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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Originally Posted by rennervision
(Post 10637158)
Not sure what there is to defend about DH2. By all accounts, even the franchise itself pretends like it doesn't exist. When the third one begins, McClane is once again a broken-down loser cop in NYC and separated from his wife, completely erasing the events of the prior film. (And the omission of a "3" in the title seems deliberate to me.)
DH2 depicting him as an upstanding L.A. cop (after the great first impression he made with the police chief in the first movie!) seems very out of place. And Holly once again becoming a hostage in a terrorist plot on Christmas Eve with the same news reporter on board the plane really stretches suspension of disbelief. The fact that the movie would have been over in 5 minutes if all the planes were diverted to another airport makes me think McClane had a booze-induced dream. |
Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
When I reviewed the Die Hard collection for the site, this was what I wrote about Die Hard 2:
I know that Die Hard 2 has its supporters. It is nice and comforting to see McClane and the gang back again, but let's face it: This flick is a steaming pile of crap. This shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone who bothers to notice that the director was Renny Harlin. Harlin, a thoroughly mediocre director, had no clue what made the first film so successful, and is completely unable to replicate any of the visceral achievements that McTiernan pulled off so well. First, the good. Bruce Willis plays John McClane. That's it. That's the only reason to watch the movie. Annoyingly, in an attempt to make McClane even more likable to audiences, Willis softens the role, making McClane more of a jokester, and whining about Holly endlessly. Yes, her life is in danger, but it was also in danger the last time around, and McClane was much more hard edged about things. So even the version of McClane that we get in Die Hard 2 isn't as satisfying as in the other entries. The airport location also does not lend itself to the kind of close quarters combat that the first film had. Despite being a building, an airport is massive and sprawling. McClane is all over the place, frequently outside, and it's not interesting. Harlin tries to find ways to get McClane into more confined areas, using the flimsiest of excuses to shove him into air ducts and elevator shafts, all to no good effect. The action is more loud than kinetic, and even on a visual level the movie lacks character. Gone are Jan de Bont's dynamic lighting schemes, replaced with flat and flaccid compositions that offer no sense of atmosphere. The villains are the most faceless in the entire series (and yes, that includes Timothy Olyphant's monotone Thomas Gabriel in the fourth film). Even worse, Bonnie, an essential character in the first film, is shoved onto a plane to participate in a 100% useless subplot that does nothing but take away the focus from the few bits of tension Harlin was able to tape together. It ruins whatever pacing the film had, and goes nowhere but to the punchline of a bad joke. There's a scene in Die Hard 2 where McClane says to himself, "How does the same shit happen to the same guy twice?" It's a question the audience will find themselves asking the entire time they watch the movie. Harlin doesn't have the talent or imagination to make a passable action picture, let alone something that could stand up against the triumph of the first film. It's not even fun in a "so bad it's good" kind of way, because the production values are too high. Just a miserable failure all around. |
Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Fuck. Die Hard 3 is like the bees knees of action flicks to me. I thought that everyone loved that movie. Guess I was too young to remember how it was. I'm going to watch it tonight. It's been a year-or-so.
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Originally Posted by troystiffler
(Post 10637187)
Fuck. Die Hard 3 is like the bees knees of action flicks to me. I thought that everyone loved that movie. Guess I was too young to remember how it was. I'm going to watch it tonight. It's been a year-or-so.
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Originally Posted by discostu1337
(Post 10637197)
Don't worry, it's still awesome.
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
I think I'm the only person here on the board who enjoys all 4 films. I'll agree Die Hard 2 is the weakest but I'll still watch it when it's on TV.
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
For all of #2's faults, it's still better then Live Free.
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Live Free takes a massive shit on Die Hard 2
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Originally Posted by mcfly
(Post 10637235)
I think I'm the only person here on the board who enjoys all 4 films. I'll agree Die Hard 2 is the weakest but I'll still watch it when it's on TV.
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Originally Posted by rennervision
(Post 10637158)
When the third one begins, McClane is once again a broken-down loser cop in NYC and separated from his wife, completely erasing the events of the prior film. (And the omission of a "3" in the title seems deliberate to me.)
