Olympus has Fallen
Dir: Antoine Fuqua
2013
**
The problem with Olympus has Fallen is that it takes itself far too seriously to enjoy and to pass off as just another mindless action flick. It's full of cliches and mistakes and unbelievable situations. The whole idea is pretty unbelievable I know, but really, this could never happen in this way and I think the writing could have been a bit sharper to better explore this. Gerard Butler's character started off sound but then turned into a stupid computer game character. This film is 25 years too late, it's not self-aware enough to be an ode and it's far too silly to really enjoy. A bit of espionage and a bit of suspense wouldn't have gone amiss, that and a better supporting cast in light of the expensive actors. Why do that? Pay a lot of money for great actors, only to surround them with people who can't act at all? It's detrimental. The special effects aren't up to scratch either. It's the action film no one wanted, bizarre how two similar films came along at the same time and while I believe it is slightly better than White House Down, it is only because White House Down is one of the worst films I've ever seen.