popcorn film at its best

Rating: 7/10 (9 August 2007)

You know the type of people, who are so interactive with a action flick, that they mimic all the guns and explosions. Well if you did that with this installment of the resurrected Die Hard franchise, you would be hoarse by the end of the two hours. By no means the first film ever to have constant and relentless action thrown at the audience, but like most that do, proceedings turn boring and repetitive by the end. It's a glimmering light shown from Len Wiseman, that Die Hard 4.0 is an exemption and one of the most entertaining popcorn films in quiet sometime.
Twelve years since we have since John McClane, Die Hard 4.0 doesn't play around with the formula, that has become a blue print for so many films from the invent of Die Hard. McClane once again is entangled in the plans of a well-groomed villain, where digital terrorism is our other foe. Based upon an article by John Carlin, the premise see's what happens when an entire country is hit with digital mayhem, and ultimately when that control over the digital world is ripped from its hands. The short answer here, Armageddon. The concepts and ideas presented by Carlin does the ultimate mind boggle on this "What if" situation, as humanities dependency is so reliant on this digital age. Sreenplay by Mark Bomback, beefs up the action side and injects the Die Hard formula, along with McClanes wise-cracks and invisible subtitle "They hurt my family, nows it's personal" eighties homage, resulting in our John McClane adventure.
Again McClane is the one man army, winding up in the wrong place at the wrong time again on a routine suspect pick up. Willis shows he is McClane, while able to show up all those young action stars he still has the goods, even if he doesn't have the ripped body of yesterdays. Very self aware of itself, instead of an intriguing thriller with dark undertones, director Len Wiseman, of both Underworld films, takes Die Hard 4.0 to bombastic levels of constant action set pieces, but all in the good name of great entertainment. With each set piece nearly an allusive boxing match; John McClane verses a band of armed hit men, John McClane verses a Helicopter, John McClane verses Kung-Fu Chick, John McClane verses a Jet Fighter. Each one raises the bar of ill-credibility so high, on paper its insanity of the highest order. Wiseman likes his films sleek and slick, and to his credit executes each scene with such precision, edited perfectly, to draw out that "Whoa" with such easement. Your eyes will binge on so much eye candy, as this defines destruction with nothing left unblown or shot out to the hilt. Rubble should have had a credit, with more screen time than most of the actors.
Relentless in pace and ACTION, ACTION, ACTION to please action flick junkies, Die Hard 4.0 like the predecessors are guilty pleasures. If you were able to take one part from this film, if needed to place a bet on the victor between McClane verses a Jet Fighter, you know where to place your money.