Olympus has Fallen (film) : Surprised me... pretty decent action film

I really didn't expect to enjoy this movie because it seemed so cookie-cutter and it is of course very obvious what the end result will be just by seeing where the movie is taking place. However, that doesn't mean it can't be entertaining and I feel like it really was.

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Just like the poster would indicate the story is about a group that invades and manages to take control of the White House which is lauded in the film as being the most protected building in the world. The tactics they use to gain control of the building are a little far-fetched and the response of the police and US military is even more absurdly slow (ETA 10 minutes! gimmee a break) but this doesn't take away from the fact that it is all pretty entertaining and nicely shot.

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Our hero in this movie is Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) who doesn't even work for the White House at the time - he just happens to be a bad-ass who works nearby. He manages to accomplish what the combined might of the military, the Secret Service, and the D.C. Police force could not - he gets inside the building to try to stop the enemy.

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The main reason why this film is good is because the pacing is relentless and lasts the entire damn film. Seriously, there are only like 15 minutes of lead in time where the adrenaline isn't constantly pumping. I also enjoy seeing into the security of world leaders even if it is completely fictional (I enjoyed Air Force One for the same reason.) You know right away that the good guys are going to win but it stays fun because while the ending is predictable the way that we are going to get there is not. I dunno, but I thought it was really fun.

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The movie has a massive body count and occasionally we have to deal with honestly, dumb instances; such as 30 Secret Service members running out the front door to the lawn in single file right after a minigun was deployed that they know is pointing precisely at that location. This is especially stupid considering they are all carrying small arms, are wearing no body armor, are aware that the people on the lawn have them outgunned and their only objective in their job is to protect the White House - which they are currently standing inside of.

There are a lot of moments like that in this film that you just kind of have to put what you know on hold and accept it.

This movie received some negative press for being "too much like Die Hard" but guess what Mr professional movie reviewer? I think that was precisely the point.

_{from the MovieClips Trailers YT channel}

The movie made over $100 million and even spawned another film a month later or so that was pretty much exactly the same thing called White House Down - Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

This movie isn't going to win any sort of awards any time soon. It is simply a mindless action film, which is something I enjoy from time-to-time. The best part about this one is the fact that there isn't ever a dull moment once the ball starts rolling about 10 minutes into the film. I enjoyed it a great deal and am gonna watch part 2 of the trilogy this afternoon where I presume exactly the same thing happens but in London.