White House Down

[danoyse]

That was about as weak as I remember it being. The first minute you have annoying characters for the sake of having annoying characters. Then it's a bunch of claustrophobic close-ups of 'splosions and cars flipping ad nauseum. That scene could have been epic if you had a director who knew something about framing and editing a scene like that.

Not to mention that those street scenes were so obviously not New York. It was downtown LA, with inserts of the NY skyline.

Contrast with this....

[YT]r4WyiHoeSKg[/YT]

The fear on everyone's face knowing they're about to die, wide angles, long shots. I can appreciate what's going on when the director isn't gutting the scene with half-second edits and pointing the camera every which way. It sh**s all over Armageddon's sci-fi channel worthy scene.

The only time I ever saw Deep Impact was on a plane, flying to New York from London. It's fun watching a meteor hit the Atlantic Ocean while flying over it.

I'm not a huge fan of either movie, but Deep Impact is the better destruction scene, hands down.

 

[Visceral]

I happen to like ID4 and don't absolutely hate his Godzilla.

Godzilla did what it set out to do, and people crucified it. I've seen other Godzilla movies and I'm sorry they aren't exactly Russian Literature comparatively.

 

[Ultimatehero]

The only time I ever saw Deep Impact was on a plane, flying to New York from London. It's fun watching a meteor hit the Atlantic Ocean while flying over it.

Things like that are always trippy. Seven years ago I wrote a teleplay, about someone having to stop a Gremlin from crashing a plane, while ON a long plane ride - I haven't been able to ride a plane without being afraid since.

Also the beginning to 'Final Destination' plays awesomely as well lol.

 

[mclay18]

The trailer looks terrible. It actually looks like a ripoff of OHF, even though both films were in production at the same time.

And Tatum... my God, Gerald Butler wipes the floor with him. (Looks like he came straight out of the first G.I. Joe film and into this film.) And Jamie Foxx looks funny with those glasses.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Now see, I liked this trailer more than the Olympus Has Fallen one. Seems there will be more than just what the title suggests. And from what I see, I'm actually liking Tatum in this trailer. He's pretty convincing. The situation itself looks very interesting and not only that, this trailer as a whole was very well done and cut together. Really added a level of intrigue to it.

 

[Ultimatehero]

Half-of the script:

Spoiler

The movie takes about thirty to forty minutes to get into the White House being attacked.

Our protagonist is Cale, he served in the marines then when he left became the protector for the Secretary of State. An elderly man who doesn't want to be the president. Here it reminded me of the relationship Jeff Goldblum had with his dad in 'Independence Day.' He is an absentee father of a daughter who although she doesn't want to show how much she looks up to, it's clear that she sees him as a hero and is a walking encyclopedia about the white house.

Cale's daughter is with a witty tour guide, think Jon Cryer and you've got his personality down, when this whole thing is taking place.

The president is, well - he's the president, but he has a certain Jamie Foxx vibe about him if that makes sense? He has a sarcastic wit.

That's the thing that immediately sets this apart from Olympus Has Fallen - this movie has a lot more light hearted humor in it somehow.

The lead bad guy is the head of the secret service department -- the first half it's revealed that this entire thing might be a military operation. They don't care about the president as much as they care about getting their hands on certain classified files within the White House technological vault.

The explosion seen in the trailer is about a man who gets in and blows himself up as a diversion. This scene read really bad in the script at first. But made sense later on. However, I'm still iffy about it despite it being possible. Because its done in such a way that makes you ask how he got past the entire security team (some of which aren't in on it).

There is not as much action as in 'Olympus Has Fallen' which so far is clearly the most spectacle of the two since so far Cale and the president have just been running around avoiding the bad guys rather than fighting. This is more character-driven, but also causes one to question how there can be these moments due to what is going on.

It is the vice president aboard air force one.

The president has been trying to work in a peace treaty which the more conservative seem against - the conservative party thinks peace is a joke and that the president is naive to think his treaty can work. If it is the military - this could be why.

I'm about half-way in so far, I'll probably be reading the rest tomorrow. So far I'd give it a 7-8, but depending on where it goes it might become an 8-8.5.

 

[terry78]

Yeah, that plot point at the end there will pretty much make this a 180 from the "jingoism" of Olympus.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Not sure what to make out of that trailer. They did a pretty good job of building the intensity at the beginning, and the effects look better than what I saw in the Olympus Has Fallen trailer. But other things were just unintentionally funny. I love how they remind you that Emmerich directed 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow, as if those are movies to be proud of. And it looks like they tried REALLY hard to make Tatum look like John McClane.

