10 Movie Characters Who Became Total Caricatures In Sequels

2. John McClane

The Die Hard franchise is the poster child for action movies getting worse with each installment. The original Die Hard wasn't just great, it was a masterstroke of action, pacing, scene geography, and suspense. And one of the best parts was Bruce Willis as John McClane.

Sure he didn't have the complexity of his book counterpart, but the film isn't as morally grey as the book so it's all fair. Bruce instilled in his character an every-man sense of dread. He was capable and intelligent, yes, but there was never a sense that he was safe. he was outnumbered, outgunned, and didn't even have his shoes. While you knew he was going to win, the film was great at making you wonder how many pieces Hans Gruber would take with him when John takes him down.

And to the series' credit, this kind of vulnerability continues in the next two films, with the second one in particular having John just barely manage to scrape out a win.

Then the fourth and fifth films happened, and suddenly the laws of physics are John McClane's b*tch. All suspense and gripping action tends to be lost when your hero shoots down a helicopter with a car.