Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!
Today's review is 42.
Written & Directed by Brian Helgeland.
Review #208
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including language.
Run Time: 128 min
Cast
Chadwick Boseman...Jackie Robinson
Harrison Ford...Branch Rickey
Nicole Beharie...Rachel Robinson
Christopher Meloni...Leo Durocher
Ryan Merriman...Dixie Walker
Lucas Black...Pee Wee Reese
Andre Holland...Wendell Smith
Alan Tudyk...Ben Chapman
Hamish Linklater...Ralph Branca
T.R. Knight...Harold Parrott
John C. McGinley...Red Barber
The civil rights movement has had many important names and faces. People like Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King serve as some of the pioneers of the movement. All fascinating people that are worthy of every ounce of recognition they receive. However, there is one name that MUST be mentioned when talking about leading the charge of equal rights for African Americans.
That name is Jack Roosevelt Robinson.
Jackie's remarkable journey of breaking baseball's color barrier is no secret to anyone with a pulse. What's remarkable is how his achievement is recognized by some as only a professional sports triumph. This is not only untrue but worse, belittles the immense impact Jackie's efforts had on the world as a whole. Hollywood finally wised up and decided to tell the story of a man who not only became the first black man to play our national pastime.
He changed the fabric of our nation.
Plot
The life story of Jackie Robinson and his history-making signing with
the Brooklyn Dodgers under the guidance of team executive Branch Rickey.
Walking into 42, the perception is that you're going to watch a by the numbers biopic about baseball's first black player. By and large that's what you get but there were several key points that this film hits that needed to be addressed.
The first being the obvious backward thinking of the game by not having any players of color on their rosters. Whether it was collusion, fear of public backlash or outright racism. The exclusion of these amazing ballplayers is and continues to be a black eye for a game that had no problem puffing out it's chest announcing itself to everyone as America's Game. 42 doesn't outright embarrass baseball for this injustice but makes sure that you're not proud to be a fan of the game that applied this bigoted philosophy.
Secondly, the film does a pretty good job pointing out the blatant hypocrisy the game and country employed. The film begins with a voice over from Wendell Smith, Jackie's chronicler and reporter for a small time newspaper. He's writing an article detailing how World War II was over and that many of the games best players who left the game to serve their country were returning to the diamond. Some of these players were Hall of Famers Joe Dimaggio, Ted Williams and Stan Musial. These men fought along side soldiers of color but when it was time to play ball the blacks weren't allowed to join.
They can shoot a rifle with Joe D but can't swing a bat with him?
Food for thought.
All of this changed thanks in a big way to Branch Rickey. The man with the courage and conviction to understand that the game needed to get out of the stone age and embrace a simple reality.
Change was necessary to move the game forward into the future. So without batting an eyelash he decides to integrate the beloved Brooklyn Dodgers with a black player. This move was met with the predictable opposition from the league and his front office but Rickey was undeterred in his quest. All of this is again not news but the film presents an aspect of Rickey's decision that I never took into account. Once Jackie is chosen to join the Dodgers he's told by Rickey that he's there for many reasons. The obvious ones are stated but there was one that wasn't so obvious that I found very intriguing.
Rickey wanted Jackie to help him increase the Dodgers bank accounts in addition to their win total. Rickey saw the financial potential a move like this could create and was not shy of making it known. I found this part fascinating. For obvious reasons the monetary aspect of Jackie's introduction to baseball could have been seen as a sports version of slavery. Thus it's underplayed a bit, but the film makes no bones about any and every aspect and impact Robinson makes joining the Dodgers franchise. The ironic thing about all of this is that ball players of EVERY sport today are referred to as "property" of their organizations. We as fans don't bat an eyelash at that terminology when the trade deadline approaches yet cringe when it's married to slavery or servitude.
42 excelled at acquainting the novice of the trials and tribulations Robinson had to endure. Then it takes it up a notch by accurately depicting the reprehensible behavior and thinking these baseball bigots displayed. This is mainly showcased rather expertly in the game playing scenes. From the opposing teams players, managers and fans. The disdain for Jackie being on "their" field playing "their" game was evident and necessary. And just like a fighter counter punching, Jackie responded not with pugilism but with his play. He couldn't fight fire with fire so he used the only weapon available.
