Olympus Has Fallen is a mostly formulaic action movie that hit the right spot for me. It's not entirely original but it is entertaining, which is more than I can say for every other action flick that has come out this year. This is the script they should've slapped the Die Hard name to instead of that garbage that was the newest Die Hard. In fact, this is the best Die Hard since the third one. It follows the simple formula; lone hero in a confined space, vastly out-manned and out gunned, ton of kills and the occasional one liner. Olympus has Fallen does all of these things exceedingly better than any action-er I've seen this year.
Before I get too ahead of myself, should probably let you know what this flick is about. Olympus Has Fallen is about disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning who finds himself trapped inside the White House in the wake of a terrorist attack; using his inside knowledge, Banning works with national security to attempt to rescue the President from his North Korean kidnappers. The story is not the most original but moves at a good pace and is not too complicated. What makes this movie stand apart from the others is the hugely talented cast. Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Melissa Leo, Ashley Judd, Dylan McDermott, Cole Hauser, Radha Mitchell & Rick Yune. Told ya the cast was huge. Everyone is very capable in their roles but due to the size it seems a few people are underused (Melissa Leo and Angela Bassett especially). I'm a huge fan of Gerard Butler's when he's in action flicks (QUIT DOING ROMANTIC COMEDIES), he's very likable and physical enough to make the action believable. Aaron Eckhart plays the President, and is awesome as usual but it does feel like he slips into Harvey Dent mode a few times. Morgan Freeman plays Morgan Freeman, you know what to expect with him.
The actions scenes are extremely well done, the CG looks a little video gameish at points but it's OK. A ton of stuff gets blown up, the body count is huge and there are some surprisingly brutal deaths. As far as the action goes, it gets an A+. Antoine Fuqua directed this movie and does a decent job. He creates an incredible sense of tension, which is a rarity for these type of movies. Like I said, the action is well done but it seems like Mr. Fuqua watched a few too many Michael Bay movies. The slow motion is overused, the color schemes are similar, the music is hokey and final scene (which involves an American flag) looks like it was lifted from every Bay film. As you can tell, I'm not a fan of Bay's and these things are about the only negatives I have.
Olympus Has Fallen is the best action movie of 2013, so far. It was a ton of fun to watch, had some very good tension and was simply a really fun watch. If you're a fan of action movies, this is a definite watch.
Before I get too ahead of myself, should probably let you know what this flick is about. Olympus Has Fallen is about disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning who finds himself trapped inside the White House in the wake of a terrorist attack; using his inside knowledge, Banning works with national security to attempt to rescue the President from his North Korean kidnappers. The story is not the most original but moves at a good pace and is not too complicated. What makes this movie stand apart from the others is the hugely talented cast. Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Melissa Leo, Ashley Judd, Dylan McDermott, Cole Hauser, Radha Mitchell & Rick Yune. Told ya the cast was huge. Everyone is very capable in their roles but due to the size it seems a few people are underused (Melissa Leo and Angela Bassett especially). I'm a huge fan of Gerard Butler's when he's in action flicks (QUIT DOING ROMANTIC COMEDIES), he's very likable and physical enough to make the action believable. Aaron Eckhart plays the President, and is awesome as usual but it does feel like he slips into Harvey Dent mode a few times. Morgan Freeman plays Morgan Freeman, you know what to expect with him.
The actions scenes are extremely well done, the CG looks a little video gameish at points but it's OK. A ton of stuff gets blown up, the body count is huge and there are some surprisingly brutal deaths. As far as the action goes, it gets an A+. Antoine Fuqua directed this movie and does a decent job. He creates an incredible sense of tension, which is a rarity for these type of movies. Like I said, the action is well done but it seems like Mr. Fuqua watched a few too many Michael Bay movies. The slow motion is overused, the color schemes are similar, the music is hokey and final scene (which involves an American flag) looks like it was lifted from every Bay film. As you can tell, I'm not a fan of Bay's and these things are about the only negatives I have.
Olympus Has Fallen is the best action movie of 2013, so far. It was a ton of fun to watch, had some very good tension and was simply a really fun watch. If you're a fan of action movies, this is a definite watch.