White House Down vs Olympus Has Fallen (2013) Comparison

New thing today, watching and comparing White House Down (2013) vs Olympus Has Fallen (2013).

Every now and then, Hollywood likes to release the same move twice in different tones. Some that come to mind are....

Friends with Benefits & No Strings Attached (2011)
The Prestige & The Illusionist (2006)
Armageddon & Deep Impact (1998)

I'm sure there are more, but those are just a few examples. Anyway I would like to compare the two that came out just last year. We finally saw them via Netflix and here is what I think - some spoilers ahead.

White House Down is overall the more audience friendly, fun loving action adventure type movie. Channing plays a less serious character who has a daughter who is into politics, takes her into the White House on the inauspicious day that they hijack the place and president. He ends up saving the day and all, and there are some funny parts and action and suspense.

Olympus Has Fallen is far darker with a more serious tone. It takes itself quite seriously which I disliked. Even the mood, characters, scenes and shots overall are darker in look and tone. Gerard Butler is more serious and intense. There aren't any real funny/light scenes, and even the action is bloody, gory and painful. I suppose it's also due to the director Antoine Fuqua, but ya, wasn't really liking this that much. Oh there's also this opening scene where Gerard Butler doesn't save the President's wife, so there's this whole redemption thing with him that he's going through, but it's all a little too serious and such. Even the traitor's lines about why he hijacked the President and the main villain's motives were overdramatic and a little weak. The whole thing was unappealing to me.

Remember, I also like silly action adventure stuff like Battleship and Pacific Rim, as well as the Die Hard series and guilty pleasures like Under Siege, so take my critique with that taste palate in mind (I just learned how to spell that properly). I prefer White House Down. Overall it's just more light, fun and romping good terrorists hijack the White House and the good guys beat them and win. We find the bad guy, survive and get em. And there are some cheesy fun scenes where a kid and a White House tour guide get to be heroes for a second. I also looked into the director Roland Emmerich and found I preferred his other movies as well overall.

Also, come on! The titles are pretty much exactly the same as well.

White House Down (another word for "Fallen")
Olympus (code name for White House) Has Fallen (another word for "down")

I suppose that's the standard for these similar movies.

Anyway it was interesting comparing the two. I might do that with future movies.