He may not have been accepted on the street but he made damn sure he was accepted on the field.
Before seeing this film I read other reviews and there was a specific one that caught my eye. The person had no real issues with the film other than the fact that in his opinion the film was dull because Jackie's off the field life was dull. I was in immediate disagreement. How in the world can a man who's been tasked with the unthinkable challenge of breaking baseball's color barrier BY HIMSELF be dull in any way shape or form. Then I watched the film and saw his point. When 42 comes off the diamond it gives you and Jackie a chance to breathe and recover from the action and abuse that just took place. It's a great device but I have to be honest. I didn't care about what Jackie did with his wife Rachel after the game unless it dealt with the aftermath of the several incidents he endured while playing.
The film tended to drag a bit in those scenes. They were essential but for me too slow and uninteresting. Maybe it was the underdevelopment of Rachel's character but for me it just didn't make the film any more entertaining. The cast was filled with terrific actors but as we all know the heavyweights are Boseman and Ford. They carry the film as they should. At first glance Boseman didn't look that much like Jackie and it's funny because to me he resembles him more when he was out of uniform. I know that sounds funny but I guess when Jackie's playing you can get swept away by the visuals of the stadium, crowd, the game and the uniforms to see if the details were correct. This in turn takes you away from Boseman's look as the man himself.
The one thing he did get right on the money was Jackie's relentless motion while on the base paths. Jackie was notorious for disrupting pitchers while on base by constantly hopping and skipping from side to side while taking his lead off the base. This served two purposes it focused the pitchers attention on him and not the batter and it helped Jackie with his timing when he was going to steal a base. There is a classic film clip from the MLB archives that shows Jackie doing this exact motion right before he blazes off to second base. It was obvious that Tinsletown gave my job a call and purchased this film so Boseman could properly emulate Jackie's trademark base running brilliance.
Shameless job plug over.
42 does a lot of good things here but there was one thing it fails to capture. The film takes place during Jackie's rookie season with the Dodgers in 1947. It was a good choice to contain it to his introduction to the game but the film does a disservice to Jackie by not emphasizing the many efforts he made during the civil rights movement long after he retired. The only thing that was explained was that he and Rachel started a foundation that provides college scholarships. This in my opinion shortchanges ALL of Jackie's accomplishments both on and off the field. The game may have been integrated on the field but Jackie's fight didn't stop there.
He was an outspoken advocate of the game's lack of a black presence in the front office and in the dugout. I reminded of the time during the 1972 World Series when Jackie was there to be honored for breaking the game's color barrier and during his speech he called out the game and Commissioner Bowie Kuhn for not having the stones to have black managers. It was a poignant moment that truly showed Robinson's continued fight for equality. The end of 42 doesn't go all the way with detailing his immense contributions and that was unfortunate.
On the 5 star scale. 42 gets 3 stars with a "Go See It!" Recommendation.
That's a wrap for today. Up next is Trance.
Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"
"D"
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!
Today's review is G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Directed by Jon M. Chu.
Written by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick.
Review #207
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of combat violence and martial arts action throughout, and for brief sensuality and language.
Run Time: 110 min
Cast
Dwayne Johnson...Roadblock
Jonathan Pryce...President
Byung-hun Lee...Storm Shadow
Elodie Yung...Jinx
Ray Stevenson...Firefly
D.J. Cotrona...Flint
Adrianne Palicki...Jaye
Channing Tatum...Duke
Ray Park...Snake Eyes
Luke Bracey...Cobra Commander
Walton Goggins...Warden Nigel James
Arnold Vosloo...Zartan
Joseph Mazzello...Mouse
RZA...Blind Master
Being the massive geek that I am. It fills my heart with excitement when I hear the news that some of my favorite shows/toys/cartoons are being brought to life by Hollywood magic. Then these properties are placed in the hands of complete imbeciles and my favorite childhood memories become repressed. First there was Michael Bay ruining Transformers for me and now Stephen Sommers obliterated any happy memories I had with G.I. Joe thanks to his horrendous 2009 film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
It's utterly amazing how these two men found a way to make me sorry for ever loving these two toons and toys when I was a kid.
