This film looks to be the Frankenstein’s monster of action films.  I almost hate to say that because I really like Gerard Butler (even though he has been stuck in a romcom rut), Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Dylan McDermott, Cole Hauser, Robert Forster and Ashley Judd.  Quite the cast right?  Well after watching the trailer this film looks to be a mash-up of several other action films.  First, the official synopsis:

When the White House (Secret Service Code: “Olympus”) is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As our national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning¹s inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the President, and avert an even bigger disaster.

After watching the trailer, I can see traces of Die Hard, but what this trailer really screamed to me was: Under Siege.  Ok, so there’s the disgraced Secret Service guy who ends up being the man on the inside, who also happens to be ex-special forces, and is the ONLY ONE who can save the day.  Then there are the suits sitting around a table, who are in contact with the guy on the inside.  There’s the whole “The United States does not negotiate with terrorists” line which is from…well…pick a film involving American hostages and terrorists.  It looks like the only thing this film is missing is the ex-Baywatch bimbo jumping out of a cake.  That’s a good thing though.

All that being said, Olympus Has Fallen and will Die Hard Under Siege actually looks like a bit of escapist fun.  Maybe this will get Gerard Butler out of his romcom rut and back into action.  We can only hope, because let’s face it…300 was awesome.  Gamer wasn’t so bad either.  I do like the guy so my fingers are crossed.

Another check in the pro column is that Antoine Fuqua directed this one.  This at least ensures some righteous action and good explosions.  I’m a sucker for his directorial debut, The Replacement Killers, and have enjoyed quite a few of his films so at least there’s that.

But seriously, who am I kidding….I’m all over this film.  I love my ridiculous action and this looks to be exactly that.

Anyway, check out the trailer and let me know what you think.

Olympus Has Fallen hits theaters on March 22, 2013

About the author

Tracy Ladd has written 534 articles on this blog.

Tracy has been writing about film since her days on the her high school newspaper. Even though she took a decade or two off to explore other things, she's back to doing what she loves. She also bakes, can knit a pretty nifty scarf and makes lightsaber sounds with her knitting needles. Or chopsticks. Especially with the lightsaber chopsticks. Follow her on Twitter: @ReelGoddess

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 8th, 2013 at 8:37 am and is filed under Trailers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.