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The Federal Budget: What’s It All About?

Maggie Partsi — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:03:38 +0000

By Brittany Grimble

After the federal budget was announced a few days ago, many people have been outraged since the details were released. I never really have paid much attention to such things in the past, but now nearly finishing the end of my degree and entering the “real world” at the end of the year I thought it was about time I had a look!

No More Baby Bonus?

The Baby Bonus will be abolished in nine months’ time, so women who fall pregnant from this week onwards will no longer benefit from the $5,000 Baby Bonus. From March 1, the Baby Bonus will be replaced with a lower payment of $2,000 for first-born babies and $1,000 for subsequent children. The federal government estimates 48,000 families who would have expected the Baby Bonus next year will miss out. Treasurer Wayne Swan said the Baby Bonus was “not sustainable”. “We understand there’ll be some people unhappy about this decision,” he said, “but at the end of the day decisions had to be made about who needs the payment. The payment had been increasing dramatically and is not sustainable in its current form.” The change will save taxpayers $1.1bn over five years. Being a student at this present point in time, I believe the Baby Bonus funding can be spent on much better things, however it has meant the increase of the Family Tax Benefit.

So really will it still be saving taxpayers’ dollars?

School funding:

As of January 1 2014, schools will be receiving more funding, with primary schools getting $9,271 per child and high schools receiving $12,193 per child. I do believe this was an important addition, as I myself have been through the school system and am currently involved in higher education. I think that extra funding at schools will further encourage people to go to university, and in turn reduce the unemployment rates.

Childcare:

The government has introduced a new maximum amount for the Child Care Rebate at $7,500 a year until June 30, 2017. I believe this will provide parents with assistance in returning to work after giving birth, as many of the issues with going back to work can sometimes relate to the ridiculous daily child-care rates.

Medical Supplements:

It was announced that an extra $29.6 million would be provided to support the dispensing of chemotherapy medicines in 2012-13 and 2013-14. Overall, the Budget provides $226 million to improve cancer prevention, detection, and research, and provide better patient care and support. The government will introduce new measures, including a new Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre, funding for bone marrow transplants and for the Youth Cancer Network program run by CanTeen, and money to improve the treatment for people affected by lung cancer. The Government will also expand the age range for the BreastScreen Australia and introduce more bowel cancer screening. This will help those who are suffering from horrible cancer experiences. I do believe this was a very sound investment by the government, as I know so many people affected by cancer.

Now what about us, the students:

The budget focus was placed upon post-grad degrees. The government will spend $97 million from 2014 to 2017 for additional Commonwealth-supported sub-bachelor and postgraduate places. That’s perfect if you’re looking to further your skills.

Undergraduates not so lucky…

The government has scrapped the Student Start-up Scholarship from next year, instead offering loans for Youth Allowance, Austudy or ABSTUDY, meaning you will have to pay the money back. For those of you who never were eligible to receive the Student Start-up Scholarship, you will remain indifferent. The 10 per cent HECS-HELP up-front payment discount has also been abolished. I do believe this, it is ridiculous!!! At the time 10 per cent may not seem like much but it can often be up to $500 dollars, and over an average four-year course all the discounts add up! The $500 can sometimes come close to the cost of an entire subject unit.

Apprentices, apprentices, apprentices times 4,000:

The government will provide $50.6 million of grants to peak industry bodies and large employment bodies to develop and implement training programs for approximately 4,000 apprentices, over a four-year period. I do think this was a very encouraging move by the government, as university is not for everyone, but sometimes people feel as if there is no alternative and end up enrolling in a university course which they only go to for 6 months. They are then left with HECS loans and a half-finished degree. Plus, in society we don’t only need doctors, but builders who will build the hospital the doctors will work in!

The federal budget is trying to address trade shortages and encourage those who aren’t necessarily scholastically minded into another option!

We may not have to put up with as much tobacco smoke in the city of Melbourne!

The government will raise the price of a pack of cigarettes by 7 cents starting from 2014. That may not seem like much, but since the average smoker goes through one pack a day, that works out to be an extra $.50 a week, or $26.00 a year. The pack of cigarettes needs to be raised even more! A measly $0.07 isn’t going to affect the number of smokers, or the number of people admitted to hospital facilities for smoking related illnesses.

