If you have ever wondered what it would be like to watch a beloved movie franchise experience a miscarriage, then “A Good Day To Die Hard” would be the film to have your sights set on. With a script that the likes of Uwe Boll probably wouldn’t even touch; “A Good Day To Die Hard” is condemned by a cliched plot and an uninspired script. The only aspect of this movie that kept my attention was the increasingly loud audio. So with all that aforementioned negativity seeping into your brain, wait before you fly off the handle and accuse me of being bias. Please note that I have been a faithful fan of this series, the second film not withstanding. Since I was fourteen years old I’ve been watching John McClane kicking ass and taking names. He’s an American Icon!
As I went into this film, I had high hopes. To be perfectly honest, I was actually excited to see a new “Die Hard” movie. However, when I reemerged from the theater I was more overjoyed that I was able to receive my money back. “Die Hard” was always built around the premise of putting an ordinary man in an extraordinary situation; then watching him fight tooth and nail to get out of it. I think I saw this series beginning to turn in on itself near the end of the previous entry, “Live Free Or Die Hard”. It must be really hard to come up with interesting new titles for these movies.
At the end of the last movie, we see Bruce Willis as John McClane engage in an edge of your seat chase involving an 18 wheeler and a F-18 fighter jet. I hope you can sense my sarcasm, because this was one of the most ridiculous scenes I had probably seen in my entire life. By the end of it, Willis had managed to topple onto the jet and destroy it. Seeing as how, on the whole, “Live Free Or Die Hard” was a great action movie; I can’t be too harsh towards it. What made it so great, was its relative plot. It showed audiences just how terrifying technology could be when placed into the wrong hands. It revealed how vulnerable we were as a country.
In its “A Good Day To Die Hard” the whole movie feels like that jet surfing scene, just stretched over an hour and thirty minutes. Every action scene here is ridiculously over the top and far beyond reason. What may be even worse, but considering how I feel about the movie in general, it’s probably not. As far as the rest of the movies are concerned, “A Good Day To Die Hard” isn’t even the longest entry. In fact, it’s the shortest. I felt that by the time the plot actually got going and it was about to reveal something big; the movie was over. On top of that, the script was laborious in its effort to tack on a lot of forgettable father and son moments and it attempts to undermine the audiences intelligence at nearly every turn.
I suppose if you’re interested in knowing something about the plot, I can give you this: John McClane travels to Russia seeking to help out his seemingly wayward son, Jack. Once there, he stumbles onto the fact that Jack is in fact a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear weapons heist. This causes the unlikely duo to team up. They shoot, kick, and curse their way through the Reds all the way through to Chernobyl. Yippee Ki-Yay Mother Russia!
I’m sure that if given more time in pre-production, this film could have been done better. As it stands, it really feels half-assed and unsure of itself. I remember when “Die Hard” was relative and John McClane was one of the ultimate American heroes. Now it seems, he’s become just another expendable. If you really want my advice. Don’t waste your time on this movie, just go outside and enjoy your day for once. Chances are likely that it’ll be a more productive experience than subjecting yourself to this mindless “Die Hard” wannabe. I hope that this new film is not a clear indicator of where this franchise is headed. If so, then I pray that this be the last one. Happy trails John.
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