Movie, TV, Web Series, and Music Hot Take(s).
- Thread starter BrawlMan
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Ok, why? For me, the film being set at Christmas, revolving around the main character getting invited to a Christmas party, "Now I have a machine gun ho ho ho", the thing about them needing a miracle and it being the season for them etc put it into Christmas territory.
The sequel I think just happens at Christmas.
"Christmas movies" generally tend to be those that inherently and intentionally evoke the storied "Christmas spirit," where families come together despite hardships or conflict, or those with overt appearances of Santa or Rudolph; there's typically sleighbells or some miracle that restores someone's faith over their intrinsic, anti-holidays cynicism, etc. Die Hard is not any of those things as "Christmas" is not the central theme, rather it is simply the setting. To the same effect, it could easily be a Tuesday night in July, or maybe it could be a Halloween party where John finds the same machine gun and goes "trick or treating" instead of "ho ho ho." Die Hard is not a Christmas movie by most reasonable definitions; the age-old argument is just another to set the internet aflame with pointless, divisive debate. How many people are watching A Miracle on 34th Street in April, and is there any time of year other than Christmas that it'd be weird to see someone watching Die Hard? If the answer to the former is "any is weird," and "absolutely not" to the latter, you agree: Die Hard is not a Christmas movie; it is a classic and timeless movie arbitrarily set during the Christmas season.
Also it was released in July.
I get it, it's pretty much a Christmas movie now, but that's likely not how it was intended, and I don't fault people for not seeing it as a Christmas movie.
I get it, it's pretty much a Christmas movie now, but that's likely not how it was intended, and I don't fault people for not seeing it as a Christmas movie.
An ass kicking Chrismas movie. Therefore also a Christmas movie.
Funny enough, both of my parents still considered it a Christmas movie the moment it came out, way before I was born.
Die Hard is about family (that is the core theme) and a Grinch stealing Christmas.
There's no logic to follow in your sentiment outside of circular logic; you literally just made two statements without any reason behind either that isn't dependent on the other.
Remove all things Christmas-related to this movie, leave all the rest, and explain how it is fundamentally changed. You can't, because nothing changes because it's not a Christmas movie. It could easily have been a 4th of July party, the boss' birthday celebration, a Halloween party, St. Patrick's Day, literally any celebratory event that puts John McClane in the Nakatomi Tower climbing through air ducts eluding terrorists, and nothing changes. I already stated it plainly:
It's been the zeitgeist for decades to take the "controversial" stance that Die Hard is a Christmas movie when all signs point to it being nigh fundamentally anything but that. If you or anyone wants to consider it a Christmas movie, fine, but by that same logic, I can consider goods imported from China as "locally sourced" since China is on the same planet as America.
Must have missed the part where Hans Gruber put on a menacing grimace before escaping through the chimney with a sack of gifts slung over his shoulder. Or maybe he didn't fall multiple stories to his death at the end; maybe Santa swooped in on his sleigh, and Gruber's heart grew three sizes that day...
I don't care either, I'd just like to hear a rational explanation other than "it's a Christmas movie, full stop." And you don't owe me that explanation, btw, just have yet to hear anyone of your mindset justify it, and would like to hear you (or anyone) try if you're so adamant in your resolve. @Casual Shinji even pointed out it released in July, the middle of the Summer, so its association with Christmas is entirely arbitrary. You don't see The Hallmark Channel dropping objectively Christmas movies in July for a very specific reason: no one is looking for/expects Christmas movies in July. Christmas just happened to be the time of year the writers chose to set the events of the film; could easily have been any other time of year with literally no impact to it whatsoever.
Good for you. So it evens out.
I and most others consider it a christmas movie. Deal with it.
There's nothing for me to "deal with;" I invited you to discuss your reasoning for your opinion, and you can't do it. But for the record, your mom, dad, and brother aren't "most people" for as often as you cite them anecdotally as evidence of a broader opinion.
So for my hot take: people who think Die Hard is a Christmas movie belong in the same boat as flat earthers and moon landing deniers.
That's taking it way too far. My parents and brother are none of those things. They always give credit in science and achievement when it's due or simple actual facts. They know the earth is round, and the moon landings actually happened. My parents were there for the moon landing, watching it on t v. They can do that and still consider Die Hard movie as a Christmas movie.
You don't consider Die Hard a christmas movie? Okay then (I will always disagree on that), but let's have actual class and not try to degrade people's intelligence for thinking differently or making them the equivalent of flat earther and moon deniers. That's a stupid, beyond petty and beyond silly.
I'm being largely hyperbolic in the comparison flat earthers and moon deniers, but my sentiment stands: saying a movie is a Christmas movie when it literally has nothing to do with Christmas save for incidentally taking place during that holiday is "beyond silly." Hot take; I know.
That was one of the primary themes of the movie, surely?
This parodied, albeit briefly, by Hans Gruber. "It's Christmas, it's the time for miracles."
Well, perhaps, but then is there any reason that a variety of spirits/ghosts need to hassle rich old guys on Christmas, and not some other day? A Christmas Carol doesn't have to be set at Christmas for the fundamental story to work, and yet surely you'd say it's a Christmas story?
It should also be pointed out that the whole reason John is there in the first place is a bit of coming to spend time with family during Christmas.
Also, it feels like this whole debate about whether or not it qualifies as a Christmas movie can be summed up by the interaction over the Run DMC song that Argyle plays.
EDIT: Eh, besides in a meta sense it has to be a Christmas movie because it's the only action movie to choose from. You're spoiled for choice for dramas, comedies, even horror, but pretty barren otherwise.
Plus, Die Hard is probably the closest you can legitimately make a "Christmas" action movie before you veer into Red One or that parody movie from Scrooged territory;
Also, it feels like this whole debate about whether or not it qualifies as a Christmas movie can be summed up by the interaction over the Run DMC song that Argyle plays.
EDIT: Eh, besides in a meta sense it has to be a Christmas movie because it's the only action movie to choose from. You're spoiled for choice for dramas, comedies, even horror, but pretty barren otherwise.
Plus, Die Hard is probably the closest you can legitimately make a "Christmas" action movie before you veer into Red One or that parody movie from Scrooged territory;
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You can say the same thing about Home Alone, you can move it to Thanksgiving or Easter or merely a Summer vacation that Kevin misses the flight.
Yes, it was, but there are innumerable movies with that central theme alone that are not Christmas movies, and innumerable such movies where Christmas is a central theme.
Because Christmas was the setting, of course they nod to it.
I appreciate a good devil's advocate, but you're reaching here. Again Christmas is the THEME of A Christmas Carol; it's in the title. Scrooge is visited by ghost of Christmas; the story is about evoking the Christmas spirit.
Strongest argument I've heard so far.
Look, I'll put it this way, everything "Christmas" about Die Hard is so non-prevalent, it doesn't feel like it's the point, especially not enough to call it a Christmas movie.
I don't mind the ending to the new Running Man movie. It's not too different from 80s version ending, but both go in their own directions. Cause if you're going to complain about the new one's ending, then you might as well complain about the original's ending. Plus, an ending like this is needed around this current time frame.
Some movies are just willed into becoming Christmas movies like say It's a Wonderful Life that really has nothing to do with Christmas besides the very end (Die Hard is definitely more a Christmas movie) and it was then played during Christmas for years and still because networks don't have to pay anything to play it. I feel that Die Hard has stronger Christmas ties and theming than something like Lethal Weapon that is also a cop action movie that takes place during Christmas. And Die Hard has become a Christmas tradition for many like It's a Wonderful Life as well whereas Lethal Weapon hasn't.