Health & Fitness
Movie Review: Olympus Has Fallen (R)
When North Korean terrorists invade Washington D. C., who will save the counrty from ruin?
Olympus Has Fallen (R)
Director Antoine Fuqua taps into a gold mine with this intense action film that tugs at patriotic heartstrings while it captures the audience as surely as the terrorists in the plot take control of the White House. Be prepared, if you find the first 20 minutes of the movie exciting, you are in for another hour and 39 minutes of exponentially extreme, breath-taking action and intense drama.
Secret Service agent Mike Banning’s (Gerard Butler) White House duty ends abruptly early in the film. Following an unfortunate accident, he relocates to the Treasury Department where he pushes paper and tackles financial crimes. Boring suddenly turns into an edge-of-seat, military-style invasion and Banning jumps into action as North Korean terrorists succeed in attacking Washington D.C., capturing the White House and kidnapping the president, Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and his key cabinet members.
Find out what's happening in Mehlville-Oakvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Former military commando, Banning, wastes no time jumping right into the action and going full “Die Hard” from inside the White House. Do not expect the wry humor that Bruce Willis’ “Die Hard” McClane is famous for, but instead settle for Gerard Butler’s Banning with its own brand of silent, grueling hand-to-hand combat and extreme weaponry moves.
Though there are many plot “similarities” to other action films, the audience does not seem to mind a bit. The contemporary plot, loaded with patriotic references and fierce, constant battles overrides the familiarity that permeates the action scenes, especially those ambushes inside the White House. The fact that director Fuqua made the terrorist invasion look so smooth and easy was probably the most frightening part of the plot.
Find out what's happening in Mehlville-Oakvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The casting of the film was spot on including a wise Morgan Freeman filling in for the president and vice president as Speaker of the House Trumbell, the lovely Ashley Judd as the ill-fated First Lady, Melissa Leo as the feisty Secretary of Defense and Angela Bassett as the savvy Secret Service director. Young Finley Jacobsen stole a few scenes as the president’s son.
Where was Dennis Rodman when his country needed his Korean negotiating skills the most?
Three stars (or ground to earth missiles) for an explosively great time at the movies!
patching...