number of reasons: McClane is on his own, nobody believes him at first, tone and atmosphere are reminiscent of the first installment, the emotional component of saving his wife's life and the whole action takes place in a contained environment. Vengeance continues the story from the first movie (and does not feel as contrived as Die Harder in that respect) but to me it never really felt like a Die Hard movie. some might argue that Die Harder is too close to the original others (me included) might argue Vengeance strays too far away from what constitutes a Die Hard movie. Don't get me wrong: I like Vengeance as an action movie and it is part of my Bluray collection but I always preferred Die Hard 2. I guess it is time to watch Vengeance again and see if my opinion will change but for now I will defend Die Hard 2 as my second favorite Die Hard movie (There are only three Die Hard movies!).

[@asiamatron]

3 is a good film and it's good fun. But it doesn't have some of the things I liked in the first two films: it doesn't have one man dealing with the bad guys mainly in one location. It also doesn't have Holly.

[@floijd]

A very good friend of mine had this to say about the fifth film: They only made it, to make the 4th one look not quite as bad.

[@Geronimo_Jehoshaphat]

With A Vengence is better than Die Harder. Live Free is probably better than Harder too... yeah, actually it is. 01. Die Hard 02. Die Hard With A Vengence 03. Live Free or Die Hard 04. Die Hard 2: Die Harder 50. Good Day To Die Hard.

[@Geronimo_Jehoshaphat]

@ANTMAN Die Harder is very enjoyable, but it's also completely a knockoff of the first film with blatant plot holes abounding and very poorly contrived coincidences. With A Vengeance is a much smarter premise with a more plausible reason for dragging John McCkain back into a fray he doesn't want to be in. Original director John McTiernan returned with his virtuoso action and scene fluidity. Plus, Bruce Willis and Sam Jackson played perfectly off each other in equal parts antagonism and rapport. It's a great movie ya damn Philistine!

[@Geronimo_Jehoshaphat]

@ANTMAN Don't forget John and Holly always had a volatile relationship - they essentially reuniting for the benefit of their kid's holiday after being split for some months in the first movie too. Obviously we can infer that they have some differences relating to her independent career ambitions that evenually came back up and proved irreconcilable for that period of their lives. However, there is still a desire on both their parts to work it out, which is evident by John finally deciding to make the hard phone call back to reconciliation at the end because he recognizes they still have something worth fixing together. That's true to their strongheaded characters and also poignantly realistic. Anytime the idea that a good thing turned wrong can be course corrected and redeemed for its inherent value - well, that's a very powerful epiphany about the sentient volition's capacity for sacrificial compassion. Without Holly even making an appearance in WAV, her presence is felt and reverberates stronger in John's character than in the entirety of her plight on the plane in the second film. Because in WAV you see firsthand the mess that John is without Holly, and you know he needs to swallow his pride and get her back at whatever cost.

[@Geronimo_Jehoshaphat]

@ANTMAN Glad you asked. I think I can conjure some equivalent of an adequate answer, if you'll bear the verbage spew. Probably people that appreciate the necessary delimma inherent for good drama to have an enthralling arc worth seeing develope, and identify with the realities of life long relationship struggles more deeply than having an afinity for Leave It To Beaver blissful mundanity. To challenge a person's capacity for virtue through chaos - to weigh the utility worth of pitying, delighting or rebuking what the nature of wrong may in fact even be - is the most essential element in all expression of truely engaging art. Art happens when its effect upon the witness is to invite space for cognizant scrutiny of their own human frailty to begin accepting the enigmatic burden of sentient volition as opportunity for honing empathies of sacrificial satisfaction from existential angst. Once you know that, you can see that Marvel - while long on movie spectical - is very short on Cinema as the craft's representive of Art. Because more often than not a posed solution in slogan is readily at hand for perfect righteousness against evil, rather than ever a wonder why. So it's very base idealism then, instead of earned ethos. Which carries very little value to addressing how morality is recognized within the morass of negotiating actual life. It's just this empty calorie caricature coasting on a thematic principal too scared to admit confusion or exclusion by dissection. Just as Mr. Scorsese deftly alluded.

[@lifecycles9861]

I didnt know six years that die hard 5 exists, I miss those times.

