So, what the hell is one of these anyway?
Well, that's a pretty good question.
From the main page, I've typed up this to try and summarize it: As with any groundbreaking film series, such as Jaws or Jurassic Park, they will always have their imitators. Most Die Hard Scenario movies feature an enclosed (although this is not necessary to the plot) location taken over by heavily armed criminals or terrorists and one lone, ordinary, reluctant hero who must find their way out of the mess and save the day because it is the right thing to do! There are two primary types of this film genre: the original Die Hard clones (starting with Die Hard), which use a single location, or the newer Die Hard clones (starting with Die Hard with a Vengeance), which either use entire cities or a wide variety of locations, yet still maintain the same basic feel to the story.
Films that can spawn a slew of imitators yet still maintain their suspense and originality are seldom seen. So when Die Hard came out and launched its own set of imitators (starting with its sequel, Die Harder), it quickly launched itself into the American cinema even to this day. I'm pretty sure the most recent wasWhite House Down.
These films come in all shapes and sizes. They can range from dark, ultraviolent and gritty which is closer to the source material like Dredd to the standard Die Hard ripoff such asCliffhanger orSpeed which has just the right balance of humor and acton, to more lighthearted and comical yet still retaining the original action such as Paul Blart: Mall Cop. There are some films that are in-between regular action and Die Hard Scenario but ultimately don't make the cut because they don't have a Die-Hard feel to the plot. These films include True Lies or Rambo; although there is a fantastic wiki devoted to Rambo that I work on often.
I know it was a shameless plug. Don't you judge me!
Anyway, standard revenge flicks such as Taken or even above-average revenge flicks like Man on Fire are not Die Hard scenario because they are about revenge, not survival. Battle flicks such as the Hunger Games or Battle Royale are also not Die Hard Scenario because there is not a main character. Also, not just any movie with terrorists can be Die Hard Scenario. For instance, Deep Rising and Carnosaur 3: Primal Species all feature terrorists and heroes fighting each other but are essentially creature features, not Die Hard scenario. Cop films, buddy cop films or a combination of the two such as Lethal Weapon are also not Die Hard scenario. Action movies with elements of DHS that were made before 1978 are ultimately not Die Hard Scenario. Superhero films such as Iron Man are not Die Hard Scenario. War films are not Die Hard Scenario. Disaster films are not Die Hard Scenario (with the exception of Hard Rain). And yes, Die Hard Scenario films can be scary (Vacancy), mystery (Non-Stop) or true stories (44 Minutes). Sci-Fi CAN be Die Hard Scenario (Lockout or Dredd) but only if they have certain qualities. For instance, Predator is not DHS because it has aliens. Bottom line: if they were clearly inspired by Die Hard, they're DHS.
So, all a DHS film must be is just an action movie with a hero fighting assailants, preferrably in an enclosed location, although as I said before, this is not ultimately crucial to the plot. Hopefully I have answered some of your questions about this wiki so please browse the pages and enjoy! If you know of a DHS film we've missed, take action and contribute!
(Votesmall (talk) 06:39, January 8, 2014 (UTC))