I’m sorry Antoine Fuqua. I underestimated you. Going into this movie with hardly any knowledge of it other than who it was directed by and who starred in it, my expectations were obviously low. I assumed it was another poorly done action thriller, which isn’t unjust considering what the genre has produced over the last few months. Despite its faults in implausibility and unoriginality, Olympus Has Fallen is an extremely enjoyable film that reminds us what an action movie is supposed to be like.
Gerard Butler plays Mike Banner, a hardened ex-special forces secret service agent who, after a horrible accident involving the President (Aaron Eckhart) and First Lady, is demoted to desk duty. When Washington D.C. is overtaken by terrorists and the President is taken hostage, Banner finds a way inside the White House and becomes the government’s only hope of saving the President.
If that sounds like a familiar plot, that’s because it is. If it sounds far-fetched and stereotypical of an action film, it’s that, too. Believe me, I had a hard time typing it just now. But don’t let a short synopsis throw you. Olympus Has Fallen is over-the-top violent fun. And the good kind, too. It’s as if Hollywood knew of the follies of Good Day To Die Hard and decided to make a more exciting backup, just in case.
The film has loads of problems plot-wise, but that’s to be expected. After an almost unbearable first 20 minutes of awkward exposition, we finally get to some slightly outdated special effects followed by Gerard Butler somehow escaping a constant barrage of bullets while every single other person dies. He’s super-human, but that’s what we want in our action stars.
Luckily, the film survives on sheer enjoyability alone. It’s the kind of old-school excitement that comes with movies like Taken (2008) and Die Hard (1988). With awesome fight scenes and more jaw-dropping gore than you can shake a stick at, Olympus Has Fallen is, so far, the best action movie of 2013.
What does this hold in store for action movies to come? Well, if a small movie like this can be as entertaining as it is so early in the year, it seems to me that there’s a good chance we’ll see much better things as the year progresses. Though it probably won’t be a blockbuster, Olympus Has Fallen is a sign of good things to come for the action genre.
