Olympus Has Fallen - Noodles Review

7 out of 10 Noodles

       I went into this movie with quite low expectations. Boy, was I surprised. Olympus Has Fallen is more than just a weekend popcorn flick; it's this generation's Die Hard (though not nearly as awesome as Die Hard). In a nutshell, this movie is the story of a former presidential guard who is the only survivor when the White House is captured by North Korean terrorists. Yes, North Koreans. In the 80's, it was Russians. In the early 2000's it was the Middle Easterners. Nowadays, it's the North Koreans who're the bad guys in all our movies.
         Anyway, it's all cliche in that the terrorists take the president and hold him for ransom from the government and, additionally, request codes for nuclear missiles. It's not like we haven't seen this before. But Olympus Has Fallen is actually a movie where this all works. Is it believable? Not really. Is it awesome and entertaining? Hell yeah! This movie is just filled with action and intensity, with a badass who saves the day. Gerard Butler's character is a very likable guy, cracking jokes and saving the day, but he also means business. Butler played him greatly and I couldn't help but compare him to John McClane while watching the movie (again, still not as awesome as John McClane but still pretty darn awesome). Aaron Eckhart, as well, was great in the movie. And there's Morgan Freeman; but we know what to expect from Morgan Freeman.
       Not only was the acting good and action entertaining, but the movie, itself, was very appreciative. Olympus Has Fallen is a movie that knows what it is. It's not trying to be an Oscar-winner, it's not trying to be a money maker (otherwise they would've made it PG-13). No, this movie is just straight-up what it is. Does that make sense? Probably not, but this movie knew what it was and it did what it aimed to do well: be entertaining and awesome.
7 out of 10 Noodles.