Here is why this is the most un-Die Hard movie of them all.

Ironically, although this was the first movie to be intentionally written as a DH flick, it is the least DH of them all. Some say LFODH is an equal contender, but I think it is much more of a DH movie than this. Here are my problems with the movie, both small and large.

P.S
Don't attack me unless you read the whole thing.

BIG PROBLEMS

-John went to his son's trial and was somewhat prepared. This movie barely uses the wrong place, wrong time theme. The first two are Christmas vacations that go wrong, 3rd is him having to reluctantly work while suspended, 4th he is about to go home after a long day and has to do one last pick-up. In the 5th film, he specifically takes time off to go see his son's trial and suspects that something may go wrong. He is at the right place at the right time in this movie.

-He is a side kick in his son's adventure. Right from the start we jump into a situation that his son started and is in the middle of. Unlike the other films, if John had not been at the trial, nothing much would have changed. John helps fight and inspires his son to trudge on in the 3rd act, but aside from that everything would have gone basically the same. In the first 4 films he is a key figure to the development of the plot, in this one he is Sam Jackson and Justin Long, and even they served more of a purpose.

-John is still sparkling clean at the end. For me, one of the most iconic things about DH is seeing John get slowly more and more beat up and bloody, to the point where he is barely moving at the end. This not only reflects his character, but reflects reality as well (even if the jet chase doesn't). In this movie, he not only sustains some of the most brutal injuries, but he has almost no blood or bruise makeup through the whole thing! But guess what? His son does... Maybe Bruce wanted to look good till the end? I don't know but it drives me frickin' nuts.

-John is having way too much fun, and not in the right way. He is usually the reluctant hero who does what is right but wants it to end as soon as possible. Joking along the way just to get by. He is like a teenager playing a video game in this movie. He doesn't seem truly concerned about the danger, is overly cocky and casual. He very much has the pigheaded "I am American and I can do whatever I want to in your dumb country" attitude. He annoyingly screams "I'm on vacation" a million times in anger, but something tells me that there is nothing else he would rather be doing than shooting Russians with his son. It is much less honorable and more psychotic. Maybe John has finally cracked and is having PTSD like symptoms? If they take the next movie in this direction I can forgive it, but for now it is an inconsistent characterization, and one that makes him unlikable.

NITPICKS

-Too short. All other DH are a little over two hours, this one barely has an hour and a half's worth of material.

-1.85 aspect ratio. All other DH movies are 2.35. I personally like consistency of aspect ratios in franchises. I understand this is because of IMAX, but still, it's yet another thing that is different from the others.

-Cheesy slow-mo happy ending. Luckily they took this out of the "extended" cut, but the original ending where they get off the plane is vomit inducing. All other DH movies end overlooking the final carnage and destruction. Thankfully the director realized this, even if it was too late.

-Lucky's characterization. They sanitized her from the plucky bad-ass daughter of John McClane to a woman who does nothing but wait for the boys to get back home while she sits quietly. Many are confused as to why Lucy was later cut from the film, but I wholeheartedly support it. This way Lucy is still the same headstrong person we grew to love. Plus that stupid scene where John talks to her on the phone during a car chase to say that he can't talk right now is gone.

-The inclusion of an overly sexualized woman. The daughter of the one guy they rescue is the first female DH character who's main purpose is to be eye candy. Yes she has purpose for the plot, but clearly her looks are why they cast her/wrote her in. This is not only a tired cliche but broke a longstanding streak of well written female side characters in the franchise.

Just to be positive...

SOME THINGS I LIKED

-The cinematography (aside from the ratio) and the use of film with a hard grain. I honestly think it is one of the best looking DH films, even if it is the worst.

-That car chase. No CGI, great camera work and when you have seen a lot of dash cam videos, it makes this much more plausible than your average car chase. Basically the only reason to watch this movie.

-It takes place over one day, one of the few aspects of a DH movie they stuck to.

-The title. I am glad they kept on with the DH puns instead of calling it something like "Son of John McClane", "The McClanes" or "McClane and Son". Now that the title for the next movie "John McClane" has been revealed, I respect this movie for at least not doing a desperate title change.