Ok, I really, really wasn’t looking forward towards this film. I mean, c’mon, most movies only work as trilogies, and even then at least one of the movies isn’t that great (in this case Renny Harlin’s marginal critical success Die Hard 2: Die Harder).

Then, just a week before it came out, and sifting through trailers that sounded somewhat…overblown, lame and lacking in plot. After dealing with the fact that Mac Boy Justin Long (who I think is one of the most boring actors on the face of the earth, granted I had only really seen him in Waiting, where his performance was strong but just dull), was “John McClane’s son”- YES my own personal misconstruction of the plot (only because at one point Justin Timberlake was cast as “John McClane’s Son” and Britney Spears as “John McClanes Daughter,” then Jessica Simpson…etc etc)…well in any case up until two weeks ago I could only think of a few valid ideas: This movie is going to be BS like nobodies business. And hey, I love Lethal Weapon 4. So Sue me.

Well, just two weeks ago, a friend recommended it to me, the critics started going apeshit about how it is the best movie of the summer, and considering its the only step up- a Quadrilogy rather than another freaking Threequel, I at least could stop fearing the response being the same as the Anti-Sequel Brigade that America had (thankfully) become from reigning hell fire down on Bruce Willis’s bald headed All American Hero.

So I got into it. Mostly, and this is the Honest To God Truth (TM), because I wanted to get my mom to go to the movies- she doesn’t get a lot of chances anymore, and Die Hard is one of her favorite series. When I saw an interview with Bruce Willis saying “It’s better than the original” I decided, “Ok, fine, I’ll give it a swig.”

And oh…my…GOD this was a strong drink of perfect action, awesome villains, big explosions and that Americana edge we all grew up knowing and loving in the late 80’s. The call to American Action has returned, and now it is mixed. We had free running, kung fu, cyber hacking and all these new things integrated into an old-fashioned blockbuster, and its the best I’ve seen yet. The best action movie since Casino Royale- possibly even BETTER as an action movie (though of course not in terms of depth of plot and character), and all the money being shown on the screen, John McClane has risen to the ranks of one of the greatest Action Heroes of all time.

In celebration to this glorious achievement of film making, from some left-as-hell field from Len Wisemen (how the HELL did he go from Underworld: This Thing Is Crap, to this?) I’m now going to post the ultimate DIE HARD tribute: DIE HARD by Guyz Nite