[@danielchapter70128]

5:15, why are they playing the Predator score over a Bruce Willis interview lol

[@canyonfox45thisismygoodsid68]

I got to watch DieHard at a drive-in when It came out. I was 3 or 4 then.So when it premiered on HBO my parents took me to one of their friends who had just gotten an HBO subscription.The viewing party was as big of an event as the superbowl.lots of food, drink's and people who hadn't seen DieHard. Everyone all huddled around a 32in top of the line tv for the time.which could also have been used for a boat anchor. I have find memories of the first film.also watched, with a vengeance,at a giant theatre the day came out.my mom took me out of school that day so we could go and watch it.Just the best times growing up!

[@BillykOTW]

Bro the editing on this video is CRAZY!!

[@chainfire]

I respectfully disagree with some of your points. I actually loved Live Free, and thought the 3rd was close to on par with the original, although different. Live Free got major backlash for dropping the R-rating, but was actually super creative for its time. It influenced copycats like Bond and Mission Impossible adopting parkour and martial arts into their action choreography. The shift into cyber terrorism on home soil was ambitious and well executed. Your analysis puts a lot of your own reading of the first movie, your feelings and interpretation, to give it validation. Yet also criticizes the other films for not being the same thing. I’d counter argue that the new relationship dynamics McClane has to navigate in 3-4 gives the character depth. Jackson and Long’s characters are remarkably fleshed out and at odds with John’s ideology of the world he needs to overcome for character growth. However I 100% agree that the fifth movie is inexcusable. It’s obviously helmed by industry hacks and should never have been greenlit. I laughed so loud when they introduced radiation vacuums as a Deus Ex

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

17:38 - is that a secret audio Easter egg from Total Recall? ;)

[@yacayou]

Yeah. You beat me to it.

[@SomePotato]

You are one of the few people who agree with me and put 2 over 3. You have taste. ;) And if they went back to the roots with part 6, I'd be all for it. I wouldn't put my money on it though.

[@irina1296]

Fans overrate Die Hard 3 to the point of delusion. Die Hard 2 was much better and I like Die Hard 4 as much as the 3rd film

[@RS-do1of]

Respectfully disagree. Loved Die Hard. 2 and 3 were both good. 3 tried something different and it largely worked. The teaming up with Samuel L was good. Dialogue popped. The setting in McLean’s own New York was inspired. Like a mini road movie. Only downer was a rushed ending. But McLean’s character was still on point. 4th and 5th are excrement. That ridiculous flying a car into the helicopter. The ‘struggle’ on the F35- just silly. I’m not deluded and 3 can’t match the concept of the first but it was a good flick. I genuinely enjoyed it when seeing it in the cinema back in the 90’s.

[@lukeschroter2333]

I respectfully disagree I think that die hard 3 was so much fun it felt like a lethal weapon and McLain and Jackson were Riggs and murtauge

[@amazinmets8439]

The supporting cast and plot in Die Hard 2 were weak. The guy from NYPD Blue? The guy from Good Times? TV actors not meant to be in a big budget movie. Die Hard 3 had a better plot and better supporting cast. Samuel L. Jackson was terrific as well as Jeremy Irons and it connected to Part 1 better with the whole brother of Heinz angle. Taking place in New York was also bad ass. I much prefer 3 over 2.

[@RS-do1of]

ANTMAN the New York location and separation was consistent with the first film where the geography and her career had caused friction. Don’t see the problem there. It had to change the formula to avoid being formulaic. Die hard on a ship, on a plane etc had all been done. I agree some plot elements were odd but look at the ridiculous coincidence of die hard 2. There had to be a villain who had it in for McClane. I take the point- did Simon need him or was he just a distraction- the alternative ending made a lot more sense in that respect. But the set pieces (except for the end) were good. The action was good. Bruce wasn’t unlikeable in my view.

[@scottpepper7028]

Jeremy irons killed diehard 3 and that crap ending.

