10 Most Insulting Movie Sequels Ever

What two words do you think of when you hear Die Hard? Okay, admittedly they might be five words depending on your spellcheck, but the iconic catchphrase “Yippee-ki-yay motherf***er” is as ingrained in the public consciousness as “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads”.

So, it was a pretty sizeable red flag when Live Free or Die Hard (also known as Die Hard 4.0) was announced as a PG-13. The rating meant John McClane couldn’t utter his classic line, and sure enough the film featured only a neutered version which many fans found worse than no attempt at all.

However, this was only one concern among many which derailed this instalment. Live Free or Die Hard also sees the franchise retcon John and Holly’s happy endings—you know, that driving force behind the first two films?

As well as the liberties taken with franchise history, there’s also the escalation of the action in the fourth film. While many may believe bigger equals better, few would argue that seeing McClane pilot a car into a helicopter is anywhere near as cool—or at least close to believable—as his gritty fight with Karl in the first film.