Die Hard 30th Anniversary
I love Die Hard. It is one of a handful of films I will watch when I’m channel flipping. This 30th Anniversary Blu-ray release joins a plethora of previous releases (also available in 4K). Unfortunately, like many older films, there was no investment in updating the extras. Some of them, like “Why letterbox?” makes the Blu-ray feel more dated than it needs to.
The best reason to buy this version of Die Hard (thank you 20th Century Fox PR team) is you don’t own a copy of the HD version yet. And this Die Hard edition comes with a digital code so you end up with the iTunes/MoviesAnywhere HD version as a perk to purchasing the disk.
Watching the new disk in its entirety reminds me why I love this film. The everyman hero, the tight script, the shoulder pads and the big 1980s going on 1990s hair (including what would look like big hair on Bruce Willis). Don’t forget the late Alan Rickman and his too cool for cool portrayal of villain Hans Gruber. But for pure sentimentality, I’m always there with Reginald VelJohnson’s under-appreciated cop Sergeant Al Powell.
The digital transfer is good, but it still looks a little late ’80s, and it should. The soundtrack shakes and rattles on surround sound systems like my new Polk Soundbar with Alexa.
Now that I’ve shared my thoughts on the 30th Anniversary Blu-ray, I’ll Die Hard aside for a couple of months and pull it out when its time to watch Christmas movies.
What would John McClane say to Elf? Yippe Ki-Yay M#*^%r F&$#@r, of course.
The extras include (also available on the iTunes version):
- Commentary by Director John McTiernan and Production Designer Jackson DeGovia
- Scene-specific commentary by Richard Edlund
- Subtitle commentary by cast and crew.
- Outtakes (Turning off the Power. Multiple versions)
- The Newscasts
- Why Letterbox?
- Ad Campaign Featurette
- Trailers and TV Spots
- Full-Length Screenplay
- Decoding Die Hard: The Right Hero for the Right Time
- Ultimate Die Hard Franchise Trailer
Fox also released the DIE HARD 5-FILM BOX SET to their collections with the limited edition Blu-ray™ Steelbook, available only at Walmart and Best Buy. The box set includes the films:
- DIE HARD (1988)
- DIE HARD 2 (1990)
- DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE (1995)
- LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD (2007)
- A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD (2013)