[@speeta]

Having been based on a novel helped the first film avoid some of the contrivances and plot holes riddled through the sequels. I stopped watching with # 3. This analysis brings up the point of an IP being diminished through repetition (a pattern most recognizable with the progression of The Planet Of The Apes and its four sequels released within the span of 5 years). This is especially true of horror. A terror revisited and repeatedly vanquished stops being very scary any more. I agree with the sentiment that some IPs are better off left at just a very few good films and not studio-branded as an open-ended "franchise" to keep milking until it sours.

[@brettthebest3978]

Look if u like the later movies or the early but we all agree one thing DIE HARD IS THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!!

[@jmanjman2685]

You can honestly better call this: ''the fall of Bruce Willis''. It has been known that Bruce and many other major action movie stars have written in their contracts that they basically can't be seen as losing a fight. They have to keep up this action hero persona as larger then live hero. Bruce has also been known to be more and more difficult to work with in movies. He in a sort of way convinced himself that he has to keep John McClain as this hero badass when in reality he should be a average down to earth guy who rises to become a hero.

[@monkeysgalore4264]

Jman Jman He may win fights, but not before getting the crap beaten out of him. He almost lost to Karl in the first one, he actually did get beaten in the final fight of 2, but still blew up the plane, and he almost lost the fight on the boat in 3 until he grabbed the chain, and he did lose the fight in 4, having to ram his opponent with a car.

[@RizZy28]

1 & 2 great, 3 good, 4 & 5 no idea, never seen em, great trilogy.

[@DarKKnightt07]

The Bruce Willis in the late 80's ain't same Bruce Willis now. He changed so much since then I don't think he will ever do another Die Hard movie.

[@Soydrinker999]

Die Hard 3 is the Resident Evil 4 of Die Hards

[@kalkella8822]

Game or movie? Cause the game although a huge departure in tone was still balls out awesome.

[@OMGmyFACE]

If you mean the game RE4, then yeah, Die Hard With a Vengeance was so much fun.

[@lukewright9031]

I was today years old learning that Die Hard 2 had a teaser trailer and it looks fantastic 😃

[@footbroke]

Die Hard 3 should have been Die Hard 2 and they should've stopped there. Die Hard 3 actually feels like a proper sequel since it has ties to the first instead of having McClane coincidentally get involved in yet another action movie. It also does the first justice as instead of being trapped in a building and forced into being the hero, he's in a big city yet forced against his will into getting involved. It really should've been the second movie.

[@lennynero635]

While I do agree that Vengeance serves as a perfect counterpoint to the original I still like Die Harder a lot. Of course it is - to some extent - a copy of the original but I for me that works for the movie and against it at the same time. I usually do not appreciate it if the sequel is too close to the original when it comes to the plot/structure (that is the hardest part of making a good sequel: Make the sequel too different people wonder what it has got to do with the original, make it too close and people wonder why they should pay to see the same movie again.) However, in this case I felt that Die Harder is the last "real" Die Hard movie for a number of reasons: McClane is on his own, nobody believes him at first, tone and atmosphere are reminiscent of the first installment, the emotional component of saving his wife's life and the whole action takes place in a contained environment. Vengeance continues the story from the first movie (and does not feel as contrived as Die Harder in that respect) but to me it never really felt like a Die Hard movie. some might argue that Die Harder is too close to the original others (me included) might argue Vengeance strays too far away from what constitutes a Die Hard movie. Don't get me wrong: I like Vengeance as an action movie and it is part of my Bluray collection but I always preferred Die Hard 2. I guess it is time to watch Vengeance again and see if my opinion will change but for now I will defend Die Hard 2 as my second favorite Die Hard movie (There are only three Die Hard movies!).

[@asiamatron]

@@lennynero635 I feel the same way. Die Hard 2 retains more of the things that made the first movie so entertaining in my opinion.

[@asiamatron]

@ANTMAN :-)

[@amazinmets8439]

I couldn't agree more about 3 feeling more like a sequel than 2. Die Hard 2 felt like some weird dream McClane had while he was asleep on an airplane. Die Hard 3 takes place in New York where McClane is from, has a much better supporting cast, and better plot that's not a rehash of the 1st Die Hard. Die Hard 2 is just a ca$h grab rehash of the original while Die Hard 3 is a great action movie but different than the 1st one.

