Roland Emmerich already blew up the White House once in “Independence Day.” But in “White House Down,” his villains have more complicated motives than the destruction of the human race, and they also have a more immediate response team, thanks to Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx.
In “White House Down,” Tatum plays an aspiring secret service agent who teams up with the U.S. President (Foxx) after domestic terrorists invade, you got it, the White House, and try to implement an elaborate plan of retaliation against enemies of the U.S. But how well does the “Independence Day” and “2012” director handle the complexities of public policy in comparison to widespread destruction? MTV News assembled a cross section of reviews from a number of expert voices on the Web.
How Are Foxx And Tatum As The Central Team?
“Foxx has just the right blend of dignity, smarts and affability to make us want to vote for him. Tatum is a consistently likable Everyman who proves his mettle à la Bruce Willis in the ‘Die Hard’ movies — with less smirking.” — Claudia Puig, USA Today
How Plausible Is The Scenario Depicted In The Movie?
“If the amount of disbelief that needs to be suspended to enjoy this movie could be turned into dollars, it would pay off the national debt with some money left over to buy star Channing Tatum, director Roland Emmerich and screenwriter James Vanderbilt a round of beers.” — Kenneth Turan,Los Angeles Times
How Well Does Roland Emmerich’s Movie Work As Pure, Dumb Fun?
“Dumb fun is one thing, and I’m all for action movies that aren’t especially logical if they bring some good sequences to bear. But you have to embody the label – it doesn’t work if you only remember the dumb part, and leave fun at home.” — Luke Y. Thompson, Topless Robot
How Does ‘White House Down’ Compare To ‘Olympus Has Fallen?’
“I mean, there’s dumb and then there’s idiotic. One accomplishment I can’t deny is that ‘White House Down’ makes the godawful ‘Olympus Has Fallen,’ a March release with almost exactly the same plot, look like the better offer.” — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Ultimately, How Up Will You Feel After ‘White House Down’?
“Emmerich makes every effort to supplant intelligence with patriotism. At best, ‘White House Down’ is a sure-fire way to kill two hours, if not countless brain cells, and let me assure you that neither will die softly.” — William Goss, Film.com
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