Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Blu-ray Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.0

Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Blu-ray Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Yippee-ki-yay, double-dippers!

Reviewed by Casey Broadwater January 30, 2013

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 For now, this “25th Anniversary Collection” is a soon-to-be-outdated way to hype up the release of the new film.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:

Die Hard

Die Hard 2: Die Harder

Die Hard with a Vengeance

Live Free or Die Hard

Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Blu-ray Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Blu-ray Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Blu-ray Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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.

Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Blu-ray Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.