Focused heavily on action, violence, and mayhem, Antoine Fuqua's Olympus Has Fallen works within the confines of an entirely implausible scenario that sees the White House come under attack in broad daylight. By nightfall, the building has been overrun, and the President and his staff are taken hostage by the infiltrators. With the country in a state of uncertainty, one man looks to overcome the challenges and bring the terrorist to his knees.
As you can tell, there is little creativity embedded within the structure of this story, and why should there be? A highly touted cast that features Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Dylan McDermott, and Radha Mitchell saves the film whenever it appears to venture off course, and one can't overlook the visual appeal of decent special effects and constant action. Throw in some classic feel good potential and you've got your cookie-cutter government action thriller that could have marked the first big blockbuster of the year. Unfortunately, the year is 2013 (not 1995), and more is expected these days.
Filled to the brim with cliché moments and a constant flow of blatant foreshadowing, Olympus Has Fallen loses much of its potential early on. With that being said, it should be noted that the hard-R rating does bring about a sense of realism to the minor situations, but it is hard to overlook the "one man against the world" big picture story arc that the film clings to throughout. Add in a damping focus on the President's son, and the film is lucky to muster enough adrenaline to escape the Oval Office alive.
For the casual fan, Olympus Has Fallen should offer up enough testosterone to entertain, but I highly advise you watch this film in a theater. The energy and excitement that is created (though short lived and occasionally ridiculous) benefits from the big screen. Watching this one at home just won't offer up the same experience.
