Wiki Die Hard scenario is a free source of information about various films, TV show episodes and video games that have Die Hard scenario concept to it. The site is a wiki, meaning that anyone can contribute, including you. We hope that we can build the best source for anything related to Die Hard information around.
About DHS works
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. Some second generation clones, such as Speed or Die Harder, will add more of a threat to the protagonist, thus giving a more of a "race against the clock" feel. 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.
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 or Olympus Has Fallen to the standard Die Hard ripoff such as Cliffhanger or Speed which has just the right balance of humor and action, 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.
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 (although those are rare). 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!
What constitutes Die Hard Scenario
- Must be set in a similar scenario such as a building, plane, train, etc.
- Must have some terrorists or high-tech criminals make a humongous demand.
- Must have some form of hostages.
- Must have a lone hero battling the terrorists.
- Superhero films are not Die Hard Scenario.
- Alien movies are not Die Hard Scenario.
- Action movies made before 1988 are not included here save for a few exceptions including 1985's Commando which unofficially started up the whole formula prior to being made incredibly famous in 1988.
- Die Hard Scenario movies can be scary, comedy, mystery or sci-fi but there has to be many certain qualities to this in order to make it DHS.
- Die Hard Scenario can be a book or video game if done correctly.