That day that couples love and dread in almost equal measure has come and gone for another year. I'm sure there were plenty of folks waiting for Friday for the cash infusion to fund your date night, postponing dinner and a movie for a day. For my husband and myself it was also the opportunity to watch the latest Jon McClane story, A Good Day to Die Hard. Now, I was introduced to the series by an ex-boyfriend a little over 12 years ago. He loved the movies with all the gratuitous violence and explosions. I wasn't as much a fan until Live Free or Die Hard came out in 2007. Best line: "You just killed a helicopter with a car!"
Tonight's action packed exploding addition to the franchise was fun to watch, but it wasn't until the credits rolled that I truly appreciated the work that went into the making of this film. For the first time in a long a while I had watched a movie that contained few computerized effects! It was shot on film, using Arri cameras and lens with several film crews. As expected, the credit list for stunt men and women was extremely long, but then when we expected to see list after list of animation and image experts there were none. I love that the explosion were "real" and shot simultaneously from multiple angles. No wonder it was filmed outside of the US, the insurance might have strangled the production.
The audio mixers/editors must have had a blast pulling all of the elements together too. There were some wonderful moments when you really feel their work, almost all of the ambient sound dissipates when the focus is the overwhelming shock and surprise that a bystander might actually feel. I particularly enjoyed the ending - not quite riding off into the sunset, but a similar feel. A little sentimental, but for an action hero who has made us laugh in impossible situations it just seems to work.
Sadly, the film is getting a lot of negative press by the film critics. True, the story is a continuation of McClane's adventures and true, this time he is reuniting with his son. But, if you go into expecting a Die Hard movie shot "Old School" then you'll have fun. We had a good time and I hope you do too!