Also, I can't wait for the Asylum Version: White House Has Fallen: Olympus Down.

 

[DarkSovereignty]

I don't know, I think he looks pretty cool. I like how the film builds up like this huge event. whereas Olympus has fallen just came off like an action film, this one has more of a thriller vibe to it, Roland emmerich, while not anywhere near my favorite film maker, does know how to establish a massive scope with his movies. I just hope he doesn't have his trademark bloated, 2 dimensional ensemble cast.

 

[Ultimatehero]

2012 earned 769 million worldwide (higher overseas gross) while Day After Tomorrow earned 544 million (higher domestic gross). The films are only a disappointment critically, while they continually prove to have an audience. If it's one thing Emerich is known for it's drawing crowds in. To me, that is something to be proud of. They're pure escapism. And personally, like Emerich more than Bay (although they're arguably similar) because he knows how to pace his films.

 

[Bowie]

Looks awful.

Will not watch.

 

[Rowsdower!]

2012 earned 769 million worldwide (higher overseas gross) while Day After Tomorrow earned 544 million (higher domestic gross). The films are only a disappointment critically, while they continually prove to have an audience. If it's one thing Emerich is known for it's drawing crowds in. To me, that is something to be proud of. They're pure escapism. And personally, like Emerich more than Bay (although they're arguably similar) because he knows how to pace his films.

Well, that's true. I guess when it comes to those movies, in addition to the bad reviews, I've yet to meet anyone who likes them. I mean hell, I'm a huge lefty and even I thought The Day After Tomorrow was f***ing awful. But yeah, when movies make that much money, it does mean that someone out there liked them.

As for Emmerich vs. Bay... that's an interesting debate. Both have made films that I loved (Independence Day, Stargate, the Rock, the first Transformers), though neither has done anything good recently. But maybe this film and Pain & Gain will be returns to form for both of them.

 

[protocida]

Spoiler

James Woods is the bad guy. He wants the codes for data farming, and employs Jason Clarke and his team to break in. Maggie Gyllenhall is a Secret Service agent who protects the President, but gets locked out of the White House and helps Channing Tatum behind James Woods' back.

 

[terry78]

Spoiler

James Woods?

I'm already in.

 

[Ultimatehero]

Knowing that casting, already raising my score for this. Also awesome to be able to read the rest knowing the cast (forgot to look before reading, place had no internet connection). But that cast can really bring this to life.

 

[dark_b]

Woods? yeah baby

 

[rayc1971]

after seeing the trailer for this I don't want to see it.when both these films were being made this is the one I wanted to see because of the cast.olympus has fallen had a better trailer to me this reminds me of deep impact vs amageddon and snow white and the huntsman vs mirror mirror why couldn't they stretch them out further.one could have came out in spring and the other in winter

 

[bapi]

Spoiler

James Woods is the bad guy. He wants the codes for data farming, and employs Jason Clarke and his team to break in. Maggie Gyllenhall is a Secret Service agent who protects the President, but gets locked out of the White House and helps Channing Tatum behind James Woods' back.

Spoiler

But Jenkins is the main bad guy.

 

[terry78]

Somebody is a liar.

 

[protocida]

^ He's probably right, I often confuse the two. It doesn't help that the characters' names were changed.

 

[Ultimatehero]

MAJOR SPOILER:

Spoiler

Both are bad guys. Jenkins being the villain is the twist at the very end. Data mining is just a cover. His real plan was to assasinate the president so he could rise to power and instill a nuclear war with Iran due to now being granted the power to do so.

 

[protocida]

What a twist!

 

[Doctor Jones]

2012 earned 769 million worldwide (higher overseas gross) while Day After Tomorrow earned 544 million (higher domestic gross). The films are only a disappointment critically, while they continually prove to have an audience. If it's one thing Emerich is known for it's drawing crowds in. To me, that is something to be proud of. They're pure escapism. And personally, like Emerich more than Bay (although they're arguably similar) because he knows how to pace his films.

Both know how to make an action film and execute it in a way to be immensely successful. If you can do that and keep getting these gigs, internet be damned, you're obviously doing something right as a director. So good for Emmerich and Bay I say. They're doing what they love and making boat loads of money off of it.

Emmerich's quality of direction depends on the script. James Vanderbilt wrote the screenplay, so that's one of the reasons why I have an interest in this. Zodiac is one of my favorite movies so with him attached we got the chance of a good movie here.

 

[Anita18]

TRAILER #1

Call me Captain Obvious, but there are a lot of other buildings down in this movie than just the White House.

 

[terry78]

That's the only building that matters. Everyone else is just **** out of luck.