This afternoon we saw “White House Down.” So I’m obviously comparing it to “Olympus has Fallen,” which we saw in May. Both involved trashing the White House and DC in general (a theme which apparently appeals to Hollywood shot-callers right now). Both were very good movies–lots of action, the whole “Die Hard in the White House” concept.

I think I liked Gerard Butler in the hero role better than Channing Tatum, but Tatum was good. Aaron Eckhart vs. Jamie Fox as president: definitely Fox. “Olympus” had the presidential Morgan Freeman, but WHD had James Woods. Overall, a better cast in “Olympus” I think. And yet….

Both flicks had a daughter to save. I generally despise “child in peril” plots, which force the hero to surrender lest a child be hurt. In Olympus, they dispensed with that idea very early, and I appreciated it. Not so in WHD, which played that card strong. And yet…the daughter was a really good part of the movie in WHD.

In both movies, the Secret Service were a bunch of incompetents, easily mowed down on their own turf, pure canon fodder. Somehow I think the real Secret Service would be more effective.

The motive for the mayhem was more straightforward in Olympus. Also, one of the last lines in White House Down was a silly “Peace will reign throughout the world” kind of thing. Totally unnecessary, and laughable.

So anyway–I recommend seeing both movies. I loved them both, and they each had their own merits. But yeah, if I had to choose one it would be “Olympus has Fallen.”