Like Hackael Bay before him. Sommers did the unimaginable by screwing up a ready made story and replaced it with the worst possible ideas. If that wasn't enough he cast the film with the wrong actors to play classic roles. Then to put a bow on the whole thing he changed the look and more importantly the origin of some of the most popular characters in the G.I. Joe universe.
Murphy's law was in full effect here and nobody had the good sense to stop this hack from ruining so many people's childhood memories. Fast forward to the present and we now have another G.I. Joe film.
Does this one make the same mistakes Sommers made?
Not quite but this film isn't off the hook.
Plot
The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.
Right off the bat I'm going to say that this film is WAY better than it's predecessor. The very first scene feels like a G.I Joe film. From the action to the look of the characters (which I'll expand on further later) to the gadgets the Joe's use. This was a promising sign seeing some of the characters that I remembered as a kid be properly represented by better actors and far superior costumes.
So what happened?
The writers, who are a pair of good ones I might add, inexplicably continued the continuity with Sommers' train wreck and tried to piece together a more cohesive plot. It was a valid effort that's worthy of recognition but the fact that I was forced to be reminded of things that took place in the first film in order to move this one along was very disappointing. What was equally confusing was that the film made several attempts to acknowledge the fact that they were trying to leave the first film behind them. It was like the studio said to make a direct sequel but also make us forget the first film never happened.
Impossible.
The film suffers as a result.
It borders mostly on the unnecessary continuation of the back story between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. Like many of the core characters in the first film, they were given an origin which was not needed. The animated series never delved into how Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow became ninjas or mortal enemies. The mystery was part of the fun. Of course Sommers didn't believe in fun and treated us to one of the worst back stories of these iconic characters. G.I. Joe Retaliation not just continues it but added to the stupidity. This was compounded by the dreadful casting and performance by The RZA as the blind master. I realize that G.I. Joe does not exist but to cast a rapper with ZERO martial arts experience and place him in the role of a master of Ninjitsu is beyond laughable.
What came next was just as silly. It's a plot spolier so I'll stop here.
Unfortunately there's a bit more of this kind of story issues with the film but it wasn't enough to derail it completely so I'll move on to what was good about it.
First off, the cast was a MAJOR upgrade from the group of clowns in the first film. Dwayne Johnson is Roadblock. He looked the part and played it with a grit and presence that was very reminiscent of his cartoon counterpart. Channing Tatum as Duke was very forgettable in the first film. Of course between then and now he's blown up and showcased an unexpected acting range. His performance here was more than sufficient to earn your forgiveness of G.I Joe The Rise of Cobra. He does a great job bonding with Roadblock which was a nice change of pace from the hardcore action. It was good too see these heroes have lives and real relationships.
That was sorely lacking before because there was a moron behind the camera.
Lady Jaye and Flint were more than serviceable minus an odd and underdeveloped back story between the characters as a couple and on their own. That in a nutshell is what fails this movie. The need to give these characters a reason to care about them. The people making this film should already know that people seeing this film could care less what Lady Jaye's favorite color is or what her favorite food is.
She's in a G.I. Joe movie. That's enough.
I realize the attempt is made to introduce people who've never heard of the property but you have to be honest with the situation. Your core audience are going to be geeks like me who grew up with this cartoon and toys. Any other ticket buyers are just considered house money. Satisfy our need for an honest and faithful interpretation of what we loved way back when and that will be more than enough to make your bank roll flush.
Back to what's good.
The look of each character was spot on with the exception of Storm Shadow. The old costume was still in tact and he was compelled several times to remove his mask and fight/act full face. Other than that the rest of the characters looked the part in a very convincing manner. Highlighted by Snake Eyes and Cobra Commander. Gone was Sommers idiotic idea of giving Snake Eyes lips for his ninja mask.
The guy never speaks you bleeding imbecile.
We also were treated to a real Cobra Commander look. The classic helmet and silver face plate fully in tow. Very cool geek moment.
All told, G.I Joe: Retaliation does enough to make itself it's own film. Unfortunately the inclusion of some of the first films story coupled with some silly character arcs drop this film a few pegs. It's a shame because with a couple of script tweaks this could have been the true G.I Joe film we've always wanted. All I know is that this film was a lot closer than the first film ever got.
And knowing is half the battle....Isn't it?
