Which is the best?
The one with SLJ of course.
Only the first. the others are pale imitations.
Accept no substitutes.
Whoever voted for Vengeance should be banned. Not just from the board, from the planet.
Die Hard is a great movie, Die Hard with a Vengeance was at least a good movie. The rest were crap or worse.
You don’t know what you are talking about!
The first was by far the best. Vengeance a distant second. The rest tied for last place.
I can’t think of a movie, offhand, where a sequel was better than the first.
The Empire Strikes Back?
Empire Strikes. Back?
Agreed.
If I had to watch Die Hard with a Vengeance, I would not complain or feel too put upon. Anything made after that one, though, and I would rather watch a cooking show or something. Or grass grow. Or paint dry.
I actually liked Die Harder second best, after the original. Didn’t care much for Vengeance. The others were indeed crap (although I never saw the last one).
I consider that an installment in a series, which was planned from the beginning, rather than a sequel. When I say sequel, I mean that the first movie was successful and the producers said, “Let’s make bank on the name of the first movie and see if we can repeat that success at the box office.” The example from this thread, the Die Hard franchise, was not conceived as a serial story. The movies pretty much stand on their own, just with the same lead character.
Terminator 2?
Two words: Alan Rickman
Seriously, the quality of an action movie is directly related to the quality of the bad guy. Even the name “Hans Gruber” tells you this is a villain who will be a worthy opponent.
IIRC, the first SW was never expected to be a massive hit and took everyone by surprise when it was. Lucas may have had lots more material that he had to trim from the story, but he had little hope of ever being able to use it in another film. Hell, James Earl Jones even declined screen credit as the voice of Darth Vader, thinking the movie would never be a success.
Godfather II?
To answer the poll, the first movie. I also really liked the second, even though the story was even more preposterous. Things moved so fast you never had time to realize how silly they were.
This, also The Road Warrior, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, and arguably Toy Story 2. And Mad Max: Fury Road tops them all, but I’m not sure if it’s considered a sequel.
As to the OP, how is this even a question? 
The first Die Hard was by far the best, with Vengence being second. Die Hard 2 wasn’t really good but at least it was watchable. The last two were a total waste of time.