Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Collection Blu-ray offers solid video and great audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
A five-disc set that includes the first four films in the Die Hard series and an exclusive bonus disc with a one hour and forty-seven minute retrospective documentary about the franchise.
For more about Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Collection and the Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Collection Blu-ray release, see the Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Collection Blu-ray Review published by Casey Broadwater on January 30, 2013 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.0 out of 5.
Blu-ray + DVD
20th Century Fox | 1988 | 132 min | Rated R | Region A (B, C untested) | Jan 29, 2013
Bruce Willis stars as New York City detective John McClane, newly arrived in Los Angeles to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged wife. But as McClane waits for his wife's office party to break up, terrorists take...
Blu-ray + DVD
20th Century Fox | 1990 | 124 min | Rated R | Region A (B, C untested) | Jan 29, 2013
Bruce Willis returns as the heroic cop who battles not only terrorists, but also an incompetent
airport police chief, the hard-headed commander of the Army's anti-terrorist squad and a
deadly winter snowstorm. The runways are...
Blu-ray + DVD
20th Century Fox | 1995 | 128 min | Rated R | Region A (B, C untested) | Jan 29, 2013
On the streets of New York, police officer John McClane has just about seen it all. He's got a
nose for danger, a penchant for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a talent for
overcoming incredible odds. But this...
Blu-ray + DVD
20th Century Fox | 2007 | 129 min | Rated PG-13 | Region A (B, C untested) | Jan 29, 2013
On the July 4th holiday, an attack on the vulnerable United States infrastructure begins to shut down the entire nation. The mysterious figure behind the scheme has figured out every modern angle — but he never figured on an...
My guileless side really doesn't understand this new Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Blu-ray Collection. With A Good Day to Die Hard—the
next film in the series—coming out in theaters in February, and on Blu-ray presumably a few months later, wouldn't it make more sense to bundle
all of the films together later this year for a truly complete package? It's not like Fox would be missing the "25th Anniversary" window, and
besides, it would give the studio a bit of time to crank out newly remastered transfers. These discs are essentially the same ones released individually
and in the previous Die Hard Collection in 2007,
and Blu-ray encoding has come a long way since then. The only thing new about this set is a bonus disc, Decoding Die Hard, which contains a
one hour and forty-seven minute retrospective of the franchise, with interviews from several cast and crew members. A decent addition, sure, but
probably not worth re-purchasing all four films.
The cynical critic part of me, however, totally gets what's going on here. Fox doesn't want to eat into the Blu-ray sales of A Good Day to Die
Hard—fair enough—so they'll doubtlessly release a comprehensive, remastered collection sometime in the not-so-distant future, perhaps with a
few new extras to tempt fans into a triple-dip. For now, this "25th Anniversary Collection" is a soon-to-be-outdated way to hype up the release of the
new film. It's the way the home video cycle inevitably works. Whether or not to buy this set, then, will totally depend on how die hard of a Die
Hard fan you are. If you don't need the bonus disc, you'll be fine with the old collection. If you haven't yet bought the films but
want to own them, though, that's a harder decision. Yes, this is currently the best Die Hard collection, but that could very well
change. Your call.
No need for a lengthy review of each film here. We've previously covered each disc in the collection, so if you need detailed info, please click on the links
below for plot synopses, analysis, video/audio-quality discussion, and a listing of the included extras:
The transfers here are identical to the previous releases, which range from decent, but could benefit from a remaster—the first three films—to
the spot-on clarity and punch of Live Free or Die Hard. No changes.
Likewise, the audio tracks are the same here as they are on the previous discs, with demo-worthy sound in Live Free or Die Hard and
respectable 1980s/90s audio mixes for the first three movies. See individual titles for dub and subtitle details. Also, do note that—as in the previous
stand-alone release—the "unrated" cut of Live Free or Die Hard, which includes dubbed in swearing, is not included here.
The lone reason to pick up this release—if you already own the films on Blu-ray—is the exclusive bonus disc, Decoding Die Hard, which contains
one hour and forty-seven minutes of recently commissioned bonus material, with new cast and crew interviews, archival behind-the-scenes footage, and
lots of general discussion about the history of the franchise, its hero and villains, its action sequences, fights, sidekicks, and more. Bruce Willis doesn't
drop in to say hello, which is disappointing, but fans will see a lot of familiar faces, including Alan Rickman, Jeremy Irons, Kevin Smith, director John
McTiernan, and many more. Is the material worth it? That'll depend on how hardcore of a Die Hard fan you are. Personally, I wouldn't feel the
need to pony up the $40 for under two hours of new content, but that's just me. Others might eat this stuff up.
