Olympus Has Fallen: Movie Review

After watching "Olympus Has Fallen", a lot of the keywords that came up specifically pertain to the word impossible. Impossible as in this is one heck of an unbelievable scenario. The one man against a whole army concept is nothing new and probably one of the things that truly show how some narratives are pure fantasy. But "Olympus Has Fallen" sets the bar further by inserting improbable and senseless things into the story itself. Loopholes and contradictions aside, as an action film, "Olympus Has Fallen" is an enjoyable one. Just be sure to set your expectations right.

Former U.S. Army Ranger Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is the lead Secret Service agent assigned to head the Presidential Detail. He maintains a personal and friendly relationship with President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and particularly their son Connor Asher (Finley Jacobsen). On a drive from Camp David, the car transporting the First Family crashes. Banning saves the President Asher but in the expense of the First Lady. Eighteen months later, Banning works at the Treasury Department. He has been demoted from the Presidential Detail as he triggers Asher's memories of the night Margaret died. During a meeting between Asher and South Korean Prime Minister, Korean-led guerrilla forces mount an air and ground assault that results in the capture of the White House. Asher and several top officials are held hostage in the White House bunker. With the tactical attack, almost if not all of the Presidential Detail are killed. It is now up to Banning to stop whatever the Korean guerrillas are planning to do.

Strictly as an action film, "Olympus Has Fallen" succeeds. The film has nary a slow moment to begin with and Gerard Butler in particular helps. The famed actor from "300" proves that he should just stay in the action genre (we all know how he explored the romcom genre at one point in his career). But that's probably the absolute good thing about this film. Everything else if flushed down the toilet. The story in particular is incredibly more improbable than taking a hostaged White House by one man. We counted numerous contradictions in the film's continuity. The ending in particular was clearly a head-scratcher (how could Banning enter an enclosed and impenetrable bunker is one we still don't get). The visual effects were also a mixed bag. Most were good enough but some - particularly the airstrike scenes - had a quality similar to straight-to-DVD films. Overall, "Olympus Has Fallen" is mindless fun but not much after that.

Rating: 3 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- straight-up action film that will satisfies action junkies
- Gerard Butler is awesome as always when in an action film

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- plot and storyline loopholes make this a more improbable scenario
- visual effects are lacking