5. A Good Day to Die Hard: This is easily in last place on this list. But it’s still a very fun movie, it has all the action that you want in the franchise. And the dynamic between Bruce Willis and Jai Courtney they have some nice banter back and forth and a relationship arc that worked for me. Also I liked that we moved outside of the United States for this movie. Now this movie has no shortage of problems. Jai Courtney’s character is unlikeable for 60% of the movie because he is talking down to John McClane and that’s not what you want from a Die Hard movie. And the reason why John McClane is being talked down by his son is because he keeps on messing up in a good portion of the movie. But it’s still watchable but has some problems that make it the weakest Die Hard movie.
4. Live Free or Die Hard: The 4th film in the franchise is the 4th best of the Die Hard movies. In my opinion this is the quilty pleasure movie on this list. The movie feels like they took Die Hard mixed with Mission Impossible and Fast and Furious and that’s what makes it so much fun to watch is that it’s a mix of three things that I really enjoy. Timothy Olyphant does a great job of playing this villain that you want to see John McClane take out he is menacing in the entire movie and they give him a good motivation. It’s also super over the top with the action there is big car chase and a scene where Bruce Willis and Maggie Q are in an elevator shaft with a SUV in their as well trying to escape and not fall with a car on top of them. The reason why it’s not top 3 Die Hard is because the drama with Lucy McClane (John’s daugther) doesn’t feel like it should be in a Die Hard movie. So that holds it back but if this movie is number 4 this is a great franchise.
3. Die Hard 2: Die Harder: The second Die Hard movie is a solid sequel and a solid Die Hard movie. I think the movie gets to the action a lot quicker then the original film does, and it moves at a faster pace. Of course, Willis still has are the charm and funny one liners that you want in a Die Hard movie. The supporting cast I think is also one of the best in the franchise. The security guard that doesn’t trust or like John they have a great back and forth and just adds some fun. William Sadler is this fun villain that isn’t always out throwing punches with John McClane but he’s the mastermind that is pulling the strings and making his insane plan at the airport happen. It always builds tension with when they blow up a plane you feel like that could happen to me next I go on a plane and I like that about the movie. Now this is most similar to the original Die Hard and not in a good way. Their is so many plot points and plot lines that are so similar. What a coincidence that John McClane’s wife is on a plane the night the terrorists decide to take over the airport. And the final fight with Willis and Sadler happens in less then 5 minutes wish that was longer, but besides that a very good movie.
2. Die Hard With A Vengenace: Of all the Die Hard movies this might be the most fun movie. The main reason for that is Bruce Willis is perfectly teamed up with Samuel L. Jackson and their chemistry makes this movie shine for me. And here you get to Jackson in his true form not this tamed PG-13 verison but full Rated-R Samuel L. Jackson. It’s also more of a thriller than it is an action scene and that’s in a good way where you have Willis and Jackson running all around New York City trying to find the bombs placed by Jeremy Irons but when the action does happen it’s great and fun. Jeremy Irons is another great Die Hard villain where you understand where he is coming from he just want’s to get revenge on John McClane because of what he did to his brother. The problems with the movie is the third act, it just fell flat. The movie was building up to this big third act and that’s not what we got for what ever reason it’s not as fun as the rest of the film.
1. Die Hard: What a classic action movie, coming out in 1988 it has been this beloved movie ever since than. And started A-list careers for both Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman (R.I.P), and both of them are fantastic in the movie. John McClane is one of the greatest movie movie characters of all time and that’s for two main reasons. 1. Bruce Willis was born to play this role he is so fun to watch he can be funny and be the great action hero. 2. He has great one liners the most iconic one being “Yippee Ki Yay…(you know the rest)”. But Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber another great character that can be both likeable and menacing in the same scene or back to back scenes. And of course the action is also fantastic, you can see everything that is going on and when the action happens you feel like you are in the moment. It also builds tension where since John McClane took his shoes off that has big consequences for where the movie goes. You take the cast, action, and tension and you get this fantastic movie that has been beloved for the past 32 years.
That is my ranking of the Die Hard franchise. And I want to know what are some other franchises you want me to rank. Doesn’t have to be action but any franchise.
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