A Good Day To Die Hard - Review

To make it aware to anyone who doesn’t know, I am a bit of a Bruce Willis fan so I was excited by the release of A Good Day To Die Hard. However I will try to be as honest and unbiased as I can possibly be during this review.

The fifth instalment in the Die Hard franchise was released on Valentine’s Day, as much to my boyfriends dismay, 25 years after the release of the unmistakable brilliance that was the original film. Yet the newest film in the franchise see’s a change for NYPD’s famous officer John McClain, as he is now centred within a global terrorist attack with his son Jack trying to lead the way. John McClain, played by Bruce Willis throughout the franchise, visits Moscow in attempt to rescue Jack who he believes to be in danger, it turns out, Jack is undercover for the CIA. As not to spoil the plot, I won’t reveal anymore, also due to the fact that I got so lost during the film I couldn’t even begin to tell you what happened with the storyline after the first 40 minutes in the film.

As much as I would have liked to love this film, I was let down by the use of consistent action throughout. Although that was what should have been expected, with the other films in the franchise you have at least some time to comprehend who was just murdered, or, who’s helicopter just got brought down by a car! A Good Day To Die Hard left no time in which to do so before the next batch of dynamite was set off, so much so, that everything else within the film just got lost by the size and scale of the stunts. I can admit that some of the actions scenes were in fact well put together by John Moore the director, but it can not be denied that with expectations of the previous films being so high Moore also let the McClain lovers out there down!

John McClain should come across as an unstoppable action hero within this film, yet constant jokes referring to Willis’ lack of hair and almost non rememberable one liners he is so brilliant with, begins to suggest that 20^th Century Fox should quit while they are ahead with this franchise. Even so, it has already been announced that they will be scheduling Die Hard 6 in the near future, if done correctly could help bring the genius back into the mother of all action film franchises. All it needs is a compelling and easily understandable storyline, and a brilliant supporting villain! Just like Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber in the original.

I could in fact continue to criticize this film a lot more than I have, but in order to avoid bringing the name of Bruce Willis down anymore than it already has been after Death Becomes Her, I shall take a leaf out of my own book and quit whilst I am ahead.

To anyone wanting to watch a film jam packed with action and only one mention of the awesome quote that is “Yippee Ki Yay mother f***er” practically censored out by the low age rating. This is the film to see, but please, don’t let this one poor sequel cause you to forget the great Die Hard films that have already been produced.