John McClane is back! The fifth installment of the "Die Hard" series premiered in Beijing yesterday.

"A Good Day to Die Hard," directed by John Moore and starring Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney and Sebastian Koch, tells the story of New York cop John McClane, who travels to Russia to help his estranged son Jack (Jai Courtney) get out of prison, but is soon caught in the crossfire of a terrorist plot. McClane then proceeds to work with his son to fight the enemy and win.

"I'm very happy to hear 'A Good Day to Die Hard' will release in China soon," Bruce Willis said in a VCR video played at the premiere before the movie started, "It's been 25 years since the first 'Die Hard' film. But it stays the same."

"It's always unpredictable and John McClane is always in the wrong place. It's a true 'Die Hard' film, featuring exciting action scenes, big scale explosions and car chases that will absolutely blow you away," Willis added.

"A Good Day to Die Hard" spent its budget on car chases and wrecking the Moscow streets in the first part of the film, just like another "The Fast and the Furious" film. The final battle even brings in a Mi-26 helicopter, the largest and most powerful helicopter in the world.

The action scenes are thrilling and exciting to watch, but screenwriter Skip Woods certainly did not go all out on the storyline, and instead gives out simple-minded plots and insufficient characterization. It may be a good pop corn movie, but it lacks depth and wit compared to the other films in the series, as many critics pointed out, which are considered classic action films in the heart of many a moviegoer.

"A Good Day to Die Hard" has grossed US$240 million at box offices worldwide thus far. It will hit Chinese theaters on March 14.

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