Warning: Major spoilers for Carry-On below!Netflix's new intense thriller Continue remake one of the best Die Hard sequels – but it improves the premise in some important ways. THE Die Hard the films were so successful that they spawned an entire subgenre, be it “Die Hard on a Boat” (Under siege) or “Die Hard in the White House” (Olympus has fallen). Continue does nothing to hide its connections to the Bruce Willis classic, as TSA agent Ethan has to stop Jason Bateman's mercenary at an airport on Christmas Eve.
Continue casts Taron Egerton as Ethan, which is the kind of everyman hero Willis plays Die Hard. Most of the genre's tropes are also correct and present, including an intellectual villain and the hero having to use his wits to save the day. Despite all the comparisons with the original, Continue looks more like a remake of Die Hard 2: Die Harder instead of. Both films take place in a crowded airport during the Christmas season, but the Netflix thriller really makes the most of the premise.
Carry-On makes better use of its airport setting than Die Hard 2
Carry-On earns the “Die Hard in an Airport” badge
The original Die Hard It was never intended to spawn a sequel, but it was too successful for the studio not to pursue one. The follow-up takes place at Dulles International Airport, where terrorists hold planes for ransom during a snowstorm. It is a unique setting, but after initially conveying the feeling of chaos that accompanies people traveling during the holidays, the airport scene takes a back seat as McClane runs through the underground tunnels or other locations.
Continue it feels customized around its setting, with Ethan's role in the TSA being central to the plot. The audience gets a behind-the-scenes look at how an airport manages the holiday rush and the processes behind passenger screening. Director Jaume Collet-Serra (Non-stop) also does an excellent job establishing the geography of the airport and using locations like the baggage screening area to stage a big fight sequence. Contrary to the more exaggerated scenarios of Die Hard 2the action remains just the right side of the grounded.
Although he felt more like a normal guy caught in extraordinary circumstances in Die Hardthe sequel made Willis' McClane more of a supercop. This includes being more willing to jump headfirst into gunfights or jump onto the wing of a moving plane. Hand luggage Ethan is the opposite and often has to overcome his own fear to solve problems. Ethan is one of the most relatable protagonists the 'Die Hard on a Blank' genre has seen in a whileand the film is all the better for it.
Die Hard 2 suffered from a common '90s sequel problem
Die Harder really cranked up the explosions
Die Hard 2 It's a great action film, full of memorable dialogue and scenarios. Of course, it still pales in comparison to the first entry, with Bruce Willis himself not liking it Die Hard 2 for this reason. Die harder fell into a common sequel problem of this era, as it simply remade the original – just adding a greater number of bodies and explosions. It already strains credulity that McClane finds himself involved in other terrorist siege at Christmas – let alone one that also involved his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) or reporter Richard Thornburg (William Atherton).
Die harder It's still a fun ride and Willis is fantastic as McClane, but it often feels so close to the original that it might as well be called Die Hard 1.5.
This was simply how studios used to approach sequels, believing that everyone in the audience wanted it to be more of the same. This confuses the formula a bit; the villain, Colonel Stuart (William Sadler), is a genuine physical threat to McClane, while the terrorists actually make good on their promise to shoot down a plane to prove how far they will go. The sequel is still fun and Willis is fantastic as McClane, but it often feels so close to the original that it might as well be called Die Hard 1.5.
Carry-On Would Have Been A Great Die Hard Prequel
A prequel/sequel called McClane has already been planned as the sixth Die Hard
Continue obviously has no connection with the Die Hard franchise, but it feels like a prequel of sorts anyway. Ethan is a grumpy guy expecting a child with his girlfriend Nora (Sofia Carson) before he is suddenly thrust into a dangerous situation. It is only thanks to his unexpected intelligence and ingenuity that he manages to save Nora and the passengers on a plane. By his good deeds, Ethan finally achieves his dream of becoming a police officer in Hand luggage end.
|
All Die Hard Film |
|
|---|---|
|
Die Hard (1988) |
94% |
|
Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990) |
69% |
|
Die with strength and revenge (1995) |
60% |
|
Live Free or Die Hard (2007) |
82% |
|
A good day to die (2013) |
15% |
A rewrite could have turned the film into a prequel about McClane's first encounter with a Die Hard scenario. In fact, there were plans for a sixth Die Hard dubbed McClanewhich would have followed a case from the titular detective's past, with Willis reprising the role in the modern day, while a younger actor would have played John in the past. After years of development, the prequel/sequel was canceled in 2019. For anyone who needs a Die Hard fix, however, Continue It's one of the best in the subgenre to come along in a while.
Source: Rotten tomatoes