Anyways, at the time I enjoyed Die Hard 2 (even though I had issues with it) simply because it was another Die Hard movie to watch. But watching it again a few years later I realized that it's just a recycled sequel that fails in many ways. Had the first movie never existed, then DH2 would've been better. As already stated there's too much of a coincidence (even in the confines of a movie) for Holly's life to be in danger again... and the a-hole reporter being on the same plane as her. It's coincidence enough that McClane finds himself in a situation like this - there's no need to pile on more of them. Another major problem is Bonnie's role is pretty usless in this film - she really doesn't do anything. I thought the baddies were merely OK (a far cry from one of the best movie villians found in DH1), but they weren't very interesting either. The setting of an airport was kinda meh. The repetition of having another black side-kick (which was also in DH3, except Sam Jackson actually got more involved) and another "driver" who comes out at the end was too much. And of course they had to throw in Sgt. Powell to continue the repetition, even if it was only for a few minutes. I hated that Captain Lorenzo (Franz) finally gets on board with McClane and states "it's time to kick ass!" and then a traffic jam shuts him down from being any use in the film. All he did was rag on McClane the whole movie and then tear up his parking ticket at the end. Yippee. The minute McClane blew up that plane and the the pilots used the fire on the ground as a guide to help them land, I wondered why didn't they just create their own runways lights using fire (and anything else) in the first place. Never made sense to me - maybe someone can explain that to me. |
Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Originally Posted by anomynous
(Post 10637266)
Live Free is massive shit
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Huh, I didn't realize so many were down on part 2. It's probably my favorite.
:shrug: |
Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Originally Posted by Suprmallet
(Post 10637182)
When I reviewed the Die Hard collection for the site, this was what I wrote about Die Hard 2:
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Being your favorite is irrelevent. That's fine if it's your favorite...but even you have to see that it's a turd in terms of actual quality filmmaking.
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
People shitting on 2 while praising 4 make me :lol: A turd by any other name...
Pretty much all the sequels blow, for different reasons, but they're all terrible. But 4 is pitch-perfect Mood Music For Morons. |
Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Originally Posted by Solid Snake PAC
(Post 10637357)
Being your favorite is irrelevent. That's fine if it's your favorite...but even you have to see that it's a turd in terms of actual quality filmmaking.
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Originally Posted by Artman
(Post 10637368)
If it's so terrible why am I seeing 64% on rotten tomatoes?
It always comes down to personal opinion though. |
Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Originally Posted by Hokeyboy
(Post 10637365)
People shitting on 2 while praising 4 make me :lol: A turd by any other name...
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Originally Posted by Artman
(Post 10637368)
There's a certain sloppiness to it no question, that was partly Harlin and part of what action films used to be. None of the Die Hards are high art.. but I do consider them among the best action films of their respective time. If it's so terrible why am I seeing 64% on rotten tomatoes? LFODH has 82%...
Originally Posted by GenPion
(Post 10637375)
I never praised Live Free or Die Hard. I will say this about it though: it was infinitely more entertaining and well made (on a technical level) than Die Hard 2 ever was.
For me III isn't a copy of 1. It has that right off the bat. The only thing that makes III a weaker film overall is the whole nonsense once McClane has to get on that boat and after that...so essentially act 3. The film had it really rolling well w/ the pacing and direction, Irons eating up the scenery etc. It also tones done the ridiculous of McClane's ability to survive just a wee bit. 4 ramped it up in terms of how indestructible he was but it was much better directed and controlled than 2. Though some of the sound editing is poor in VERY obvious moments. It was better as an action film than a DH film...does that make sense? |
Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Originally Posted by Solid Snake PAC
(Post 10637394)
It was better as an action film than a DH film...does that make sense?
The second film in the series is just a poor imitation of the first, and the latest was entertaining but not really recognizable as being a part of the same cinematic universe that was previously created. It was entertaining though. |
Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Yeah...McTiernan really knew how to do those films...and Predator. Fuck, I love Predator.
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Originally Posted by Solid Snake PAC
(Post 10637394)
It also tones done the ridiculous of McClane's ability to survive just a wee bit.
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
I'd be more interested in a Lethal Weapon 5 movie
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Originally Posted by Fok
(Post 10637453)
I'd be more interested in a Lethal Weapon 5 movie
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Re: Die Hard 5 >> Bruce Willis (tentative 2011)
Originally Posted by Fok
(Post 10637453)
I'd be more interested in a Lethal Weapon 5 movie
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