Blu-ray Review A Good Day to Die Hard Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

A Good Day to Die Hard Blu-ray Review

The fourth sequel in the lucrative Die Hard movie franchise may feature the series’ familiar star spouting wisecracks and taking his usual beating, but this fifth Die Hard film despite a couple of stupendous action sequences seems the most generic and uninspired of the lot. It’s a tremendous letdown especially since the last installment Live Free or Die Hard had, despite some late film outrageousness, one of the most entertaining scenarios since the original movie. Here, the concept is sound and possesses potential, but it wasn't ultimately realized by the filmmakers.

Studio: Fox

Distributed By: N/A

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, Spanish 5.1 DD, French 5.1 DD

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Rating: Not Rated, R

Run Time: 1 Hr. 39 Min., I Hr. 41 Min.

Package Includes: Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Copy, UltraViolet

keep case with slipcover

Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)

Region: A

Release Date: 06/04/2013

MSRP: $39.99

The Production Rating: 2.5/5

When NYPD detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) receives word that his estranged son Jack (Jai Courtney) is in serious trouble in Moscow with life imprisonment his most encouraging outcome, papa McClane hops on a jet and arrives in the city just in time to see his son being transported into the courthouse to stand trial along with Russian dissident Yuri Komarov (Sebastian Koch). When the building explodes and Jack and Yuri escape to a waiting vehicle, it becomes clear that all is not what it seems. And things get even more convoluted when Yuri’s daughter Irina (Yulia Snigir) kidnaps him once Jack thinks they’re safe, and in league with Russian terrorist Alik (Rasha Bukvic), she forces her father at gunpoint to go to a secret vault in Chernobyl to get incriminating evidence on a Russian leader the terrorists want. Meanwhile, squabbling father and son McClane realize they’ve got to work together if they’re to accomplish Jack’s mission which as a CIA operative he was trying to carry out working undercover until his father showed up to ruin all his careful planning.The movie seems off to a home viewer from the very beginning when one realizes that it’s not being presented in the wide Panavision aspect ratio as the previous four films have been. The film is also close to a half hour shorter than the other films in the series (not a bad thing there; they’re often guilty of taking on unnecessarily extra stunts to expand the running time), but this gives the movie a less than grandiose feel. Skip Woods’ screenplay makes sure there are crosses and double crosses along the way as in several of the previous movies where people are not always who they seem to be, but these “incriminating letters” and later crates of uranium cores seem much more generic MacGuffins compared to the objectives of the villains from the previous movies. With McClane in Moscow out of his element, one would think more would have been done with his frustrations over the language barrier and local customs, but none of those things pose much of a problem at all. Director John Moore has set up a couple of hyper-elaborate action sequences. A chase through the streets of Moscow is almost twenty minutes long, and while much of it is no more impressive than chases seen in innumerable Bond and Bourne films, one must admit that there are a few tricks late in the sequence that are absolutely breathtaking. The climactic helicopter attack sequence is mindful of helicopters used in the first and third films in the series (and the second one set in the D.C. airport has numerous flying machines) but features a great deal of impressive firepower. However, as the films have progressed through the years, John McClane has taken on increasingly superhuman powers of invulnerability and rapid recuperation that have pushed the audience’s suspension of disbelief to the breaking point. Here he drops numerous times several stories through glass, awnings, and tubes with no broken bones and merely a few cuts and scrapes (and his son has inherited his father’s superhuman recuperative powers when a steel piling goes through his lower abdomen and is pulled out by his father with no appreciable blood loss).Bruce Willis plays his familiar John McClane character with the same patented wiseacre smugness and snap of old, but with an action co-star by his side, he has less to do this time out, and the ingenuity needed to figure out ways to get around the bad guys is sadly lacking in this sequel (they steal one of the villain’s cars with guns and ammo and even a change of clothes in the trunk, and there always seems to be a handy vehicle available when McClane needs one). Jai Courtney has an acceptable resemblance to his screen father to pass as his son, but he doesn’t milk the anger or the brooding tenderness nearly as much as he should for the film to maximize its father-son bonding experience. Sebastian Koch plays his duplicitous villain well, but Yulia Snigir is a much less effective femme fatale than Colleen Camp and Maggie Q were in previous installments. Rasha Bukvic has some amusing moments as a smiling assassin who’d rather tap his way to a murder than merely walk to one.

Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA

The film is presented in 1.85:1 and is offered in 1080p resolution using the AVC codec. Shot digitally, the film is usually quite sharp and detailed, but sharpness isn’t consistent throughout the presentation. Color saturation levels are very good, and flesh tones are natural. Black levels are really excellent, and details in shadows are never a problem. The white subtitles are very easy to read. The film has been divided into 28 chapters.

Audio Rating: 5/5

The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 sound mix is exactly the kind of hyperactive sound experience one wants from an action movie. With split effects which constantly ping around the soundstage (including outstanding use of the two back channels in the 7.1 mix), terrific use of the LFE channel, and a magnificent spread of Marco Beltrami’s driving score through the fronts and rears, the mix offers a marvelous aural experience. Dialogue is rooted to the center channel.

Special Features Rating: 4.5/5

Extended Cut: the disc offers the viewer the chance to watch the theatrical cut or the two-minutes longer extended cut.Audio Commentary: director John Moore and first assistant director Mark Cotone have a breezy conversation during the running time. Not an essential listen since the bonus featurettes which spotlight them detail most of the important aspects of the making of the picture.Deleted Scenes (14:28, HD): seven scenes which may be viewed separately or together using the “Play All” feature.Making It Hard to Die (1:00:22, HD): documentary concentrates on many members of the crew and cast who comment on the specific aspects of the film which make it a part of the series: the stunts, the aerial shots, the special effects work, the use of a motion base, the weaponry, the locations, the production’s look, the Chernobyl set, the camerawork and use of numerous cameras, the color grading, and the music.Anatomy of a Car Chase (26:12, HD): crew members and cast comment on the combination of real life photography, special effects, and stunt work on a freeway set that combine to produce the film’s most exciting set piece.Two of a Kind (8:00, HD): Bruce Willis and Jai Courtney talk about their characters and the relationship between them and producers Alex Young and Wyck Godfrey weigh in on their feelings about their two leading actors.Back in Action (7:06, HD): Bruce Willis talks about taking on the role of John McClane once again along with the producers expressing their delight with his famous characterization.The New Face of Evil (6:57, HD): features brief interviews with the film’s three main villains played by Sebastian Koch, Yulia Snigir, and Rasha Bukvic.Pre-Vis (11:36, HD): three computer-plotted action sequences which can be played in montage or individually.VFX Sequences (5:35, HD): sixteen brief sequences which show special effects being layered on to complete a shot. May be auto played or manually advanced.Storyboards (7:12, HD): five action sequences in storyboard form which may be auto advanced or paged through manually.Concept Art Gallery (10:47, HD): six galleries of drawings which can be auto advanced or paged through manually.Two Theatrical Trailers (3:30, HD): can be watched individually or as one using “Play All.”Maximum McClane (3:16, HD): a montage of famous clips from the four previous Die Hard movies.DVD/Digital Copy/Ultraviolet

Overall Rating: 3/5

A Good Day to Die Hard is one of those films that had much potential in the conception stage but which simply wasn’t brought to fruition with the amount of polish and sass that fans of the franchise are looking for. The Blu-ray package presents an excellent video and audio representation of the theatrical experience and has enough bonus features to satisfy fans of the movie.

Reviewed By: Matt Hough

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However, as the films have progressed through the years, John McClane has taken on increasingly superhuman powers of invulnerability and rapid recuperation that have pushed the audience’s suspension of disbelief to the breaking point.

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Maybe we should just think of this is as an alternate universe sequel to Unbreakable.

I found the movie to be incoherent. Normal stunt sequences like the car chase were almost impossible to follow, and the plot had no traction.

The simple fact that the McClane family has no idea what the son is doing - not the specifics, just that he works in intelligence - is flat out ridiculous. The whole idea of the son calling his father "John" is a lift from the prior movie. The whole intrigue plot didn't resonate to me, as you could never get much of a handle on what was going on or who was where before they would arbitrarily blow everything up.

