The Inevitable Downfall of Die Hard

The first Die Hard movie is a near perfect film. Everything about the story, characters, and plot are well crafted and deliver on everything set up. Though as Die Hard sequels kept being produced, each iteration seemed further and further away from what the original Die Hard created. But how exactly did the Die Hard franchise crash and burn this badly?

#diehard #brucewillis #nerdstalgic

Written by Adam Smith
Edited by Nick Murphy

[trinaq]

My condolences go out to Bruce Willis and his family following his dementia diagnosis. While I'll miss seeing him on screen, his health ultimately comes first, and I hope that he continues to stay strong.

[FinancialShinanigan]

Sad when actors that defined our childhood are in poor health, best wishes for Bruce and his family

[uncletrick]

The Die Hard series had the same fate as the Rambo series. Both started out with the hero not looking for a fight yet rising to the occasion when they found themselves in one and then turned those same heroes into invincible killers.

[roberttreacy]

Fun fact: At one point, 20th Century Fox was considering doing a crossover movie with Die Hard and the TV show 24 entitled Die Hard 24/7. However, the idea was abandoned after negotiations with Kiefer Sutherland soured.

[billyrigby]

Die Hard With a Vengence is one of my favorite action movies, it's funny, has a great story, and amazing action pieces. So I don't know, A Good Day to Die Hard wasn't great, but the others are decent.

[ComedyBros]

These movies fell off for me after the 3rd one with Sam Jackson.
A franchise that seemingly gets better with each entry is definitely the Mission Impossible series. They're simply incredible.
An honorable mention would also be the "Planet of the Apes" reboot series.

[zenquantum]

If you want a realistic sequel to the original, put it on a double bill with Willis's "16 Blocks", which is what you can imagine happening to a real burned-out New York cop. It's like McClaine returned home and the world just forgot about him saving a building full of people.

The 1988 original is by far the best. It's a classic that will stand long after the sequels fall from memory.

[blairmcauley]

It’s so sad to hear what happened to Bruce Willis I just hope he’s okay. He gave us one the most iconic film heroes ever

[Negajoe]

1:43 - A blonde babe leaping into the arms of a studly jock (the hero) at the airport is a perfect kicking off point for an action movie of the 80's. So I just realized that this may have been a subtle message to the viewers that by having this scene in the background that John is not your typical 80's action hero.

[AshPrimeDCFC]

Loved all four films. The fourth was a very modern take on the genre as well. And yes, there are only four films.

[Locadel]

Die hard 4 is actually so fun, enjoyable and has some excellent sequences. Also Justin long wasnt bad and has some human moments. I am gonna miss Bruce Willis

[nikunjdixit]

I genuinely love Live Free or Die Hard. Its a terrific, fast paced, action movie. I loved the concept of an analog John McClane going up against high tech villains. Maggie Q was badass. Justin Long was pretty good. Sure, some the set pieces were a bit over the top but it was still a lot of fun. DH5 is the real terrible one.

[steve_santiago]

Die Hard is arguably the greatest action hero movie ever

[Malconeous]

Thanks for all the good times Mr. Willis. I hope your suffering is minimal and you get to pass easy into the great beyond.

[lionheart]

Sad that Bruce had to quit acting due to his health, but he will forever remain as one of the best action heroes from movies. I love Die Hard and even if it's a bit "lesser", I love The 5th Element even more.

[bluecollartradesman]

The original Die Hard is the best film of the franchise and one of the best action (and Christmas) films of all time.

The main character is relatable and vulnerable. John had a fear of flying, John thought he was going to die when picking glass out of his feet. The humour was great and the supporting characters Holly, Ellis, Al, Dwayne, Argyle and Richard were fantastic. Loved them or hated them, all of which were well rounded and had depth.

Another reason the original was so awesome was because of the Villain. Hans Gruber is arguably the best movie villain of all time. Hans is sophisticated and intelligent. Hans deduced the best place to transmit was the roof. Hans noticed Holly looking at the photo (fortunately the photo with John was facing down). Hans noticed and remembered that John was barefoot and instructed Karl to shoot the glass.

The attention to detail was insane. The fists with your toes, feet smaller then my sister, better then getting caught with my pants down, shoot the glass right down to a limp and rag. The rollex watch in the beginning and end. Al’s story about shooting a kid and can’t bring himself to draw his gun again, to drawing his gun to save McClane. Virtually every scene has meaning and is paid off.

With each sequel McClane became less vulnerable and less relatable. McClane became the unstoppable action hero. The sequels lacked a great villain.

I will say the chemistry between Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson was great. As unrealistic as it was Live Free or Die Hard was entertaining. I prefer to pretend that A Good Day To Die Hard never happened.

It’s a shame that Fox/Disney didn’t green light the final Die Hard that Willis had hoped for prior to his retirement/aphasia diagnosis.

Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. Unfortunately Bruce probably won’t be with us for much longer. The time that he has left most likely won’t be pleasant. Hopefully Bruce Willis’s final days are happy.

[suciolocopopono]

Bruce Willis was recently diagnosed with dementia. Thank you for all your movies 🙏🏼🙏🏼!

[robbiefl]

Die Hard was always a weird franchise to me. Obviously the first one was a classic, the second one was OK but disappointing, the 3rd was pretty good and even the 4th was surprisingly great. But the 5th really dropped the ball and was just so bad. And it was a shame considering how good 3 of the films in the franchise were

[SuperChocolateCocoaBear]

Die Hard with a Vengeance is one of my favorite movies.

[phatalphd]

Die hard with a vengeance has a soft spot on my heart. I love that movie. Probably my 2nd favorite in the franchise