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OLYMPUS HAS FALLENMovie Reviews
Action drama about a disgraced former Presidential guard who is the only hope for reclaiming the White House when it is overthrown by a terrorist. Cast:Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Finley Jacobsen, Dylan McDermott, Rick Yune, Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Phil Austin, James Ingersoll, Freddy Bosche, Lance Broadway, Sean O'BryanDirector:Antoine FuquaRelease Date:March 22, 2013DVD Release: TBD From:FilmDistrictRating:RLength:1 hr 40 min
Olympus Has Fallen opened to fair reviews. • Colin Covert wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "...everything an audience nostalgic for the Steven Seagal killfests of the '90s expects and deserves. 'Splosions. Shrapnel.... a death raft." More Reviews Below...
Olympus Has Fallen Positive Reviews (40 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: WEAK(cg) "...less fun than you'd think (beware the 9/11 allusions). Things improve when Gerard Butler steps up to save the day as a secret service superhero."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 34 words, 03/28/13
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...so pulpy and standard that the film actually makes you grateful for the presence of Gerard Butler, gnashing his teeth in the Bruce Willis role."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 304 words, 03/22/13
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "The special effects are schlocky, the action lumbering... the entire premise is forced, formulaic and far too familiar.... As Olympus falls, all subtlety and suspense is lost."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 554 words, 03/22/13
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: WEAK(cg) "...its sometimes jaw-dropping sadism aside, generic it is.... The over-the-top depiction of the movie's Asian bad guys is frankly kind of amazing in this day and age..."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 761 words, 03/20/13
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "...hard-core, high stakes action with an element of the cataclysmic spectacle incorporated to raise its profile. It delivers what it promises..."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 808 words, 03/21/13
Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "All of the cast members bring their A-game to a script that isn't exactly inspired but doesn't need to be when the White House has been attacked... Age 16."(See all of Sandie Angulo Chen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 640 words, 03/20/13
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: POOR "...the script seems intent on squandering opportunities to be clever or interesting.... a dose of bloated, moronic pseudo-patriotism..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 465 words, 03/22/13
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...brainless, brawny.... There's lots of firepower and plenty of hand-to-hand combat, but Fuqua also makes the siege feel frighteningly real."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 384 words, 03/22/13
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...a typical slab of Hollywood action... Fuqua gives in to terrible instincts here, flirting with overwrought patriotism, one too many laugh lines... chaos-inspired editing..."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 426 words, 03/22/13
Kyle Smith, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...a second-rate 'Air Force One' mashed up with a third-rate 'Die Hard'... this unapologetic B-movie at least keeps the action rolling, and the time goes by quickly."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 618 words, 03/22/13
Roger Moore, Chicago Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "...another movie manifestation of a first-person shooter video game. We've become a head-shot nation, and our thrillers are the poorer for it."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 521 words, 03/22/13
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...spreads the patriotism needlessly thick.... It's most effective, though, when simply blowing stuff up. Yippee-ki-yay this ain't, but it'll do."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 243 words, 03/22/13
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: POOR "...a disgusting piece of work, but it certainly hits its marks -- it makes you sick with suspense.... right-wing xenophobic exploitation. The carnage is cruel and crude."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,091 words, 03/22/13
Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...sharp, very taut... keeps you engrossed from start to finish. It delivers some excellent visuals and a few surprising twists that add beautifully to the suspense."(See all of Bill Zwecker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 629 words, 03/22/13
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) " 'America! Fuck yeah!'... an all-you-can-eat buffet of shlock... pretty ridiculously entertaining -- or at least entertainingly ridiculous..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 221 words, 03/20/13
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It all goes down shockingly well... [but] you can't help wondering if we're all being used by a film that could double as a dandy PSA for the CIA, FBI and Homeland Security."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 778 words, 03/22/13
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...entertaining.... The action is brutal and its use of CGI images that echo 9/11 carnage borders on exploitation. Yet the paranoia is also timely."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 785 words, 03/22/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It delivers in the most basic sense, but you wonder what a director with a sense of play might have done with the material."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 213 words, 03/21/13
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...enjoyably tacky.... It's only a matter of hours before a crazed terrorist mastermind has the secret codes to the U.S. nuclear arsenal at his fingertips."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 476 words, 03/22/13
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: WEAK(cg) "...everything an audience nostalgic for the Steven Seagal killfests of the '90s expects and deserves. 'Splosions. Shrapnel.... a death raft."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 453 words, 03/22/13
Barbara VanDenburgh, Arizona Republic: WEAK(cg) "The first half drags without doing any actual character building, so that when the lone-wolf shenanigans of the second half kick in, there's no emotional investment."(See all of Barbara VanDenburgh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 546 words, 03/22/13