What made the earlier movies work on a basic level was because McClane would have a personal stake in the game. In the first and best movie, he's dealing with a serious threat to his nearly ex-wife, and a situation where he's isolated and vulnerable in a building full of Eurotrash terrorists. In the second movie, which is admittedly more artificial in construction, he's once again trying to save his wife while fighting off a whole airport full of bad guys. But they bring the situation home in a major way with the British Airways jet midway through the film. In the third movie, you have a villain seeking revenge on McClane and simultaneously threatening the family of the one bystander who had the temerity to help him. Granted, in the third movie, things lurch into fantasy about an hour in - but it's still great fun. In the fourth movie, which works much better in its unrated version, you have McClane's daughter being targeted because of McClane's interference in the villain's plan. In this movie, you have McClane practically being a bystander in his son's operation. If anything, McClane should have just backed off right away and not gotten involved. Beyond that, you have the basic coherency problem. And I won't even get into how they could have survived the ending.

I hope for their sakes that a 6th movie will have them going back to basics. Set the movie in LA or New York, bring back Bonnie Bedelia and maybe even Samuel L. Jackson, and establish a situation that involves the whole family again. That way you get the personal involvement, and you get the fun of the usual bickersons that we enjoy in these movies. The prospect of watching Bedelia's and Jackson's characters sparring with each other and with Willis throughout would give me a strong motivation to see the next one. The point in the first movie was that Willis' character wasn't necessarily right about everything - he made mistakes and had to own up to them. You saw him puzzle through the situation only one step ahead of the viewer. By the fifth movie, it seems like McClane is the only person in the story with eyes and a brain - which makes any growth for him impossible.

It's difficult to measure how deeply disappointing this movie was for me.

Kevin - you have nailed my feelings on this film. It wasn't until very close to the end that this film even had a passing resemblance as a Die Hard film. It was shoddily constructed with barely any script to speak of. Editing and camera zooming muddled the action sequences though I do admit there was a visceral sense to the extended car chase sequence (augmented by the sound effects and the power of the subwoofer).

Woefully disappointing.

Kevin EK said:

I found the movie to be incoherent. Normal stunt sequences like the car chase were almost impossible to follow, and the plot had no traction.

The simple fact that the McClane family has no idea what the son is doing - not the specifics, just that he works in intelligence - is flat out ridiculous. The whole idea of the son calling his father "John" is a lift from the prior movie. The whole intrigue plot didn't resonate to me, as you could never get much of a handle on what was going on or who was where before they would arbitrarily blow everything up.

What made the earlier movies work on a basic level was because McClane would have a personal stake in the game. In the first and best movie, he's dealing with a serious threat to his nearly ex-wife, and a situation where he's isolated and vulnerable in a building full of Eurotrash terrorists. In the second movie, which is admittedly more artificial in construction, he's once again trying to save his wife while fighting off a whole airport full of bad guys. But they bring the situation home in a major way with the British Airways jet midway through the film. In the third movie, you have a villain seeking revenge on McClane and simultaneously threatening the family of the one bystander who had the temerity to help him. Granted, in the third movie, things lurch into fantasy about an hour in - but it's still great fun. In the fourth movie, which works much better in its unrated version, you have McClane's daughter being targeted because of McClane's interference in the villain's plan. In this movie, you have McClane practically being a bystander in his son's operation. If anything, McClane should have just backed off right away and not gotten involved. Beyond that, you have the basic coherency problem. And I won't even get into how they could have survived the ending.

I hope for their sakes that a 6th movie will have them going back to basics. Set the movie in LA or New York, bring back Bonnie Bedelia and maybe even Samuel L. Jackson, and establish a situation that involves the whole family again. That way you get the personal involvement, and you get the fun of the usual bickersons that we enjoy in these movies. The prospect of watching Bedelia's and Jackson's characters sparring with each other and with Willis throughout would give me a strong motivation to see the next one. The point in the first movie was that Willis' character wasn't necessarily right about everything - he made mistakes and had to own up to them. You saw him puzzle through the situation only one step ahead of the viewer. By the fifth movie, it seems like McClane is the only person in the story with eyes and a brain - which makes any growth for him impossible.

It's difficult to measure how deeply disappointing this movie was for me.

Click to expand...

Kevin EK said:

I found the movie to be incoherent. Normal stunt sequences like the car chase were almost impossible to follow, and the plot had no traction.

The simple fact that the McClane family has no idea what the son is doing - not the specifics, just that he works in intelligence - is flat out ridiculous. The whole idea of the son calling his father "John" is a lift from the prior movie. The whole intrigue plot didn't resonate to me, as you could never get much of a handle on what was going on or who was where before they would arbitrarily blow everything up.

