Die Hard Collection: Nakatomi Plaza Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Die Hard Collection: Nakatomi Plaza Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 15, 2015

If there’s one thing the Die Hard films proved, it’s that it’s hard to keep a good man (like Bruce Willis’ John McClane) down. That same proclivity might be afforded to 20th Century Fox’s own tendencies with regard to this venerable film franchise, for the studio seems intent on re- releasing the various Die Hard films every so often in a variety of new “editions”, which basically boil down to packaging. Fox has already seen fit to release Die Hard Collection, Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Collection and Die Hard Legacy Collection. Now Fox is offering fans the perhaps ludicrously over the top Nakatomi Plaza Die Hard Collection, which features the five Die Hard films (all previously released), plus a bonus disc and some other swag, all housed in a plastic skyscraper which Blu-ray fans might not so surprisingly find next to impossible to house conveniently with the bulk of their disc collection.

You know you're in the realm of a packaging centered release when some of the most salient information in the review is statistical (so to speak), with a tape measure involved, but here goes anyway. The release comes housed in a large cardboard box with a see-through window. The box measures 16.5" high x 8 1/8" deep x 8" wide. The box opens from the bottom (see accompanying picture) and then the lucky consumer gets to dig through an almost absurd amount of interstitial cardboard flaps, as if to suggest John McClane himself burrowing up through various subbasements to get to the good stuff. Inside is the plastic replica of Nakatomi Plaza, which measures approximately 15" high, mounted on a base which measures 7 1/8" square. A pop open hatch on the front of the base contains the Blu-rays and the other swag.

Now as to actual reviews of the five Die Hard films, you say? How do you feel about becoming John McClane yourself and going on a bit of an exciting snark hunt for appropriate material? (The foregoing said in jest, of course.) First, go to Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Collection Blu-ray review, which will in turn point you to our individual reviews of the first four films. Then take the secret passage to A Good Day to Die Hard Blu-ray review, which discusses the final film. The set includes:

• Die Hard
• Die Hard 2: Die Harder
• Die Hard: With A Vengeance
• Live Free or Die Hard (includes Unrated Version)
• A Good Day to Die Hard (includes Unrated Version)

Die Hard Collection: Nakatomi Plaza Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

See the above linked reviews for info on video quality of each release.

Die Hard Collection: Nakatomi Plaza Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

See the above linked reviews for info on audio quality of each release.

Die Hard Collection: Nakatomi Plaza Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The bonus disc in this set contains the following supplements:

• Decoding Die Hard (1080p; 1:47:01) is a set of seven interesting featurettes focusing on various aspects of the film:

  Origins - Reinventing the Action Genre

  John McClane - Modern Day Hero

  Villains - Bad to the Bone

  Sidekicks - Along for the Ride

  Fight Sequences - Punishing Blows

  Action - Explosive Effects

  The Legacy - The Right Hero for the Right Time

Note: See great write-ups on all of the above featurettes in Casey Broadwater's excellent Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Collection Blu-ray review.


• Die Hard Trailers (1080p; 8:40) includes:

  Die Hard

  Die Hard 2

  Die Hard With a Vengeance

  Live Free or Die Hard

  A Good Day to Die Hard

Additional swag includes five villain card printed on heavy cardstock and a Behind the Scenes booklet filled with lots of photos and little factoids about the various films.

Die Hard Collection: Nakatomi Plaza Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This release really comes down to packaging and not much else. Maybe somewhere out there there are really committed Die Hard fans who want a plastic replica of Nakatomi Plaza in their lives. Those folks can knock themselves out with this release, but other, more conservatively minded, fans might consider any of the many previous releases of the films and bonus content.