Do you consider the film Die Hard a Christmas movie?

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A total of 31 votes have been cast on this poll.


So ive recently heard debates regarding Die Hard being a Christmas film, and was wondering what you all thought. Also curious if age has anything to do with it.

Dope Die Hard Christmas ornament (doesn't mean it's a Christmas movie)
http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/willis-mas-620x653.jpg

Also when you think Christmas film, what film comes to mind first? and maybe second and third (Not counting made for TV)
ChaosEngine says...

It's not a movie about Christmas, but it's a movie I often watch at Christmas, so it's a Christmas movie, like the original Star Wars trilogy or the original Indy movies.

Mordhaus says...

It is absolutely a Christmas movie. I consider it, Scrooged, Home Alone, National Lampoon's Xmas Vacation, and A Christmas Story to be my top 5.

radx says...

Not really, no. A Christmas movie to me has Christmas as an essential part of the plot, not just a movie that is regularly showing on Christmas.

That said, this reminds me of the Christmas version of Castle Wolfenstein 3D...

RFlagg says...

Yes.

Just because a movie happens on Christmas, doesn't automatically make it a Christmas movie. For example, I don't consider Home Alone a Christmas movie (or at least as much), but I do Die Hard, though I don't know if I could say why.

bareboards2 says...

It's a Wonderful Life.

In my yute, they played it every Christmas because it was free from broadcast fees. (Interesting story, the early days of TV.... How life has changed.)

I imprinted like a little gosling on this movie. It fills my DNA.

By the way, there is a scene that has been cut from the original that I still miss. Cut for time, cut to make room for commercials as more and more commercials were broadcast.

I still miss it....

Zifnab says...

I consider it a Christmas movie, but it isn't my first thought or my go-to Christmas movie. That would have to go to 'A Christmas Story'.

newtboy says...

For me, a Xmas movie must have Xmas as a major theme and/or include Santa (or Mythra). Recent favorite was Krampus...which was pretty bad, but also pretty xmasy.

blackfox42 says...

Definitely a Christmas movie. Don't forget the scene where the elevator opens to the dead gunman sitting on a chair, and written on his sweater is "Now I have a machine gun. Ho-Ho-Ho"

MilkmanDan says...

Interesting question.

My personal take is that I wouldn't call it a "Christmas movie" because the Christmas elements aren't particularly integral to the story, but it is borderline.

Elf and Ernest Saves Christmas are Christmas movies. Home Alone and Die Hard are harder to call, but I'd say yes for Home Alone and no for Die hard.

Sarzy says...

If it's a Wonderful Life is a Christmas movie (because aside from the last scene that everyone remembers, it pretty much has nothing to do with Christmas), then Die Hard is definitely a Christmas movie.

ant says...

Wow, I don't think I ever played that mod. I wished I kept my mod. It had T1000 terminators. Hey, at least I kept my DOOM 2 mods: http://zimage.com/~ant/antfarm/files/doom2/j2doom/j2doom.html ...

Also, you should submit the video to VS.

radx said:

Not really, no. A Christmas movie to me has Christmas as an essential part of the plot, not just a movie that is regularly showing on Christmas.

That said, this reminds me of the Christmas version of Castle Wolfenstein 3D...

Payback says...

Or CoD4 Winter Crash...

radx said:

Not really, no. A Christmas movie to me has Christmas as an essential part of the plot, not just a movie that is regularly showing on Christmas.

That said, this reminds me of the Christmas version of Castle Wolfenstein 3D...

blackfox42 says...

Damn you @eric3579, the past day and a half I've had that song "Let it snow" running non-stop through my head now!

Oh, and other Christmas movies that come to mind are (in no particular order) Scrooged, Miracle on 34th Street and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

ant says...

Old fart. I just entered the 40s. Argh! I thought many VSers were way younger. Where are they?

dag said:

Quote hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

One thing this tells me is there are a lot of people over 45 here. Like me!

JustSaying says...

Man, I'm suuuper late to this party....
Anyways, Die Hard is and is not a Christmas movie at the same time. And it depends on your definition what makes a Christmas movie.
I'm gonna take an insane detour here that'll make sense.
Is Star Wars Episode 4 a science fiction movie?
That setting is futuristic, sure, must be sci-fi then. Lasers, Spaceships, Robots, the works. The checklist is done. Sci-Fi.
But what are the themes it touches upon, what is the story?
A young farmer's boy (naturally an adoptred orphan) named Luke is dragged into a rebellion against an evil king (Palpatine) by accident. When the boy get's hold of a pretty princess' (RIP Carrie Fisher) message to an old ally and menthor (Obi) through the fault of her two comic-relief servants (Robot-slaves), he decides to seek the adventure he's yearning for. He finds the old man (by fucking up) and both seek the next harbor to board a ship to join the resistance. The hire smuggler/pirate/bandit/nerfherder Han and his foreign friend Chewie and cross paths with the black knight Lord Vader, the evil kings enforcer. Hijinks ensue, princess rescued, the magic castle/ship/train of the evil king get's destroyed and everyone gets a medal.
What's exactly sci-fi here?
That could play out in medieval times. Or ancient greece. Or the wild west. Or on Christmas.
The setting and the genre are two different things and both determine what you'll label a story with.
Alien is a horror movie, a slasher. Aliens is a war movie. Alien³ is a horror movie of the animal-gone-maneater kind. Alien: Resurrection is a disaster movie (hihi).
They're all sci-fi, like Star Wars. Because of the setting.
Now look at Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 Episode 9 'The Measure Of A Man'.
Lasers, spaceships, robots, the usual. What is it about?
A Robot who's so sophisticated that he has to go to trial to prove he's not property but a real boy. Sure, you'll say, I've seen Pinocchio and I can see african men argue the same stuff in the 18th century. The point of the story is not only that is humanity is questioned, the point is he's an artificial lifeform. The question is not only 'What makes you a person?' but also 'When does artificial intelligence become an artificial person?'
That shit won't work in a setting without spaceships and robots. That's sci-fi because of its story.
So, setting and story are both what makes you label a movie a certain way but they're not the same.
Die Hard. Happens on Christmas. Could be Thanksgiving too. Setting interchangeable.
Story? Doesn't contain any christmas-related themes beyond two estranged family members become closer again. That could happen at a funeral as well.
I'm in my mid-thirties and I love Die Hard. It's one of the best 80's action movies. I can watch it anytime and I've seen it at least 20 times (noit joking here). But mostly in the summer. But I understand the question and its diverse answers perfectly well.
Die Hard is a christmas movie if it feels like one to you. For me, Lord of the Rings (especially Fellowship) feels like a Christmas movie to me. I've seen them all in theatres in December, I watched them on VHS and Blu-Ray only in December so far. They have fuck all to do with the occasion but this year was the first one I didn't watch any of them in December. And I feel I missed something this year. I'm not sure I can watch them at this time of the year.

Rufus says...

If "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie, then so is "1984" and "Tootsie". If you get to the point of referencing a movie by holiday season just because that's when you first saw it, well, get ready to call "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" a Summer Action Flick.

poolcleaner says...

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a goddamn summer action flick.

Rufus said:

If "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie, then so is "1984" and "Tootsie". If you get to the point of referencing a movie by holiday season just because that's when you first saw it, well, get ready to call "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" a Summer Action Flick.

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