So aside from the fact that I kept wondering if this was a US Military propaganda movie, Olympus has Fallen was engaging, thrilling and delivered a solid experience. The premise of the movie is that Olympus (code name for the White House) is taken over the North Korean terrorists, and there is one CIA agent that saves the day. Not at all unusual for classic Hollywood Movies where one slightly pumped up American commando can over come incredible odds to win the day.
The commando played by The commando played by Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman who plays the acting president, and the Korean terrorist performed by Rick Yune were extremely well cast, creating believable characters. The unfortunate decision to cast Aaron Eckhart as US president - he's age appropriate, he just doesn't have the depth of character to pull off the character. Very few middle aged actors have the acting chops to pull it off . The only actor who really comes to mind is Denzel Washington.
Olympus has Fallen has great special effects, which only go haywire occasionally when the visual reminded me of watching my son playing an action X-Box live game. The dialogue is well delivered by a strong cast of actors who have a good sense of what to do with it, and a director plus editor who know how to pull it all together. The score hits all the right notes, at all the right times to keep your heart beating with the movie's direction. Yes, as an audience member you are being manipulated by extremely skilled film makers.
So if you are looking for a little time outside of reality, like when things blow up, and the bad people die - you are going to love Olympus has Fallen. And from what I could gather in the movie theatre - it appears to be a guy's movie. Though my wife thoroughly enjoyed herself. Also this movie really benefits from an amazing sound system and large screen - so catch it in the theatre to get the full experience.
