So I was 13 when Die Hard came out and being that age in the 80s raised on cable and VHS rentals put it square in my wheelhouse. But by summer 88 the idea of the One Man Army action star felt beyond stale.
It was just a tired idea. And while I was a big Moonlighting fan and liked Willis it just didn’t seem like a very original idea. Had little to no interest in seeing it.
But then it became a surprise late summer hit. Yes it came out mid-July but it was the definition of a word of mouth sleeper. It gained steam in august and that’s when it really opened up. In fact what I remember thinking at the time was that I learned that a plot concept doesn’t need to be totally original if all the components are well-made.
The “Everyman” thing only ever half landed for me since even at the time Bruce was a buff action star looking guy, if not a Sly or Arnold. And of course the franchise eventually wasted that goodwill turning him into an indestructible farce. Fortunately you can still enjoy the OG entry and not have to think about where it all went from there