Relatively speaking, the new pic is shrewder politically, too, giving us an enemy from within America’s own borders in place of “Olympus’” central-casting North Korean baddies. Petruccelli’s enormously impressive replica set to the visual effects by longtime Emmerich collaborators Volker Engel (an Oscar winner for “Independence Day”) and Marc Weigert. Regardless, the phenomenon of two nearly-identical films seeing release within weeks of each other was a compelling enough anomaly to get me to see them both.Setting aside the question of whether the world really needed a second White House takeover movie, in terms of sheer craftsmanship and professionalism, “ White House Down” is to “Olympus Has Fallen” what “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was to the 1985 Richard Chamberlain-Sharon Stone version of “King Solomon’s Mines.” Though both pics were majority shot far from the actual Beltway ― “Olympus” in Louisiana and “White House” in Montreal ― Emmerich’s film is a far better sell, from production designer Kirk M.
Unfortunately, neither of these live up to that standard. When seeing both of these movies I assumed the best case scenario was that they’d be like Air Force One starring Harrison Ford (the presidential airplane siege film directed by Wolfgang Peterson). I have to say that blow-the-white-house-up season as let me down a little bit. Seen in an extremely generous light, the villains in White House Down are akin to those in The Rock (also known as the best Michael Bay movie). They know what counter-measures they’ll face and they’ve been trained by the most rigorous and well-equipped military force in the world. Instead of being an elite group of North Koreans, they’re an elite group of disgruntled ex-Special Forces. However, there are some important differences that made White House Down a better film in my opinion.įirstly, the villains in White House Down are Americans. Honestly, I don’t think anyone cares too much about the plot in movies of this type, they just want to see the White House get blown to pieces and have American flags waving at the end. Since these two movies have such similar premises it’s really not worth going into great detail about subtle plot differences between these two same-same movies.
#Olympus has fallen and white house down movie#
This movie is not self-aware and unlike White House Down, there is no Jamie Foxx equivalent to offer comic relief from the overwhelming weight of it’s pile of bodies. If I’m watching a movie where North Korea effortlessly takes control of the White House, I want the film to demonstrate self-awareness of it’s own preposterousness. This movie is like a master class in how the summer blockbuster formula can go wrong. Instead of embracing it’s own ridiculousness, the film features brutal and crude violence which desperately attempts to convince you that you should take this movie seriously. opening fire on ground-based targets, including the White House. Once again: a terrorist C-130 shoots down two fighter jets before circling around D.C. in circles while raining bullets down on the capital after effortlessly shooting down a pair of fighters. Then a Lockheed Martin C-130, inexplicably acquired by North Korean terrorists, flies around Washington D.C. The bodies literally pile up on the steps of the White House as one after another Secret Service agent hastily runs out of the open door and directly into enemy gunfire. North Korea “hacks the Pentagon” (pwned you so hard!) and parks industrial vehicles armed with machine guns on the White House lawn and mows down scores of Secret Service agents as if they were novice cadets.
Here it is, in a nutshell: elite North Korean terrorists pose as South Korean politicians and overtake the White House during a sanctioned meet with the President. The overall premise behind this movie is roughly as ridiculous as the smallest details are.
Is this White House siege season? How do two major Hollywood films with the exact same premise get released at virtually the same time? Out of morbid curiosity I downloaded and watched Olympus Has Fallen and saw White House Down in the theater last Sunday to compare the two. It’s about a terrorist siege on the White House. It’s about a terrorist siege on the White House.Ī few weeks after that I heard about White House Down, a film starring Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum and directed by Roland Emmerich (who directed 2012). A few months ago I heard about Olympus Has Fallen, a film starring Aaron Eckhart and Gerrard Butler and directed by Antoine Fuqua (who directed Training Day).