Wrapped around a widespread terrorism plot designed to shut down the entire country, Live Free Or Die Hard (directed by Len Wiseman) is surrounded by action sequences so unbelievable, so ridiculous, you have to question why they bothered crafting a plausible scenario to fuel them. John McClane has dodged bullets and falling debris — yet avoiding a fighter jet, blowing up a helicopter, and surviving an entire country-wide fuel-line explosion inside a van stretches even the logic of the Die Hard series.

McClane’s story is a little too reminiscent of Bruce Willis’ prior 16 Blocks, in which a small town cop is caught up in a transportation situation far larger than he expected. Those who believe Willis is too old to be taking on the McClane role are far off base. Even at 52, there’s no question he fits right in.

Tasked with moving a computer hacker (Justin Long) to custody, Willis is suddenly entrenched in a plot to, literally, bankrupt America. The cyber-terrorism concept is eerily believable (if not plausible in the least), and it’s a shame there are so few shots of the country in a state of panic. The ones included are wonderfully handled.

Of course, even with the entire government attempting to stop this plot, it’s the small New York detective and trusty unwilling sidekick hacker who manage to outwit them all. For a summer movie, that’s fine. McClane surviving multiple barrages of gunfire is acceptable. A few close calls for the sake of drama are necessary and fun.

What’s not acceptable is McClane surviving a fall from an exploding jet, an entire bridge collapsing on top of him, a deep fall from a window, multiple shattering glass frames, a leap from a car easily hitting 60 on the speedometer, a semi truck smashing into a ridiculously durable wall behind him, missile attacks, a car falling down an elevator shaft, and of course the countless explosions that never seem to be moving fast enough to catch up.

Yes, the Die Hard series has always been overdone fun. However, there’s always a baseline for the audience to suspend their disbelief. Anyone one of those above miracles would have been placed just fine. All of them in the same movie comes off as a sad attempt at one-upping all other action movies since Die Hard: With a Vengeance back in 1995. You’re not focusing on the intensity of the action or the special effects. You’re marveling at how durable a single guy can be.

The action sequences are stunning, with blistering and flat-out flawless special effects almost the entire way through. Simply put, you will never see a fighter jet miss such a massive target so blatantly again with results like this. It’s unquestionably something to see in terms of film visuals. This just doesn’t fit in with the Die Hard series and doesn’t even remotely make an effort to stay in the same mildly believable realm of the first three. This is all about overdoing it for the sake overdoing it.

It’s jarring to see McClane take a massive fall, limp away with blood pouring from his head, and a few short minutes later start running down a street like the previous injuries have never occurred. It takes away from the enjoyable script work on the American attack. At the least, you can laugh all the way through, as the witty one-liners are constant. Kevin Smith’s small role as a fellow hacker leads to some of the most enjoyable sequences to be had here.

Other characters, particularly McClane’s daughter Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) are simply lost for a significant part of the film. After the opening scene, she disappears until a few minutes before the finale is set off. Her presence is wasted, in terms of her performance and usefulness to the plot. Timothy Olyphant leads the villains, though he never quite reaches the cold-hearted status of Alan Rickman in the original even though the scale of his insanity is unparalleled for this series.

It’s odd to see how far the series has come. The original’s closed office-building scenario was contained, the second opened things up to an airport, the third took most of New York with it, while this fourth entry tackles the entire country. We’re only one step away from Willis becoming an astronaut to save the world from some giant asteroid… err, we’ve done that. Of course, given the amount of logic in Live Free, that wouldn’t be much of a stretch.

Movie ★★☆☆☆ 

Live Free is loaded with impressive visuals. Close-ups reveal amazing facial detail, and the contrast created by the rich blacks is wonderful. The color saturation is phenomenal, and the print is flawless. A light film grain gives the film texture. The transfer does take a small hit in darker scenes, dropping detail into the black levels and giving off a murky look. These are brief (the tunnel car chase), and barely detract from this sharp looking movie.

Video ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ 

The DVD edition suffered from overwhelming bass, the DTS Master mix here gets it right. The room crumbling bass is saved for the heaviest explosions, and gunfire delivers a proper level of kick. The use of the surround channels is nothing short of masterful, with debris flying around, cars passing through each speaker, and bullets lighting up the room as they whiz by.

