Hi-Def Preview

Die Hard Quadrilogy

Fox Home Entertainment

Release Date: 11/20/2007

Review By: JoeRod

Die Hard

Picture Quality - 3/5

Audio Quality - 3/5

Special Features - 2.5/5

OVERALL - 3/5

Die Harder

Picture Quality - 3/5

Audio Quality - 3/5

Special Features - 3/5

OVERALL - 3/5

Die Hard With A Vengeance

Picture Quality - 4/5

Audio Quality - 3.5/5

Special Features - 3/5

OVERALL - 4/5

Live Free or Die Hard

Picture Quality - 4.5/5

Audio Quality - 4/5

Special Features - 3/5

OVERALL - 4.5/5

Comments: The Die Hard Collection is in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. I was very excited to see one of my favorite collections come to Blu ray. Bruce Willis has never looked better in full HD! I was a big fan of the DTHEATER version of Die Hard so I was happy to see it match and in some areas surpass it in 1080p. The title does look a little dated (from 1988) but that is perfectly understandable. I liked the colors and the fleshtones were near perfect. Black levels were consistent and shadow detail was not bad at all. The worse effect the movie suffered from was excessive grain in some scenes. There was also a little dirt that I thought could have been cleaned up some. Still, seeing John McClane on top of the building asking the 911 operator if he sounded like he was ordering a pizza brought back a lot of memories!

Die Harder looked a lot like the first title. It suffered from much of the same noise cause by excessive grain. Some scenes did look spectacular though and if there had been more I would have gladly raised my picture score up to a 4! Fleshtones were great again as were the night scenes. Color was rendered nicely throughout the movie. I really enjoyed Die Harder and again seeing John McClane tell the woman in the airport just the fax Mam was just as funny the first time I saw it. Of course that was on a VHS tape! I never would have believed the day would come when I would see this title in full HD!

Die Hard With A Vengeance is defintiely a step up in terms of picture quality. There is a lot less excessive grain. Noise is hardly visible. Fleshtones remain near perfect and colors are brilliant. This movie has always been just as much a comedy as an action title. Samual Jackson helped make this one very entertaining. The level of detail and sharpness come into focus and is very noticable if you watch the collection in order. I still can't complain about the other titles because to me they all came out better than average!

Live Free or Die Hard is one of Fox's best Blu ray titles to date. With great shadow detail and inky blacks this one should not be missed. Fleshtones are spot on perfect! The darker feel of this movie is captured nicely with the deeper colors. Considering the age of John McClane he still holds his own in full HD! Live Free or Die Hard is definitely worth at least a rental or if you are a fan of the series then a must own. I could not find much to complain about. It looks so good the other titles don't stand a chance.

The Die Hard Collection soundtracks are all in DTS-HD Lossless. I was impressed on how well the older titles sounded. Guns when fired sounded distinct and clear. Explosions really give your subwoofer a run for the money. Dialogue sounds very good in all the titles. The surrounds will see plenty of action to. I was thrilled to see (or hear) the entire collection was getting DTS-HD soundtracks. Fox really worked hard to make this collections debut on Blu ray well worth the wait. You will be pleasantly surprised how well each title sounds especially the latest Live Free or Die Hard!

The Special Features are pretty much the same as the SD dvds. You get deleted scenes and plenty of commentary from the actors and directors. You will also get some Still Gallery pics which are entertaining to see. I also like watching the theatrical trailors that each movie has. Now those bring back memories.

Overall I am like a kid in a candy shop watching the Blu ray version of The Die Hard Collection. I have always enjoyed these movies and being able to see them in 1080p with DTS-HD sound is like a dream come true. Like I already mentioned if you are a fan of John McClane then it does not get any better than this! Buy it!