“Live Free or Die Hard may work better for an audience that doesn't know much about the series is than it will for Die Hard die hards, who will be wondering who that impersonator is and what he did with the real John McClane. The original Die Hard came out of nowhere to blitz the 1988 summer box office. The fourth installment arrives with a weight of expectations that Atlas would have trouble shouldering and, when the dust settles in September, it's unlikely that Live Free or Die Hard will be one of this year's big success stories.” KnowsYearsMayRealHardStoriesBigsDiesWonderAudienceTroubleOfficeSummerExpectationsWeightOriginalsSeriesBoxesDustSettlingFourthSeptemberUnlikelyBox OfficeAtlasSuccess StoriesLive FreeBlitzImpersonators Author:James Berardinelli
“It's rare that the sequel to a good movie lives up to expectations. Such is the case with Die Hard 2, the somewhat-muddled but still entertaining return of Bruce Willis' John McClane. Fortunately, the original Die Hard was good enough that there's room for the second installment to be enjoyable while still not matching the pace or possessing the flair of its predecessor.” StillsHardEnoughDiesRoomsCasesReturnExpectationsOriginalsGood EnoughPaceEntertainingEnjoyablePossessingGood MovieSequelsPredecessorsMatchingFlair Author:James Berardinelli
“Seventeen years after its intial release, The Empire Strikes Back is still as thrilling and involving as ever. Because of the high quality of the original product, it doesn't show a hint of dating. Neither [Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope nor Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi] were able to match the narrative scope of Empire, which today remains one of the finest and most rousing science fiction tales ever committed to the screen.” YearsStillsWarShowsTodayAbleStarsFictionQualityProductsReturnDatingOriginalsRemainsScience FictionCommittedStrikesScreensTalesReleaseNarrativeEmpiresEpisodesFinestScopeThrillingHintsInvolvingSeventeenHigh QualityNew HopeStrike BackEmpire Strikes Back Author:James Berardinelli
