Having recently seen the fourth chapter of the "Die Hard" series and being somewhat disappointed by it (because it felt more inspired by the James Bond movies rather than by its predecessors), I watched "Blast!" looking for a more genuine "Die Hard"-like experience - and indeed I got it! What's almost uncanny is how closely this 2004 straight-to-DVD movie resembles the 2007 blockbuster: a technology-heavy villainous plan, a hacker/nerd as the hero's sidekick, a female martial arts expert as the villain's right-hand woman, a kid (OK, not a 20-something daughter, but still....) that needs to be rescued, etc. However, unlike "DH 4", "Blast!" stays faithful to the formula of the first 2 "Die Hard" movies (trivia note: they were written by the same man, Steven De Souza), and keeps the action mostly confined to a single space (an oil rig). "Blast!"'s climax is also much better, with TWO simultaneous fights AND a race against time going on! Eddie Griffin is actually quite credible as an action hero, Vinnie Jones has his moments as the villain (when Griffin tells him what a disaster his actions will cause, he responds "if you look closely, you can see a tear forming under my eye" - that made me laugh out loud) and (unlike Timothy Olyphant) he can fight too, and Nadine Velazquez is awesome and sexy as his henchwoman - I hope her appearance in Jet Li's upcoming "War" helps her gain more recognition, she deserves it. Overall, I enjoyed "Blast!" more than "DH 4", more proof that bigger doesn't necessarily mean better. (**1/2)
