a solid sequel

It's difficult to take any movie subtitled Die Harder seriously and that really is a good thing. Luckily, this sequel to 1988's Die Hard seems slyly aware of its own preposterousness and plays like one great, big, tongue-in-cheek cheese fest.

Much like a James Bond film, Die Hard 2 is full of ridiculous, logic bending, kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull-like superhuman stunts, but its bravado forces you to say, 'Who cares about all that!?' It's so far outside of the realm of reality that it defies you to make a critical remark.

Die Hard 2 doesn’t fall into the trap of making itself too similar to the first like many sequels of this type can. Even though every nod possible is made to the previous film, with many of the previous characters making a return, Die Harder still seems like a film that can stand on its own. These days, in an age where Hollywood seems to be re-making and re-booting everything in sight, this film stands out as a real gem from the golden age of action.

Of course, the perfect ringleader for all the jolly destruction is Bruce Willis, the man who has built a career largely on his ability to look good while suffering great physical hardships. He's the perfect 'Iron Everyman' for the rough and tumble Die Hard series. If they ever try and make a Die Hard film without him I doubt it ever be nearly as successful, Bruce Willis is Die hard.

An absolute must see for any action fans, even though the (nearly) realism and the outstanding villain that were present in the first film are not present here, it is a fresh non stop film that, in a lot of ways, improves on it’s predecessor, and isn’t that what sequels are meant to do?