As a generic action flick it passes, as the Die Hard 4 it fails

Rating: 7/10 (1 July 2007)

The Die Hard dynasty is the definition of the heroic anti-hero. John McClane is a hero by accident. He is forced to be a hero, not because he is inclined to be one.
This is why I, and others, distinguish between Die Har 1&3 and Die Hard 2. And without telling to much, I now put number 4 in the series in the latter category.
I'll tell you why.... John McTiernan had the right take on it, and you see it in both the 1 and 3. He doesn't treat John McClane as a hero, he treats him as an ordinary guy, albeit a bad-ass type of ordinary guy. This is what makes Die Hard ultra cool. - Bruce Willis kicking ass and cracking jokes. If you hit him he falls over, bleeds, but gets up again, retaliates ending in fatality, and a snide remark.
Number 2 made him too much of a generic hero, and Live Free or Die Hard aka Die Hard 4.0 has a bit of the same problem. John McTiernan made a balanced gourmet (action)meal, in the proper serving size. 4.0 struggles with the same as you do, when you try to recreate the meal you just had. You liked it, so you make a double portion, and because you liked certain elements, you add extra of that. And the result of that is always the same, it's OK, but not as good as you had, because it's out of proportion and after gorging on it, you suddenly feel you've had too much, spoiling it all a bit.
Although John McClane in 4.0, is very vocally underlined as not being the heroes hero. The rest of the movie portrays him as such. Everything is a little bit extra, and little big bigger, and a bit more explosive. Sometimes you wonder if the director was thinking, "and then here it would be nice with another explosion, maybe John bleeding a bit more".
Live Free or Die Hard goes a long way with the template and the pedigree, but because of it's eager to give a little bit more of everything, it stops short of giving the same cool feel as the John McTiernans.
As an action flick though, it's exciting and keeps you entertained most of the time. It does get a little long towards the end, and some of the mushy elements, gets well... a little too mushy
All in all, it's worth seeing, and you should take a hide during the summer to do just that. Because Bruce Willis is good company. Even if you do miss the John McClane of the past millennium.