Above average as an action film, but only just barely average as a sequel

Rating: 7/10 (24 June 2004)

This is not as good as the first. I think this is because of these two main reasons. First, how shall I put this... in the immortal words of famous brat Bart Simpson: "*annoyed groan* Everyone is a comedian." Every single character that has a speaking part in this film utters, at least once, either a one-liner or a cliche. If a character only has one single line, that will be a one-liner or a cliche. Guess they thought that audience loved the first for the wisecracks(granted, I enjoyed them, but that's because Willis is great at them. I hate it when I hear some random character spout one-liners). Second, this one just took bits of the formula that worked so well for the first, and left more than half out. This time, McClane isn't confined to a building which he is trapped in, trying to rescue hostages. This one has him running around an airport, while the hostages are in planes, where the only threat to them is the limited amount of fuel, which will eventually force them to land. Nothing else. That makes you care too little about the hostages, and pretty much eliminates all the supposed intensity of the situation, apart from the immediate danger that McClane is in, which is a little limited. Also, in the first, McClane seemed more intelligent, cool and calm. This time, he's just running straight into the enemies, shooting constantly. Don't get me wrong, it's entertaining, it's just a little disappointing to us who liked the style of the first. We liked John McClane as he was, and I definitely hoped to see him like that again, instead what I got was Rambo. I also think this has far too many plot holes, especially compared to the first, that was virtually flawless. Okay, now that I'm done ranting, I'll get on with the actual review. The plot is OK, but fairly standard for this type of action film; it's also fairly dull and just barely manages to keep your attention. The intensity of the first is almost completely lost. The acting is about the same, no big surprises here. The humor is pretty lame, in the first it was very balanced, here, it's so plentiful that if I didn't know better, I'd have guessed it was a parody or a comedy. The action is fairly good, less intense than the first, but still pretty good. All in all, as an action film, it's above average, only slightly though, and as a sequel to Die Hard, it is just barely average. I recommend this to fans of action films, but more to fans of Rambo-type films than fans of the first. 7/10