"Olympus Has Fallen" Revew

Lifeless.

That seemed to be the constant word going through my mind while watching Olympus Has Fallen (originally entitled, White House Taken, but changed to not confuse audiences with the other White House takeover movie coming out in June, White House Down).

Sure, I understand from an audience's perspective that a film like this is suppose to be popcorn entertainment and not in any way 'impact' you on an emotional level.

The problem though is that the filmmakers behind Olympus Has Fallen didn't seem to get that memo and try to make it impactful, try to hit on an emotional level.

That's where the film suffers.

Rather than letting a film like this be what it is, it goes for a cross between Air Force One and Die Hard; both those films actually engaged you while caring about the characters involved.  I really didn't care much for anyone in the film even though at many times it was obvious you should have (cringeworthy overacting by an unrecognizable Melissa Leo as the Secretary of Defense).

For those not familiar with the plot, OHF centers on former team lead of the Secret Service, Mike Banning (Gerard Buter), who gets the boot after a tragic accident involving the President of the United States, Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart).  Many months after this event, a routine visit to the White House by representatives from South Korea turns out to be an invasion by North Korean terrorists, turning the President and his cabinet into hostages.  Banning - who now conveniently works right down the street at the U.S. Treasury - makes it into the President's home right before the place is completely taken over.  This obviously leads to the premise of 'Die Hard in the White House' where Banning is the only man to save the day while communicating with America's remaining leaders at the Pentagon (led boldly of course by the always reliable Morgan Freeman as the House Speaker).

If there's one thing OHF has going for it, it's the action set-pieces.  From the initial attack on the White House, to the gun battles that take place throughout the film, director Antoine Fuqua knows how to handle special effects (though you could tell the film was obviously rushed out with some very poor CGI).

One thing to take note of as well is the main villian, played by the go-to Asian actor for a bad guy in Rick Yune (The Fast & the Furious, Die Another Day).  I'm not much familar with why he seems to always take the same type of role in these big-budget action flicks, but it's obvious he knows what he's doing as you can't help but hate the SOB.

Overall, OHF is your type of movie if you're looking to kill an hour and a half for some mindless action.  Just be aware, the film will try to take itself way more seriously than it's capable of being, which might leave you with a feeling of bland when leaving the theater.

Rating: 7 out of 10 (at best).