Review of White House Down (2013) by Overeasy — 06 Jul 2013

In general, I'm no fan of mindless summer tripe, which this is but for that, it's not so bad. Of COURSE you have to suspend disbelief to an extreme degree, but we all know that going in. After all, the director who had Jeff Goldblum and Randy Quaid "save the world" isn't exactly prone to Shakespearian plotting. You've seen EVERY plot device before, from the wounded child of a divorced family to the cop who has "something to prove.".

But on as many levels as the movie fails, it also succeeds. The principals are actually given some time to, you know, talk to each other. For those you have lost track, that's called dialogue, and it used to be sort of important. No, this isn't Oscar Wilde, but it's moderately witty in points and Emmerich gives us enough slow scenes to make the action scenes more powerful.

The tipping point for me is when actioners take themselves too seriously. "White House Down," despite the material, does not. Buy popcorn. Settle in. Enjoy.