Yippee-ki-yay! John McClane (Bruce Willis) is back, doing what he does best: crackin’ wise, shooting bad guys and blowing sh*t up.

The teaser trailer for the fifth instalment of the Die Hard series, A Good Day to Die Hard, has arrived… and it’s explosively good. If you think an aging Willis might slow this franchise down… think again. The man can still wield a gun like no one else – as if we had any doubts!

20th Century Fox’s official plot description reads thusly: “…McClane faces his greatest challenge ever, this time on an international stage, when his estranged son Jack is caught up in the daring prison escape of a rogue Russian leader, and father and son McClane must work together to keep each other alive and keep the world safe for democracy.”

So basically to keep the franchise alive they are taking it overseas and making the ‘buddy’ in the buddy-pairing his estranged son. You knew they were gonna do something like this at some stage. At least they waited till the fifth installment. But Willis, gun in hand, taking down bad guys is still irresistible regardless of the plot, as this teaser demonstrates.

Jai Courteny (Jack Reacher, TV’s Spartacus: Blood and Sand, TV’s Packed to the Rafters) plays McClane Jr. (beating out the likes of Liam Hemsworth for the role) and the film’s directed by John Moore (Max Payne, Behind Enemy Lines).

There’s plenty to get excited about here. Explosions galore, helicopter gunships, McClane’s cheeky smile as cheeky as ever, ‘Ode to Joy’ making a welcome return – and they even have a little fun at 007’s expense. And, by the looks of it, there’s very little CGI involved in the set pieces – which is particularly encouraging.

As this is a teaser there’s no real story or character development, but Willis proves once again he’s still ‘the man’ when it comes to action – many of today’s newbie action stars could learn a thing or two from him. He could do Die Hards into his 80s.

This is one franchise that’s hasn’t really had a big misstep. Die Hard is one of my all-time favourite films. Die Hard 2 and Die Hard with a Vengeance were great (Die Hard 2 especially) and Live Free and Die Hard was entertaining – although not as good as the others, in my opinion. My biggest concern for A Good Day to Die Hard is the makers might pull their punches in order to achieve the rumoured PG-13 rating (‘M’ for us Kiwis).

I hope this doesn’t become the franchise entry fans try to block from their memories. Fortunately this teaser footage suggests it won’t.

Are you ready to Die Hard once more?

Since the first Die Hard in 1988, John McClain has found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, with the skills and attitude to always be the last man standing, making him enemy #1 for terrorists the world over. Now, McClain faces his greatest challenge ever, this time on an international stage, when his estranged son Jack is caught up in the daring prison escape of a rogue Russian leader, and father and son McClain must work together to keep each other alive and keep the world safe for democracy.

Directed by John Moore, the film stars Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch, Yulia Snigir, Cole Hauser, Amaury Nolasco, Megalyn Echikunwoke and Anne Vyalitsyna.

A Good Day to Die Hard explodes onto New Zealand screens on February 14, 2013 – the perfect Valentine’s day flick!