Few action film franchises have had the staying power of the Die Hard series, which has just found its latest streaming home. With five entries from 1988 to 2013, protagonist John McClane has seen a lot of action over the years, and the character has taken his place among the most iconic heroes in action cinema, standing alongside the likes of other great Johns such as Keanu Reeves’ John Wick and Sylvester Stallone’s John Rambo. While not every entry has been highly acclaimed or successful, each adds something different to the formula, both for better or worse.
The Die Hard series launched the action career of star Bruce Willis, who had previously been known primarily for his comedic roles in the hit television series Moonlighting and the 1987 comedy film Blind Date, where Willis starred opposite Kim Basinger. The first Die Hard movie also launched the career of the late Alan Rickman, who would later go on to star in yet another huge franchise, the Harry Potter series, where he portrayed Professor Severus Snape. Die Hard has offered so much to the world of cinema overall, and continue reading if you’d like to know where you can stream each of John McClane’s adventures.
Die Hard Movies in Order of Release Date
- Die Hard – July 15, 1988
- Die Hard 2 – July 4, 1990
- Die Hard with a Vengeance – May 19, 1995
- Live Free or Die Hard – June 27, 2007
- A Good Day to Die Hard – February 14, 2013
Die Hard Movies in Chronological Order of Events
‘Die Hard’
The one that started it all, the original Die Hard, remains one of the best and most iconic action films of all time, and it is now streaming on Hulu, along with its four sequels. Upon our first meeting with Willis’ John McClane, he’s a struggling New York cop on the fringe of divorce from his wife, when he decides to accept her invite to an office Christmas party at Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles. All the while, a group of terrorists led by Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber hijack the tower and take McClane’s wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) and her co-workers hostage. McClane, being the only one left in the building not accounted for, must become an unlikely hero and save the day in what is still an exhilarating rush from beginning to end.
Die Hard was the highest-grossing action movie of 1988, and the film garnered four Academy Award nominations for Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Visual Effects. Critics weren’t nearly as kind to John McTiernan’s masterpiece upon release, however, as it received rather mixed reviews before being reappraised years later to the immense acclaim it deserves. Die Hard was released as a summer blockbuster in July of ’88, but it has since become a major Christmas classic, often being viewed around the holidays alongside more conventional holiday favorites, which is one of a million things that make it an all-timer.
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‘Die Hard 2’
Die Hard 2 (also referred to as Die Hard 2: Die Harder) is a rock-solid follow-up to its incomparable predecessor, and it is also streaming now on Hulu. The sequel once more followed John McClane as he takes on another group of terrorists, this time in a Washington, D.C.-based airport, where planes have been forced to fly over the airport with no way to land, on the verge of running out of fuel. McClane’s adversary this time around was Col. William Stuart, played by William Sadler.Stuart is easily the most unhinged of John McClane’s foes throughout the series, and he presents an unpredictable threat to McClane and the innocents trapped in this hostage situation.
Die Hard 2 exceeded expectations at the box office, doubling the gross of the original movie, and by the end of 1990, it was the seventh highest-grossing movie of the year. Critics were easier on this one, as the sequel received mostly positive reviews upon release, primarily praising the action and tone of the film. Die Hard 2 remains a well-liked entry in this franchise and yet another fun Christmas action flick, but it admittedly fails to capture that same indescribable magic of the original, which it never really stood a chance at.
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‘Die Hard with a Vengeance’
The third film in the Die Hard series, which is also streaming on Hulu, found Bruce Willis teaming up with Samuel L. Jackson to take down the brother of Hans Gruber, Simon, played by Academy Award-winner Jeremy Irons. The film is the first to be set in New York, where McClane is finally seen in his own jurisdiction as he plays a literal game of ‘Simon Says’, hopefully leading him to Gruber and putting a stop to his plans to rob the Federal Reserve Building. Along the way, McClane strikes up an unlikely partnership with Samuel L. Jackson’s Zeus, a Harlem-based store owner who gets mixed up with McClane’s race against time.
Die Hard with a Vengeance was a smash hit at the box office, becoming the 10th highest-grossing movie of 1995 worldwide with a haul of $100 million, not adjusted for inflation. However, this entry didn’t do as well critically, receiving mixed reviews despite the return of John McTiernan behind the camera, as Die Hard 2 was helmed by director Renny Harlin. It has since become a fan-favorite and is widely considered by many to be the best of the Die Hard sequels.
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‘Live Free or Die Hard’
Arriving 12 years after Die Hard with a Vengeance, 2007’s Live Free or Die Hard (streaming on Hulu) brought John McClane into a new generation as the New York City cop must join forces with a young hacker (Justin Long) to bring down cyberterrorist Thomas Gabriel, played by Timothy Olyphant. The choice to move the series into a more modern space and examine the growth of technology over the decades was a wise choice that helped this entry stand apart from the others. This was also the first and only Die Hard movie to be rated PG-13, which also helps with the distinction of this film among the series.
Live Free or Die Hard ended up being the highest-grossing movie in the entire series, grossing $388 million worldwide. Critics were far more positive in their consensus of Live Free or Die Hard versus its predecessor, and it remains a generally liked entry among fans. The most controversial aspect of this fourth film was the PG-13 rating, which was amended for the fifth movie, for better or worse.
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‘A Good Day to Die Hard’
The fifth and final Die Hard movie was 2013’s A Good Day to Die Hard, also streaming on Hulu. This final entry sees John McClane teaming up with his now grown-up son Jack (Jai Courtney), who is revealed to be an undercover CIA operative on a mission in Russia. The two get mixed in with Russia’s underworld and end up in a race to stop World War III in what is easily the goofiest series entry by far.
A Good Day to Die Hard was a complete disappointment across the board. While the fifth Die Hard movie performed well enough overseas to get it just over $300 million worldwide, but only $67 million of that gross was from the United States, making it the lowest-grossing film in the series domestically. This wasn’t helped by the abysmal reception from both critics and audiences and the instant reputation of being the worst film in the franchise. Director John Moore’s vision for this film simply didn’t match the tone of Die Hard, and the film ultimately comes off as a soulless cash-grab rather than a genuine John McClane adventure.
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