Get this new "Die Hard" Special Edition two-disc DVD release to remind yourself exactly how entertaining an action-blockbuster should be.
TECHNICAL FEATURES
Picture We were rather impressed with the first DVD release of "Die Hard" back in January 2000. The picture quality was an improvement over VHS, but in contrast to this new edition, it's actually quite soft. The film now looks fresh and vibrant with a good decade knocked off it.
Sound You won't have to turn the volume up very far to make your ears bleed on either the Dolby or DTS 5.1 mixes. Both come overloaded with lashings of bass, and a whole new array of exciting directional effects to get your head rotating.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary (Disc One) This blends together comments from director John McTiernan and production designer Jackson DeGovia. DeGovia proves to be an excellent guide to the working style of McTiernan, as well as dropping in comments about his own tricks, which include putting a Pacific Courier truck in this film as well as "Speed" and "Die Hard With a Vengeance". Meanwhile, McTiernan reveals how he turned down the script a couple of times, especially as he wanted to introduce some "joy" into what originally was to have been a nastier film.
Subtitle Commentary (Disc One) This optional commentary allows you to read brand new interview extracts with a host of actors and crew that worked on the film. It's worth sitting through, especially if you select favourite scenes, as the text interview is often relevant to what's on screen.
Extended Branching Version (Disc One) Want more "Die Hard"? Here you can watch a slightly longer version of the film, although sadly this is only due to an optional extended scene where the terrorists are turning off the power supply. This scene is also available as a standalone feature on disc two.
From the Vault This section has two parts to it, one being the deleted scene as described above, and the other is a featurette of bloopers, deleted, and alternate footage. There are a few amusing moments including an 'elite' terrorist response cop pricking himself on a bush as he runs towards the building.
The Cutting Room Here you can edit three scenes from the movie. One of them includes over eight different options.
Multi-Camera Shooting Another three scenes to pull apart, this time with multiple angles which include text captions so you know what camera position you're on and what lens was used.
Audio Mixing Now that you've learned how to ruin the flow of a good scene, why not use this feature to alter the sound levels of the dialogue, effects, and music? It's fun, but hardly a confidence boost to your future career on a film crew.
Why Letterbox? There's a disturbing popularity for fullscreen DVDs out there, and this is here to show such philistines what they're missing with the awful pan and scan process.
Glossary Bone-up with a small glossary of technical terms that'll impress/lose forever your friends.
Interactive Slide Show Not just another dull old image gallery! There's a 'white rabbit' feature that allows you to opt out of various stages in the show to access extended scenes, outtakes, model footage, concept blueprints, and much more.
Ad Campaign Here you'll find three trailers and the original 'making of' featurette that was on the previous "Die Hard" DVD release.
Additional Extra Features You can read the script on your TV (not a DVD-ROM feature), and we should also mention the impressive 3D animated menus that show the TLC that's gone into this release.
Region: 2
Chapters: 55
Ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1
Extra Features: Scene selection, animated menus, multiple language subtitles, and English captions for the hearing impaired.
This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.
