Don't be fooled, it was a crap movie

Rating: 2/10 (1 July 2007)

How did this ever get an 8.3? My guess is they paid off people to write a good review, as many people (such as myself) check the IMDb review before they see it. It was really, really bad. On many levels. Let me explain. Action movies are like fast food. If you take them for what they are, and you're in the right mood, it can be kind of good. Really hit the spot. You leave feeling satisfied. You wouldn't want it every night, but now and then it can be better than some meals. Die Hard 4 was like... a microwave burrito, that comes in a fancy package. You pay extra for what you think will be the best burrito ever, and in the end it's frozen, bland, and makes you regret eating it. Here's why - 1. Story - bad. Just bad. They tried to be serious with some post 9-11 themes, then tried to go over the top with the action. That never works. 2. Dubbing - for whatever reason, it seems like 40% of the dialogue was not synced. This means 1 of 2 things - either they had to change a lot of the dialogue to keep a PG-13 rating, or they realized it wasn't working, and made some drastic cuts, then dubbed it later to link it all together. Or both. It felt disjointed and half-assed. 3. Action - I heard they didn't use CG. There was more CG in this one than all of the others combined. It was so over the top. I don't mind over the top action, but you need to establish early on that it'll be that kind of movie. Hovering jet vs. truck. A room with a random meat grinder in the floor (I swear to god - what is this, a Nintendo game?) A movie like "True Lies", which is kind of tongue-in-cheek works - this didn't work at all. I've seen better action in a Chuck Norris movie. 4. - Locations - look at the earlier ones - skyscraper, airport/old church, NYC/freighter. This one was all over the place. They drove to Viriginia, DC, Baltimore (I think), and it was all random gas factories, some underground Social Security Administration building (with aforementioned meat grinders), other drab and meaningless places. They drive here and there. "Oh, we need to talk to... he's near here in Baltimore, let's go!" etc.
The only redeeming qualities were some hard hits you expect from a Die Hard movie. When Mclane kills the bad guys, he really kills them. He does kick some ass in this one. But in the end, without a story to make it work in, even that won't cut it. I was totally bored and considered walking out halfway through. It's the kind of movie that leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth, making you realize you just spent 2 hours and $12.75 for what amounts to... a microwave burrito.