Good "Die Hard" sequel

Rating: 8/10 (18 September 2008)

I found "Die Hard 2: Die Harder" to be quite an enjoyable film, and would rank it third best in the saga (my rank is 1, 4, 2, 3). It has great characters, memorable scenes, and a great concept for one of these films, in which John McClane must stop terrorists who have turned out the airport lights so planes cannot land until the bad guys get what they want. The film could easily have made second best in the series, but it lacks the good character development found in "Live Free or Die Hard" and, of course, the original. Nevertheless, this proved to be an exciting movie, as most action films surrounding airplanes are (such as "Air Force One" or "Executive Decision"). This, however, is better than those films, mostly because we have John McClane, a character who is like a real person on the screen and keeps us engaged in his personality. The plot may be a bit unbelievable at times, since it would be more practical for the planes to land at another nearby airport. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed it. I also liked how this film brought back some of the great supporting cast from part one, including Reginald VelJohnson and William Atherton. Not a perfect film like its predecessor, but entirely enjoyable and fun. Worthy of the "Die Hard" series.
*** out of ****