On the 5 star scale. G.I. Joe: Retaliation gets 2 stars with a "Go See It!" recommendation.
That's a wrap for today. Coming soon in no particular order. The Trance, The Place Beyond The Pines and 42.
Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"
"D"
Today's review is G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Directed by Jon M. Chu.
Written by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick.
Review #207
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of combat violence and martial arts action throughout, and for brief sensuality and language.
Run Time: 110 min
Cast
Dwayne Johnson...Roadblock
Jonathan Pryce...President
Byung-hun Lee...Storm Shadow
Elodie Yung...Jinx
Ray Stevenson...Firefly
D.J. Cotrona...Flint
Adrianne Palicki...Jaye
Channing Tatum...Duke
Ray Park...Snake Eyes
Luke Bracey...Cobra Commander
Walton Goggins...Warden Nigel James
Arnold Vosloo...Zartan
Joseph Mazzello...Mouse
RZA...Blind Master
Being the massive geek that I am. It fills my heart with excitement when I hear the news that some of my favorite shows/toys/cartoons are being brought to life by Hollywood magic. Then these properties are placed in the hands of complete imbeciles and my favorite childhood memories become repressed. First there was Michael Bay ruining Transformers for me and now Stephen Sommers obliterated any happy memories I had with G.I. Joe thanks to his horrendous 2009 film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
It's utterly amazing how these two men found a way to make me sorry for ever loving these two toons and toys when I was a kid.
Like Hackael Bay before him. Sommers did the unimaginable by screwing up a ready made story and replaced it with the worst possible ideas. If that wasn't enough he cast the film with the wrong actors to play classic roles. Then to put a bow on the whole thing he changed the look and more importantly the origin of some of the most popular characters in the G.I. Joe universe.
Murphy's law was in full effect here and nobody had the good sense to stop this hack from ruining so many people's childhood memories. Fast forward to the present and we now have another G.I. Joe film.
Does this one make the same mistakes Sommers made?
Not quite but this film isn't off the hook.
Plot
The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.
Right off the bat I'm going to say that this film is WAY better than it's predecessor. The very first scene feels like a G.I Joe film. From the action to the look of the characters (which I'll expand on further later) to the gadgets the Joe's use. This was a promising sign seeing some of the characters that I remembered as a kid be properly represented by better actors and far superior costumes.
So what happened?
The writers, who are a pair of good ones I might add, inexplicably continued the continuity with Sommers' train wreck and tried to piece together a more cohesive plot. It was a valid effort that's worthy of recognition but the fact that I was forced to be reminded of things that took place in the first film in order to move this one along was very disappointing. What was equally confusing was that the film made several attempts to acknowledge the fact that they were trying to leave the first film behind them. It was like the studio said to make a direct sequel but also make us forget the first film never happened.
Impossible.
The film suffers as a result.
It borders mostly on the unnecessary continuation of the back story between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. Like many of the core characters in the first film, they were given an origin which was not needed. The animated series never delved into how Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow became ninjas or mortal enemies. The mystery was part of the fun. Of course Sommers didn't believe in fun and treated us to one of the worst back stories of these iconic characters. G.I. Joe Retaliation not just continues it but added to the stupidity. This was compounded by the dreadful casting and performance by The RZA as the blind master. I realize that G.I. Joe does not exist but to cast a rapper with ZERO martial arts experience and place him in the role of a master of Ninjitsu is beyond laughable.
What came next was just as silly. It's a plot spolier so I'll stop here.
Unfortunately there's a bit more of this kind of story issues with the film but it wasn't enough to derail it completely so I'll move on to what was good about it.
First off, the cast was a MAJOR upgrade from the group of clowns in the first film. Dwayne Johnson is Roadblock. He looked the part and played it with a grit and presence that was very reminiscent of his cartoon counterpart. Channing Tatum as Duke was very forgettable in the first film. Of course between then and now he's blown up and showcased an unexpected acting range. His performance here was more than sufficient to earn your forgiveness of G.I Joe The Rise of Cobra. He does a great job bonding with Roadblock which was a nice change of pace from the hardcore action. It was good too see these heroes have lives and real relationships.
That was sorely lacking before because there was a moron behind the camera.