From the menu of the disc you can chose to "play all" or choose each segment individually. There's also a separate section with trailers for each film in
the series, including the upcoming A Good Day to Die Hard.
Origins - Reinventing the Action Genre (HD, 19:35): Producer Joel Silver and screenwriter Jeb Stuart explain the first film's origins—
including the possibility that Frank Sinatra might've starred at one point—while director John McTiernan talks about trying to steer the story away from
terrorism and toward robbery. This discussion moves progressively through the sequels, with input from various cast and crew members, including
director Renny Harlin. There's nothing new to learn here, really, but it's a decent retrospective overview of the series.
John McClane - Modern Day Hero (HD, 16:29): Many of same interviewees above—plus Kevin Smith and Alan Rickman—talk about the
character of John McClane and how perfectly Bruce Willis embodies him, particularly his sarcasm and everyman-ness. The "yippee-ki-yay" one-liner gets
its due, as does the universality of such a vulnerable action-hero character. Wish Brucie could've popped in for a few words, but dude's busy, I get that.
Villains - Bad to the Bone (HD, 20:41): This is where it gets good. I mean, I like John McClane, but the baddies in the Die Hard films are
always just as memorable, from Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber—"He created the Euro-trash villain," says Kevin Smith—and William Sadler's Colonel
Stuart, to Jeremy Irons' Simon and Timothy Olyphant's cyber-terrorist Thomas Gabriel. All but Olyphant make an appearance here to talk about their
characters and the experience of making the films.
Sidekicks - Along for the Ride (HD, 19:09): Likewise, the sidekicks and supporting players of the series get their own
appreciation/overview, with appearances by Reginald Veljohnson, De'Voreaux White, Hart Bochner, Kevin Smith, and Justin Long. Sadly, Samuel L.
Jackson doesn't show up to talk about the third film.
Fight Sequences - Punishing Blows (HD, 7:29): John McClane—unlike a lot of action heroes—can be hurt, which gives his fight sequences a
real sense of danger. Stunt coordinators Charles Picerni (Die Hard, Die Hard 2) and Brad Martin (Live Free or Die Hard), among
others, discuss some of the series' most famous mano-a-mano showdowns.
Action - Explosive Effects (HD, 14:37): A breakdown of how some of the explosion/stunt/action/miniature sequences were shot, including
Hans Gruber's famous fall, the ejector seat in the second film, the tunnel flood in Vengeance, and the flipping cars in Live Free or Die
Hard.
The Legacy - The Right Hero for the Time (HD, 8:55): A summing up of sorts, where the various interview subjects reflect on their
experiences and the impact of the series on American action films.
Die Hard Trailers (HD, 8:40)
A Note on the Packaging: The set comes housed in a sturdy cardboard digibook-type case, tucked inside a slipcover of the same material. The
discs slip easily—but not too easily—in and out of waxed sleeves, so I don't imagine you'll have any issues with scratches. The best part of the
case? Flipping through each page and seeing Willis' progressively diminishing amount of hair. This is a sturdy set, and visually, at least, it's an upgrade
over the boring plastic multi-disc case from the previous collection.
No new transfers? No "coming soon" slot to fit the upcoming A Good Day to Die Hard disc? It's hard not to see the Die Hard: 25th
Anniversary Blu-ray Collection as anything but a stop-gap release, here to hype up the new film and fill a void until all five movies can be gathered
together in one set. The only merits here are the new packaging—which does look classy on a shelf compared to the old plastic case—and the inclusion of
a nearly two-hour retrospective on the series, featuring several cast and crew members talking about the making of the movies and their eventual
impact on American action films. I wouldn't say the new bonus content is worth a double-dip, but for those who haven't bought any of the previous
Die Hard releases, this collection makes a decent purchase. Just be aware that it may be outmoded in the not-so-distant future when Fox
inevitably puts out a comprehensive box set that includes A Good Day to Die Hard.
For the week that ended on June 9th, Twentieth Century Fox's A Good Day to Die Hard took the top sales position on the Blu-ray-only chart. This fifth installment in the Die Hard franchise was the series' most critically lambasted entry, though it still performed ...
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