Audio ★★★★★ 

A commentary from Willis, Wiseman, and editor Nicolas De Toth leads off the superb extras. Their expertise is varied, as is their discussion on how the film came together. Analog Hero, Digital World –The Making of Live Free or Die Hard almost makes the commentary pointless at a whopping 97 minutes. Nothing is left to the imagination here, as every major scene is dissected, as is the franchise in general.

Yippe Ki Yay Motherf***** is a sit-down discussion between Willis and his character, John McClane. Their conversation is fun, lighthearted, and surprisingly deep at times during this 22-minute piece. The title is proper since the PG-13 version of the film (the one included here) edits the famous line. A music video by Guyz Nite is a fun tribute to the series, though the feature on the band wears out its welcome after the first minute.

Fox Legacy is a far too brief look at the Die Hard series from the Fox vault. It runs for slightly over six minutes. A rather mundane Black Hat Interceptor Game will excite or intrigue approximately no one. Its only highlight is Kevin Smith in character.

Extras ★★★★☆ 

Blu-ray Movie Review from : DoBlu.com

Live Free or Die Hard Review

For an action franchise to succeed, the series must continually up the ante, throwing characters in increasingly unbelievable situations (without going too far). Die Hard – With a Vengeance does just that. It’s fast, it’s funny, and light years ahead of the disappointing Die Hard 2.

Yes, this third edition of the box-office favorite doesn’t try to be intelligent. The plot is straightforward, tosses out a few nice twists, and moves on to more action scenes. These are unrelenting, stretching believability in new directions, yet they’re still more plausible than the latest sequel, Live Free or Die Hard.

As with the original where Alan Rickman’s personality stole the show, Die Hard 3 is taken from Bruce Willis, this time by Samuel L. Jackson. Originally written as a sequel to Lethal Weapon, his character is obviously supposed to be Danny Glover’s Murtaugh. The difference between them as actors is that Jackson is more talented, spouting off priceless one-liners, many of which were likely ad-libbed. Jeremy Irons does a fine job as the typical terrorist, his mind games creating a deep level of tension.

Of course, the action is where the movie leaves its mark on fans. Filmed almost entirely in New York, stunts range from a taxi tearing through Central Park to an entire subway station collapsing. The only real complaints to be made about the overall production are the awful special effects that are archaic for a film made in 1995. The sewer-surfing routine, easily one of the most logically stretched moments in the franchise, is particularly notable for its flaws.

What makes this third installment succeed is that it doesn’t try to equal or outclass the original, something that plagued Die Hard 2. It settles for the usual rushes of adrenalin, keeping audiences glued to their seats for the entire running time. Die Hard 3 is just flat-out fun to watch with a flawless combination of wild action, comedy, and stunt work.

Movie ★★★★☆ 

Out of the original three movies, this is where hi-def truly comes into play. While lacking the extra pop in the details that puts modern movies into the realm of perfection, the clarity and sharpness afforded by Blu-ray are evident in every frame. The thin layer of grain is perfect to give the movie a natural look. Mercifully, the awful edge enhancement problems that plagued the DVD are removed. Detail is high with explosions and sparks bursting off the screen. Rich, deep black levels create wonderful contrast. The print is perfect.

Video ★★★★☆ 

DTS HD is the  audio fans should be looking for to enjoy this brilliant audio presentation. Every action scene loads the speakers with something to use to immerse the viewer. From the subtle screaming and debris shifting during the cab ride to the unbelievable bass from the subway explosion, not a moment passes where something isn’t worth talking about. This is a demo disc, pure and simple.

Audio ★★★★★ 

Staying on par with Die Hard 2 Blu-ray, this disc includes a commentary from director John McTiernan. Two separate 21-minute documentaries are included and are promotional, one airing on HBO, the other on Fox during the TV premiere of Die Hard 2. Another short four-minute featurette comes from the press kit and is presented in the same style as the others.

A six-minute alternate ending is included along with a commentary from the writer. The scene changes the entire film, actually letting the terrorists escape with the gold bounty and McClane manages to track them down. The ending in the film was the right choice. Three behind-the-scenes features look at how some of the film’s more spectacular scenes were completed. A storyboard sequence is also included.

An interview with Bruce Willis is included along with a short profile of the film’s main antagonist. The disc also offers up a look at seven different special effects-laden scenes in various forms of completion. Finally, a massive ten TV spots and two theatrical trailers finish off the disc.

Extras ★★★☆☆ 

Blu-ray Movie Review from : DoBlu.com

Die Hard: With a Vengeance Review