Lady Jaye and Flint were more than serviceable minus an odd and underdeveloped back story between the characters as a couple and on their own. That in a nutshell is what fails this movie. The need to give these characters a reason to care about them. The people making this film should already know that people seeing this film could care less what Lady Jaye's favorite color is or what her favorite food is.
She's in a G.I. Joe movie. That's enough.
I realize the attempt is made to introduce people who've never heard of the property but you have to be honest with the situation. Your core audience are going to be geeks like me who grew up with this cartoon and toys. Any other ticket buyers are just considered house money. Satisfy our need for an honest and faithful interpretation of what we loved way back when and that will be more than enough to make your bank roll flush.
Back to what's good.
The look of each character was spot on with the exception of Storm Shadow. The old costume was still in tact and he was compelled several times to remove his mask and fight/act full face. Other than that the rest of the characters looked the part in a very convincing manner. Highlighted by Snake Eyes and Cobra Commander. Gone was Sommers idiotic idea of giving Snake Eyes lips for his ninja mask.
The guy never speaks you bleeding imbecile.
We also were treated to a real Cobra Commander look. The classic helmet and silver face plate fully in tow. Very cool geek moment.
All told, G.I Joe: Retaliation does enough to make itself it's own film. Unfortunately the inclusion of some of the first films story coupled with some silly character arcs drop this film a few pegs. It's a shame because with a couple of script tweaks this could have been the true G.I Joe film we've always wanted. All I know is that this film was a lot closer than the first film ever got.
And knowing is half the battle....Isn't it?
On the 5 star scale. G.I. Joe: Retaliation gets 2 stars with a "Go See It!" recommendation.
That's a wrap for today. Coming soon in no particular order. The Trance, The Place Beyond The Pines and 42.
Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"
"D"
Olympus Has Fallen
Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!
Today's review is Olympus Has Fallen.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua.
Written by Creighton Rothenberger & Katrin Benedikt.
Review #206
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong violence and language throughout.
Run Time: 120 min
Cast
Gerard Butler...Mike Banning
Aaron Eckhart...President Benjamin Asher
Finley Jacobsen...Connor
Dylan McDermott...Forbes
Rick Yune...Kang
Morgan Freeman...Speaker Trumbull
Angela Bassett...Secret Service Director Lynn Jacobs
Melissa Leo...Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
Radha Mitchell...Leah
Cole Hauser...Roma
Phil Austin...Vice President Charlie Rodriguez
Robert Forster...General Edward Clegg
Ashley Judd...Margaret Asher
It's funny how a single film made back in 1988 had the ability to redefine the action genre only to then make a mockery of it.
The film I speak of is of course the iconic Die Hard.
Now I'm not suggesting in any way that Die Hard is a mockery to the action genre. The copycat films are. Due to the incredible success of the original and subsequent sequels save for the last 2, Tinseltown has done it's best to recreate the magic that John McClane had with his original blockbuster. In fact there was a term coined to summarize the plot of a film that had similarities to it's predecessor.
Die Hard On....
Here are some examples.
Air Force One = Die Hard On A Plane
Under Siege = Die Hard On a Ship
Sudden Death = Die Hard In An Arena
The premise was the same. A hostage situation is foiled by a single hero. Sometimes that hero is a super soldier, sometimes they're a fireman or sometimes they're the President of The United States. No matter who the hero is or what kind of training they possess. They are an army of one against many. Some of these films were pretty good. In fact I would go so far to say that Under Siege was by leaps and bounds the best Die Hard clone and worthy of being put in it's class.
Olympus Has Fallen falls into the mockery class.
Plot
Disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped inside the White House in the wake of a terrorist attack; using his inside knowledge, Banning works with national security to rescue the President from his kidnappers.
The biggest problem with this film is that it's as tired and retread as a movie with this plot can be. Now in it's defense, it's very very very hard to come up with a fresh perspective for a film that's been recycled countless times.
In my opinion there are one of two ways to solve this dilemma.
1) You take what made Die Hard so great and just remake that in the form of your film.
2) You go the opposite direction and go balls to the wall action and forget the plot entirely a la The Expendables.
Olympus Has Fallen does both and does them badly.