What made the earlier movies work on a basic level was because McClane would have a personal stake in the game. In the first and best movie, he's dealing with a serious threat to his nearly ex-wife, and a situation where he's isolated and vulnerable in a building full of Eurotrash terrorists. In the second movie, which is admittedly more artificial in construction, he's once again trying to save his wife while fighting off a whole airport full of bad guys. But they bring the situation home in a major way with the British Airways jet midway through the film. In the third movie, you have a villain seeking revenge on McClane and simultaneously threatening the family of the one bystander who had the temerity to help him. Granted, in the third movie, things lurch into fantasy about an hour in - but it's still great fun. In the fourth movie, which works much better in its unrated version, you have McClane's daughter being targeted because of McClane's interference in the villain's plan. In this movie, you have McClane practically being a bystander in his son's operation. If anything, McClane should have just backed off right away and not gotten involved. Beyond that, you have the basic coherency problem. And I won't even get into how they could have survived the ending.

I hope for their sakes that a 6th movie will have them going back to basics. Set the movie in LA or New York, bring back Bonnie Bedelia and maybe even Samuel L. Jackson, and establish a situation that involves the whole family again. That way you get the personal involvement, and you get the fun of the usual bickersons that we enjoy in these movies. The prospect of watching Bedelia's and Jackson's characters sparring with each other and with Willis throughout would give me a strong motivation to see the next one. The point in the first movie was that Willis' character wasn't necessarily right about everything - he made mistakes and had to own up to them. You saw him puzzle through the situation only one step ahead of the viewer. By the fifth movie, it seems like McClane is the only person in the story with eyes and a brain - which makes any growth for him impossible.

It's difficult to measure how deeply disappointing this movie was for me.

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I agree about bringing back the other characters. They should even bring back Matt Farell (Justin Long's character from 4) and maybe make him Lucy's boyfriend or husband. They should even bring back Al Powell (the cop from the first two).

Quick price drop on this one. Starting 6/9 Target will have this for $13.

If you sign up for mobile coupons on the Target App on your smart phone there is a coupon for another $3 off. The movie wasn't the greatest but for $10 it is a good deal.

Cory

Finally watched this one as a rental a few weeks ago, and wow, it was b-o-r-i-n-g. Matt touched on the aspect ratio, and when I watched the film on CinemaNow as a free rental, I thought they were given a cropped copy by Fox (not the first time I've seen a studio do this to the video streaming services) when I saw it was in 16:9 full screen (1.78/1.85:1). This entry not only does not match the scope ratio that gave the four previous films a sense of epicness, the visual style of the cinematography (I'm talking about the over-use of zooms, especially during the opening car chase through Moscow) is completely off, as well.

Basically, I'd like to forget this film exists, so I won't be adding it to my library.

Todd Erwin said:

Basically, I'd like to forget this film exists, so I won't be adding it to my library.

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I made the mistake of adding this to my library months ago...figuring it would be a worthwhile addition to the fabulous Die hard franchise. Plus, "completism" and all.

Wrong! I just got around to watching it a few days ago. Matt and Kevin have already said it well. it is hard to have an engaging feature without a plot. And even though we have grown old with Bruce Willis's John McLane, we have no reason to care about him or any of the other characters in this film. The reunion between McLane and his son in the middle of that Moscow street was just plain awkward and unfulfilling. There was no chemistry at all between Willis and Courtney. And since I never felt engaged, the action sequences seemed pedestrian and uneventful...and boring. Extremely poorly written and constructed.

I really enjoyed DH4 (as a reboot of the beloved franchise). Not DH5.

IT WAS GOD AWFUL DREADFUL!



My cats review says it Weeeeeeemoooooomeooooeeewewewe(&*&***woooowwww.
Translation. IT SCKS!






What the hell is wrong with the colour on this dreadful film? It blows!




No I will not give you my phone.



I just didn't bother with being played on the projector at 1080i, it should have been transferred at 120p as its crappy way to die hard. Its not worth spindle motor time again on my two blu ray players. I just watched on the Sony 28" CRT, and even that was waste of tube time on this lemon of a film.





Worst dtsHDMA 7.1 I listened too!





WORST ENDING EVER!





The end credits made me laugh so hard. I don't think John Moore, should be allowed to direct another film. He killed the film, he ruined it. The DIE HARD franchise will now be PG-13 or 12A rated for children.