Christmas Review - Die Hard 2 (1990)

      Hey guys, Chuck here. While the original Die Hard is more frequently viewed as a Christmas movie, its 1990 sequel, Die Hard 2, is somewhat overlooked in regards of being a Christmas movie. However, much like its predecessor, Die Hard 2 is set around the Christmas holiday, so it's certainly worth talking about at Christmas time. 

      So, in this 1990 film, Bruce Willis returns as John McClane, who since the incident at Nakatomi Plaza has transferred to the Los Angeles Police Department, where he is a Detective Lieutenant. However, we see him at Dulles International Airport in Washington DC, where he is waiting for his wife, Holly, whose plane should be arriving soon. 

     Unfortunately, the airport and surrounding area come under siege from a renegade U.S. military unit under the leadership of Col. William Stuart, whose goal is to use the airport to rendezvous with General Ramon Esperanza, who is on a plane bound for Dulles, and is under extradition for using U.S. funds to purchase drugs. So, along with the dedicated airport police, as well as Dulles' air traffic controller, John must stop these rogue soldiers and save the airport to allow Holly's plane to land safely. 

       Die Hard 2, while still a kickass action movie, and very much taking advantage of the Christmas season, definitely feels slightly inferior to the original. The new villains, led by the likes of William Sadler as Col. Stuart, Franco Nero as General Esperanza, and John Amos as Maj. Grant, while certainly interesting in the context of the movie, definitely aren't nearly as iconic as Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber. And, while I enjoyed seeing the returns of Bonnie Bedelia as Holly, Reginald VelJohnson as Sgt. Al Powell, and William Atherton as Thornburg, the only one who really carried the movie was Bruce Willis as John McClane. However, unlike the everymen type figure he was in the original, John feels almost TOO superhuman in this film, winding up in impractical situations, which is something that would crop up more and more as the Die Hard franchise went on. 

      All in all, while arguably one of the better sequels to Die Hard, I don't think it's nearly as good as the first one. I do still enjoy it, but it's not one that I watch at Christmas time the way I watch the first Die Hard. 

      Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I will see you in the next review. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review - Song Sung Blue (2025)

       Hey guys, Chuck here. Song Sung Blue ,.which is based on a true story, is a new musical film released by Focus Features. Written and directed by Craig Brewer, this movie stars Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Ella Anderson, King Princess, Michael Imperioli, Mustafa Shakir, and Jim Belushi.         The movie tells the story of Wisconsin musician Mike Sardina, who forms a close bond with fellow musician Claire Stingl, and how the two go on to become the front duo of a Neil Diamond tribute band known as Lightning and Thunder. And, of course, the movie follows the romance, marriage, and the many trials and tribulations that Mike and Claire go through over the years.         Now, I have to admit that I wasn't sure what to expect when watching this movie, but I will admit that I had a really fun time with it. The chemistry between Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as Mike and Claire was absolutely fantastic, and their singing w...
Read more

Review - Snow White (2025)

       Well, here we are. Snow White , the latest film from Disney to reimagine one of their animated classics, was directed by Marc Webb, written by Erin Cressida Wilson, and stars Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap, and Ansu Kabia, with motion capture performances by Martin Klebba, Jeremy Swift, George Salazar, and Titus Burgess just to name a few.        So, the movie tells the story of Snow White, a princess who goes on the run when, after consulting with the Spirit of the Magic Mirror, the Evil Queen grows jealous of her innermost radiance and wants her dead. Snow White meets and befriends several woodland critters, as well as the Seven Dwarfs (Doc, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, Dopey, and Grumpy), and a young man named Jonathan, who leads a group of bandits, and she works with them to save her kingdom from the rule of the Evil Queen.        Okay, so the myriad of controversies surrounding this movie are well docume...
Read more

Review - The Karate Kid (1984/2010)

       Hey guys, Chuck here. And, with the new movie Karate Kid: Legends hitting theaters this summer, I thought I would finally take a look into a couple of earlier films in the Karate Kid franchise. Unfortunately, I have only ever seen two movies in the series: the 1984 original starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, and the 2010 entry starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. And, surprisingly enough, those are the only two that are required viewing before going into the new Karate Kid: Legends movie.          So, the 1984 film The Karate Kid tells the story of Daniel LaRusso, a teenager living in the Reseda neighborhood of Los Angeles, who befriends a girl named Ali, but has also unfortunately become a target of Johnny Lawrence and his fellow students at an aggressive karate dojo known as Cobra Kai. The instructor at Cobra Kai, John Kreese, is a ex-Special Forces man who teaches his students to show no mercy. One day, as Daniel tries to get p...
Read more