The only thing that I enjoyed from this film was the siege on the White House. It was surgically chaotic. You can tell there was intricate planning and execution used to take it. I realize that last statement falls into the "DUH" category. However going into this film you have to suspend disbelief entirely because of the target. It's the FREAKING White House! I couldn't wait for this scene just to see how they were going to pull it off. Despite the ridiculous premise of a small North Korean army taking control of the most secure piece of real estate on the planet. It was a fun scene to watch.
The film just gets pardon the pun DUMB after that.
What I mean by dumb is the fact that the writers took every possible cliche and plot point used in other films and placed it here with no shame or regard for the audience. I'll break them down into examples. They may be considered spoilers. Minor ones so if you;re not interested in reading then move on to the non highlighted portion afterwards. But let's be honest here, you all should know what this film is about and what I bring up will not reveal any plot twists cause there aren't any.
Maybe I shouldn't have said that. Oh well. Here we go with the what I'm calling the Die Hard Force One playbook.
1) The hero of the story is a former Marine, Navy Seal, Army Ranger, Special Forces, Black Ops Agent who has killed 100,000 with his bare hands and a toothpick. And the film has to have a scene that explains that even though we ALREADY KNOW THIS! That happens here. Banning was the head man with the President's secret service detail. Before the guy throws a single punch it's feasible to surmise that this guy had to have some kind of training in either the military or law enforcement.
It's not like the secret service recruits movie bloggers like me.
Instead of letting this detail die like it should. They go the extra mile and give us the classic scene that we all know. The government heads are all huddled in a crisis room and when they're made aware of the hero's rogue involvement you have that one dumb ass who questions his loyalty. This is followed by another dumb character spitting back our hero's dossier. Explaining in totality that this man has had the highest training in weapons, tactics, explosives and omelette making. This guy's already killed dozens of enemy troops before this scene even takes place.
Totally unnecessary.
2) There's a wise ass, cocky character in either law enforcement or the military that believes his team can retake the captured "whatever" out of sheer American arrogance. There's a scene where the good guys see a window of opportunity to retake the White House so they send in choppers. Banning tells them to wait but the General with big brass balls says no and orders the strike. In fact I remember the dialogue between the two characters.
Banning - "These guys are pretty fu@#ing tough."
General Clegg - "My guys are tougher."
Of course what happens? The bad guys expecting the attack take out the good guys in one fell swoop and poof. There goes the rescue attempt. Keep this in mind too. This scene takes place AFTER the hostages showed their force and resolve by executing a hostage as a reminder to not try anything silly.
And finally the last of the big 3.
3) There's always an inside man or traitor that gives the bad guys the access they need to breach or capture the location.
I don't have to explain any further do I?
There are other instances but to be honest I'm done going through them. The point is that Olympus Has Fallen had a chance to be good and instead decided to be lazy. There were some fun moments but not nearly enough to get past the absurdity of the plot from the beginning.
On the 5 star scale. Olympus Has Fallen gets 1.5 stars with a "Netflix It!" recommendation.
That's a wrap for today. Up next is G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Until Next Episode. I'll Save You A Seat!
"D"
Today's review is Olympus Has Fallen.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua.
Written by Creighton Rothenberger & Katrin Benedikt.
Review #206
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong violence and language throughout.
Run Time: 120 min
Cast
Gerard Butler...Mike Banning
Aaron Eckhart...President Benjamin Asher
Finley Jacobsen...Connor
Dylan McDermott...Forbes
Rick Yune...Kang
Morgan Freeman...Speaker Trumbull
Angela Bassett...Secret Service Director Lynn Jacobs
Melissa Leo...Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan
Radha Mitchell...Leah
Cole Hauser...Roma
Phil Austin...Vice President Charlie Rodriguez
Robert Forster...General Edward Clegg
Ashley Judd...Margaret Asher
It's funny how a single film made back in 1988 had the ability to redefine the action genre only to then make a mockery of it.
The film I speak of is of course the iconic Die Hard.
Now I'm not suggesting in any way that Die Hard is a mockery to the action genre. The copycat films are. Due to the incredible success of the original and subsequent sequels save for the last 2, Tinseltown has done it's best to recreate the magic that John McClane had with his original blockbuster. In fact there was a term coined to summarize the plot of a film that had similarities to it's predecessor.
Die Hard On....
Here are some examples.
