Yes while it was pretty awesome in terms of action, that's pretty much it. He is John McLane, not James Bonambo.
Though I have to admit, the movie didn't involve me at all emotionally, so I wasn't entirely surprised by the ending sequences. You could tell from the start what sort of an action movie it was aiming for. It was less about grit, and more about popcorn fun, which isn't a bad thing considering how every flick is following the dark and brooding trend. Trouble is that Die Hard 1 was actually about intense gritty action, back when it wasn't just a trend.
I was thinking how anyone who watched the first back in the day, would have never in their wildest imagination thought that John Mclane would be jumping between choppers and jets. In fact, like everyone said, it didn't feel like a Die Hard movie, but more like a typical action movie. In fact Bruce Willis seemed a bit confused. I think the sad thing is this could have been just another Bruce Willis movie, and I have a feeling the producers were too worried that today's youth might not give a rat's ass if much was made of the Die Hard continuity.
Having said all that, I enjoyed the movie. It was just very different from what I expected.
I don't think I would have enjoyed certain sequences had they not been so over the top. The movie had an aim, and wasn't pretending to be realistic, because it would have failed on that level, and then it wouldn't have the over the top action to fall back on. I guess they took the safe route.
That fight sequence between Maggie Q and Bruce was hilarious. It was like a WWE match. Why not finish your opponent off? I was amused though, especially when she got rammed by the car.
edit:
I like this:
http://www.avclub.com/content/node/63280The original Die Hard set the template for nearly every action movie that followed, but it also presented some problems, especially for the three sequels: Filmmakers trying to make something bigger and more exciting immediately had to abandon the compactness and efficiency that made the first film so special. In the process, Bruce Willis' earthy blue-collar cop has evolved from a resourceful little "fly in the ointment" into a steely, indestructible superhero with about as much in common with mere mortals as Angelina Jolie. The fourth entry in the Die Hard series, Live Free Or Die Hard, pushes Willis' die-hardiness to ever more ludicrous extremes, pitting him against helicopters, flying cars, an F-35, and even a sexy computer geek/ninja. His body withstands far more abuse than it did in Die Hard, yet none of the scrapes and bruises he sustains are as wince-inducing as the image of his younger self in the first film, padding across broken glass with bare feet. He was human back in 1988; now he's the Terminator.
That was a great scene where he walked on the glass and was desperate enough to try on the dead terrorist's boots.