[@DoubleThinkTwice]

For me, it's pretty simple: The first movie was a book adaptation. The reason it was good, was because the author had sat down, thought about how to construct the scenes, then wrote it into a story. Later, that got refined into a script, but that refinement, plus John McTiernan's direction, is what made it shine so much. The second movie just tried to one-up it all, but they had neither the time to refine the story nor to change much about the character. And from then on, the franchise became more and more unhinged and removed, because suddenly they had the time and money at their hands to really mess it up. I genuinely believe that having too much budget is bad for movies, because they tend to get so unfocused over what they *can* do rather than what they *should* do.

[@Rossatron]

It's actually funny you say that as Die Hard 2 is also based on a book, 58 Minutes. Three and Four were based on pre-existing scripts rewritten as Die Hard stories. The fifth is the only really 'original' Die Hard screenplay.

[@DoubleThinkTwice]

@@Rossatron Oh, I didn't know that the second one was based on a book as well. Thanks for pointing that out.

[@matane2465]

At least Nick Fury is a better sidekick than Apple guy and Captain Boomerang.

[@taiwilson8966]

"don't fuck wit me or I shove a lightning bolt up yo ass, Zeus.....u got problem wit that!" - iconic line lol.

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

The novel John McClane was a retired NYPD detective with a Browning Hi Power 9x19mm. He was in a 🏢 xmas party with his adult daughter, not his ex wife.

[@susanhillwig5784]

And in the book the second movie is based on (88 Minutes), it's not his wife on the plane, it's his young daughter.

[@Restless_Hermit80]

The third Die Hard is just a different movie than the first. And it's good, except the ending imo. The movies that came after were again different movies, and they are shit. 1. Die Hard 2. Die Hard with a Vengeance 3. Die Hard 2.

[@kforcer]

I actually found the relationship between the guy from the Apple commercials and McClane in Live Free or Die Hard pretty moving. The way McClane told him at the end, "That's why you're that guy," and gently laughed when the kid talked about having some wheezing issues got to me for some reason. I felt like there was something compelling about the way the 'I'm a Mac' guy grew as the movie went on and more so, how McClane came to care about him and perhaps even sort of brought the best out of him. It was a ""two guys from different worlds" relationship that really worked for me. Maybe part of it was that I really bought into the 'I'm a Mac' commercials guy's unease and fear with the situation he found himself in. So when he found it within himself to rise above it on some level with McClane's help, it really meant something.

[@shadowdramon01]

Not gonna lie, I know a lot of people consider “Live Free” to be the beginning of the end for the franchise, and a crap film because of how invincible McClane is made to be and the lack of an R-Rating, but it’s the first Die Hard I saw in theatres and I saw it Labor Day weekend back-to-back with the ‘07 Transformers movie and had a blast the whole time with both films, so I can’t bring myself to hate it. In fact, it’s one of my favorite action movies of all time.

[@lennynero635]

I am one of them ;-)

[@sblinder1978]

Bruce convincing a producer to get onboard with some Kevin Smith-rewritten lines: "Let me ask you a question - who's your second choice to play John McClane?"

[@BradderzSG]

Die Hard 5 is not a Die Hard film, but to say I didn’t have fun watching it would be lieing.

[@grandmmarnazi6030]

You mean "lying"

[@Geronimo_Jehoshaphat]

There is nothing to enjoy with that crap. Not one thing.

[@Vanessinha91Pucca]

I too love Alien as a stand alone movie.I like Aliens and i really like Alien³.But i don't think we need Sequel to many movies. Such as the Matrix, for me it is a stand alone film or Rambo.BUT... Die Hard for me, was kind of OK to expand up untill the 3rd movie. More than that is just milking there is only so much people can go with.

[@vhsguru1953]

Really sad what happened to the Die Hard Franchise. So go dahell out and watch the real deal next weekend ! Rambo is coming...

[@chrisbrandt6245]

Rambooooo

[@metalmalty3406]

Rambo V : Die Harder

[@twinsisters1073]

RAMBO VI - A Good Day for Sly's Fart

[@EuryBartleby]

I'll say one thing about the last Die Hard: the weapons sounded amazing in the theatre. I went to an IMAX showing, so I don't know if that helped, or if the sound work was already good. But man, some scenes sounded good on a ''Heat'' level.