Day 10: The Wrong Man at the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time...

Its time for another holiday sequel this evening, featuring our favorite everyman action hero John McClaine.  Yes friends, tonight I'm viewing Die Hard 2 which truly does, though you may not believe it, take place on Christmas Eve.  Yes, yes, I know that this film is yet another example of a sequel that simply repeats the formula of its predecessor almost to the letter...terrorists in an isolated area in total control vs. John McClaine on Christmas Eve with some fat headed obstinate cops thrown in for good measure...oh and Reginald VelJohnson, Bonnie Bedelia, and William Atherton reprise their roles as well.  Talk about convenience right?  Its almost too perfect...the kind of perfect that only the movies can do.  There are a lot of people who really hate Die Hard 2 because it merely repeats its formula and does little that is new or different...they also hate how the writers manage to conveniently reunite characters from the last film in ways that would never happen in reality (so they say).  Oh, and they think the airport control plot is much too complicated to be realistic.  I think these people are missing the big picture here...in the same way that people missed the big picture with Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (oddly enough, also from Fox).  Audiences wanted more of the same...and then when they got it, they criticized it for being the same.  Frankly, I think that while part 2 shares a great deal of common factors with part 1, it offers enough new suspenseful situations for us to be involved in to make me enjoy the film as a popcorn action film.  I think its fun and plausible (aside from the icicle death in the 3rd act...which I'm sure is possible, but my mind wants to reject it anyway) and a fair enough diversion as a sophomore sequel.  Sure the 3rd and 4th films are better, but you could do a lot worse as far as action films are concerned (Van Dahme or Segal anyone?).  Bruce Willis can just about carry any film anyway. (Watch for Robert 'T1000' Patrick as one of the terrorists in a gun battle).



Unfortunately there just isn't much more to say about this movie...everything I said about the first part mostly applies to this one.  Tomorrow's post will be longer and better, as I will be not watching a film but actually seeing a Christmas classic on stage in the big city.  Yes friends, the Midwestern Movie Addict is going to see "The Nutcracker"!  Who's excited?  I sure am.

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