Is Die Hard (1988) overrated?

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I try to judge movies in the context of when they were shown. I remember how I felt when I left the theater.

At the time it was shown, I don't think I had ever seen such an action movie before. Really a lot of fun, and I remember having that "wow" feeling walking out of the theater to our car.

Just as when I saw Terminator 2. That wow feeling.

And with Avatar. And jumping way back, with Star Wars.

And yet, with every one of these films, I see people looking back at it with a critical eye. I'm not saying that the OP is doing this, but I'm just saying that it seems to happen more and more and more.

Why is this?

The measure of a movie DOES. NOT. EXIST. outside of the time period in which it is made. The original context is everything.

People seem to forget just how powerful the magic was at the time. I'll never forget seeing Die Hard (the first one), and how I told everyone to see it.
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Oh sorry, was I judging the movie out of it's original context? How was I doing that exactly?



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i don't think die hard is overrated. starting to ending everything is amazing. how can i forget this hard working man



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Oh sorry, was I judging the movie out of it's original context? How was I doing that exactly?
Did you read the part where I said "I'm not saying that the OP is doing this", or did you just gloss over that to the reply button?



A system of cells interlinked
If anyone has netflix would highly recommend the series, 'The Films That Made Us'.



One of the episodes is dedicated the Die Hard and well worth the watch.
I watched all the episodes fairly recently. I will second this recommendation.
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I try to judge movies in the context of when they were shown. I remember how I felt when I left the theater.

At the time it was shown, I don't think I had ever seen such an action movie before. Really a lot of fun, and I remember having that "wow" feeling walking out of the theater to our car.

Just as when I saw Terminator 2. That wow feeling.

And with Avatar. And jumping way back, with Star Wars.

And yet, with every one of these films, I see people looking back at it with a critical eye. I'm not saying that the OP is doing this, but I'm just saying that it seems to happen more and more and more.

Why is this?

The measure of a movie DOES. NOT. EXIST. outside of the time period in which it is made. The original context is everything.

People seem to forget just how powerful the magic was at the time. I'll never forget seeing Die Hard (the first one), and how I told everyone to see it.
I'd say people look back with a critical eye because a better way to measure a film's worth (especially if it is considered a great or even classic film) is to assess how it endures the passage of time. Die Hard maintains its classic status precisely because it endures in the face of films that try to copy it or sequels that tarnish its name, but even then it's not a perfect film (there's no such thing) and it is not exempt from criticism. Not all of us were old enough (or even alive) to see Die Hard during its original theatrical run, but that doesn't mean we aren't capable of appreciating it anyway - just don't be surprised that people of all ages don't consider "you had to be there" to be the best defence for a film.

If anything, the real problem is how the term "overrated" centres the discourse around how the film is received by viewers than about the quality of the film itself and that just tends to complicate the discussion unnecessarily.
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Did you read the part where I said "I'm not saying that the OP is doing this", or did you just gloss over that to the reply button?
Oh sorry, I misread it, my mistake.

I'd say people look back with a critical eye because a better way to measure a film's worth (especially if it is considered a great or even classic film) is to assess how it endures the passage of time. Die Hard maintains its classic status precisely because it endures in the face of films that try to copy it or sequels that tarnish its name, but even then it's not a perfect film (there's no such thing) and it is not exempt from criticism. Not all of us were old enough (or even alive) to see Die Hard during its original theatrical run, but that doesn't mean we aren't capable of appreciating it anyway - just don't be surprised that people of all ages don't consider "you had to be there" to be the best defence for a film.

If anything, the real problem is how the term "overrated" centres the discourse around how the film is received by viewers than about the quality of the film itself and that just tends to complicate the discussion unnecessarily.
Yeah I see what you mean. I guess watching it now, it feels like it's in more of an infancy compared to some of the movies that borrowed from it later perhaps? Not all of them, just some.



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In my opinion, not really. It's not my absolute favorite action film, but it's not hard to see why it's held in such high esteem. John McClane is one of the best and most likable protagonists of all time (Not just in the genre he belongs to), and Bruce Willis helped bring that charisma to life. It's witty, exciting and also contains a fantastic villain played with cheeky intimidation by Alan Rickman.

I will say however that due to its untouchable status, Die Hard 2 often gets underrated. More of the same doesn't always have to be bad, and it's my second favorite next to the original. All of them are worth watching except for the last, which was a lifeless and groanworthy note to end the franchise on.
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Are seasonal confused films overrated?
That's like saying randomly saying "Beetlejuice." Two more times and we're in a genre debate.



No it is not overrated. You either like it or you dont. It is only overrated in the context of how your brain put the movie.
I thought that Dr. Strangelove was overrated when I watched it, but I now wonder how it would be if I gave it another shot.



We're going to lose half the people who think Die Hard is overrated in the explosion.


I can live with that.



That's some bad hat, Harry.
Is Die Hard overrated? No

Is it an action classic? Yes.

AND... is it a Christmas movie? YES!

Totally appreciate the opinion of those who don't like it. I get that it doesn't work for you. But I've always found it to be a pedal to the metal high concept action movie with one of the most memorable 1980s villains (and performances from Rickman) and a charismatic hero overcoming an against-all-odds situation. It has a great wit about it too - both in its characters, dialogue and action sequences.
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It's not overrated.

Die Hard is an incredibly sleek and well crafted action movie. I doubt you could make it better by adding or removing any scene.

What the movie introduced to violent action movies (which is now a staple) is constant comedy. Our heroes and villains in Die Hard are hilarious, relatable, and wickedly entertaining.

If there's any room for criticism it's that

1. John McClaine and his wife have absolutely zero chemistry together. All I can see in the very few scenes they have together is why their marriage has fallen apart.

2. Although not a fault at the time it was made, the hot-shot cowboy cop, taking ridiculous risks and oozing one liners, has not aged as well as many of the other heroes of yesteryear.

Just my opinion.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Diehad created a genre, so…

To all the jerks 🤗 that want to say Die Hard is a certain type of movie, realize how bad an argument you are making when Lethal Weapon would clearly be the better choice for such nonsense ☺️