Air Force One = Die Hard On A Plane
Under Siege = Die Hard On a Ship
Sudden Death = Die Hard In An Arena
The premise was the same. A hostage situation is foiled by a single hero. Sometimes that hero is a super soldier, sometimes they're a fireman or sometimes they're the President of The United States. No matter who the hero is or what kind of training they possess. They are an army of one against many. Some of these films were pretty good. In fact I would go so far to say that Under Siege was by leaps and bounds the best Die Hard clone and worthy of being put in it's class.
Olympus Has Fallen falls into the mockery class.
Plot
Disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped inside the White House in the wake of a terrorist attack; using his inside knowledge, Banning works with national security to rescue the President from his kidnappers.
The biggest problem with this film is that it's as tired and retread as a movie with this plot can be. Now in it's defense, it's very very very hard to come up with a fresh perspective for a film that's been recycled countless times.
In my opinion there are one of two ways to solve this dilemma.
1) You take what made Die Hard so great and just remake that in the form of your film.
2) You go the opposite direction and go balls to the wall action and forget the plot entirely a la The Expendables.
Olympus Has Fallen does both and does them badly.
The only thing that I enjoyed from this film was the siege on the White House. It was surgically chaotic. You can tell there was intricate planning and execution used to take it. I realize that last statement falls into the "DUH" category. However going into this film you have to suspend disbelief entirely because of the target. It's the FREAKING White House! I couldn't wait for this scene just to see how they were going to pull it off. Despite the ridiculous premise of a small North Korean army taking control of the most secure piece of real estate on the planet. It was a fun scene to watch.
The film just gets pardon the pun DUMB after that.
What I mean by dumb is the fact that the writers took every possible cliche and plot point used in other films and placed it here with no shame or regard for the audience. I'll break them down into examples. They may be considered spoilers. Minor ones so if you;re not interested in reading then move on to the non highlighted portion afterwards. But let's be honest here, you all should know what this film is about and what I bring up will not reveal any plot twists cause there aren't any.
Maybe I shouldn't have said that. Oh well. Here we go with the what I'm calling the Die Hard Force One playbook.
1) The hero of the story is a former Marine, Navy Seal, Army Ranger, Special Forces, Black Ops Agent who has killed 100,000 with his bare hands and a toothpick. And the film has to have a scene that explains that even though we ALREADY KNOW THIS! That happens here. Banning was the head man with the President's secret service detail. Before the guy throws a single punch it's feasible to surmise that this guy had to have some kind of training in either the military or law enforcement.
It's not like the secret service recruits movie bloggers like me.
Instead of letting this detail die like it should. They go the extra mile and give us the classic scene that we all know. The government heads are all huddled in a crisis room and when they're made aware of the hero's rogue involvement you have that one dumb ass who questions his loyalty. This is followed by another dumb character spitting back our hero's dossier. Explaining in totality that this man has had the highest training in weapons, tactics, explosives and omelette making. This guy's already killed dozens of enemy troops before this scene even takes place.
Totally unnecessary.
2) There's a wise ass, cocky character in either law enforcement or the military that believes his team can retake the captured "whatever" out of sheer American arrogance. There's a scene where the good guys see a window of opportunity to retake the White House so they send in choppers. Banning tells them to wait but the General with big brass balls says no and orders the strike. In fact I remember the dialogue between the two characters.
Banning - "These guys are pretty fu@#ing tough."
General Clegg - "My guys are tougher."
Of course what happens? The bad guys expecting the attack take out the good guys in one fell swoop and poof. There goes the rescue attempt. Keep this in mind too. This scene takes place AFTER the hostages showed their force and resolve by executing a hostage as a reminder to not try anything silly.
And finally the last of the big 3.
3) There's always an inside man or traitor that gives the bad guys the access they need to breach or capture the location.
I don't have to explain any further do I?
There are other instances but to be honest I'm done going through them. The point is that Olympus Has Fallen had a chance to be good and instead decided to be lazy. There were some fun moments but not nearly enough to get past the absurdity of the plot from the beginning.
On the 5 star scale. Olympus Has Fallen gets 1.5 stars with a "Netflix It!" recommendation.
That's a wrap for today. Up next is G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Until Next Episode. I'll Save You A Seat!
"D"
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