Tom Russo, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "Pop jingoism isn't easy to stir once you've established a vibe that's so deflating.... it's disaster movie gloss.... Butler serves the cause well, considering."(See all of Tom Russo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 545 words, 03/22/13
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "Like a cross between 'Air Force One' and the first two 'Die Hard' movies... derivative but highly enjoyable.... Hard-hitting and tense..."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 546 words, 03/22/13
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: POOR(cg) "...slapdash, moronic... Dylan McDermott... Angela Bassett... Melissa Leo... Robert Forster... Morgan Freeman.... They should all have known better."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 289 words, 03/22/13
Adam Graham, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "...exciting and involving.... goes through plenty of familiar motions, but does them well enough that it gets away with it. There's a reason movies like this die hard."(See all of Adam Graham's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 298 words, 03/22/13
Rick Bentley, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...high-powered.... every step seems logical and feasible.... any small miscues get blown off the screen by a production that is pure explosive fun."(See all of Rick Bentley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 435 words, 03/22/13
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) " 'America! Fuck yeah!'... an all-you-can-eat buffet of shlock... pretty ridiculously entertaining -- or at least entertainingly ridiculous..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 221 words, 03/20/13
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: VERY GOOD(cg) "...very American. If you love this big, obnoxious country despite itself, you might feel the same way about this film too."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 621 words, 03/21/13
Scott Tobias, AV Club: POOR(cg) "Nearly everything that happens in the film is ludicrous.... The one and only consolation for audiences is that the end of the world would never, ever happen this way."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 452 words, 03/21/13
Jesse Hassenger, Pop Matters: POOR(cg) "...it's noisy and bombastic, but very little fun.... it might look, sometimes, like a good old-fashioned action movie. But it's just old."(See all of Jesse Hassenger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 860 words, 03/22/13
Calum Marsh, Slant: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a refreshingly self-aware genre exercise, embellishing its exploitative qualities and mostly discarding the rest.... Amusing one-liners and lightly comic touches abound..."(See all of Calum Marsh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 720 words, 03/16/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It delivers in the most basic sense, but you wonder what a director with a sense of play might have done with the material."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 213 words, 03/21/13
HIGHBROW PRESS (5 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...a nitwit extravaganza that makes you long for the intellectual depth of 'Independence Day'.... no fun at all.... it soon grows tedious, odious and oppressive."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 623 words, 03/22/13
A.O. Scott, New York Times: POOR "...the script seems intent on squandering opportunities to be clever or interesting.... a dose of bloated, moronic pseudo-patriotism..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 465 words, 03/22/13
David Denby, New Yorker: FAIR "...a bullet-ridden hunk of paranoia.... a combination of the violent and the cheesy... may nevertheless push a few buttons.... Fuqua doesn't deliver on what he has set up."(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 731 words, 03/25/13
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...a typical slab of Hollywood action... Fuqua gives in to terrible instincts here, flirting with overwrought patriotism, one too many laugh lines... chaos-inspired editing..."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 426 words, 03/22/13
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Variety: MODERATE "...intense, ugly.... Courageously representing the human element in this mostly digital assault on American soil, Gerard Butler holds his own..."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 03/20/13
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...generates a fair amount of tension and produces the kind of nationalistic outrage that rock-ribbed Americans will feel in their guts.... Fuqua sustains the suspense..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,054 words, 03/19/13
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...a typical slab of Hollywood action... Fuqua gives in to terrible instincts here, flirting with overwrought patriotism, one too many laugh lines... chaos-inspired editing..."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 426 words, 03/22/13
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: VERY GOOD(cg) "Antoine Fuqua can still make a mean action thriller... an often unsettling, sometimes silly, but always patriotic nailbiter.... an old-school war movie."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 571 words, 03/15/13
A.O. Scott, New York Times: POOR "...the script seems intent on squandering opportunities to be clever or interesting.... a dose of bloated, moronic pseudo-patriotism..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 465 words, 03/22/13
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...a nitwit extravaganza that makes you long for the intellectual depth of 'Independence Day'.... no fun at all.... it soon grows tedious, odious and oppressive."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 623 words, 03/22/13
19.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Olympus Has Fallen's reviews are separated by an average 19.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Olympus Has Fallen (40 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Olympus Has Fallen's reviews cover 63.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 21,866 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 547 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 25.7 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Olympus Has Fallen's reviews on average broke 25.7 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Olympus Has Fallen's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Olympus Has Fallen (40 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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