Has the federal budget done well or are there still some places they can improve on? Why not ask us, the Australian public in a national referendum where we believe our taxpayer dollars should be spent?

I certainly don’t want my $1,500 that gets deducted at tax time to go towards hospital facilities for those who choose to rot away their lungs. I would prefer it to be spent on cancer research, or go towards the improvement of an individual’s schooling experience!

Hitz 247 promotes responsible freedom of expression. The opinions expressed on Hitz247.com reflect solely the opinions of the author(s) not of Hitz 247. Hitz 247 therefore makes no representation or warranty with respect thereto.

Star Trek: Into Darkness | Movie Review

Maggie Partsi — Thu, 23 May 2013 05:48:47 +0000

By Katrina Minchenko

Star Trek: Into Darkness is directed by J.J. Abrams, starring Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock and Zoe Saldana as Uhura. Science fiction, action and adventures are unleashed in this movie. The enterprise team has to face a new risk and danger.

It all starts with the bombing of a secret department in London by the most dangerous villain that ever existed: Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch). Mr. Spock (Leonard Nemoy) comes back from the future to explain what he faced many years ago, to Spock in present time. The team then has to go to the Kronos – a savage planet with inhabitants that want everybody dead. Various puzzles, obstacles and complications appear in the heroes’ paths, but they never lose their hope, courage and dignity.

I totally fell in love with this movie. It is so inspiring, especially with the characters that love to laugh at each other at times. You instantly dive into the atmosphere of action, thrill and amusement. I must say, J. J. Abrams is a genius. The film was absolutely amazing! It was full of action, humor and danger, that kept us in tension throughout the whole film.

This film seems to be more dynamic than the first Star Trek (2009); everything was cut so fast and the film just passed in the blink of an eye, in a good way, making the pace really good. There were no boring or scenes, or scenes that ran too long. I loved the lighting in the film when you could see flashes and reflections from the ship; they were like “hope beams” streaming through the horror and fear around.

The characters’ costumes were very bright and suited everyone. I especially loved Uhura’s outfit. There was nothing fancy, just a simple uniform, but it looked so sexy on her! The hair and makeup was very natural, and everybody looked amazing. And how could I not mention Kahn’s look: his black leather coat with that severe stare instills fear, but amusement and delight at the same time, while the speech and tone of his voice overwhelms.

Kahn’s character was the most complex one. Let’s admit, we love puzzling characters; they always bring intensity to the film and make us think. Kahn wants to destroy Enterprise and their corporation, but at the same time he is willing to help. However, that does not end very well for both sides. There are victims and deaths happening all around. The most important rule you should remember is not to trust a villain – if he wanted to destroy you once, he won’t hesitate the second time.

The film was remarkable and had many unexpected plot twists. It is dynamic and funny, filled with courage and fear. The acting is amazing as always; we are completely astonished and amused by it. The structure is filled with surprises, and there is no time to rest! There are no slow and overly emotional scenes, everything is in the action. Star Trek: Into Darkness is such a strong and powerful movie. I feel like going one more time to the cinema! If you haven’t watched it yet, you definitely should!

Chat Apps: Are They Overtaking Normal SMS?

Maggie Partsi — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:45:01 +0000

By Brittany Grimble

A few weeks ago the research firm Informa, in partnership with The Financial Times, revealed that 19 billion messages were sent each day in 2012 via chat apps, compared to 17.6 billion messages via SMS.

Chat apps are cheap, sometimes even free; you can write as much as you want and know if the person you’re speaking to has read your message straight away. Chat apps were designed for smart phones and are slowly killing individual’s uses of text messaging. They will shift the way the generation communicates.

People can be on plans which offer unlimited texts, but they are still opting for chat apps. Chat apps allow the users to have extra space, unlike the usual 160 characters typically available in SMS messages.

Although, are chat apps essentially the same as iMessages?

Is Apple’s iMessage a chat app?

One of the features people believed to be important of the iOS 5 was iMessage for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, which gave users a way to send messages, photos and videos to their friends who were also using iOS software. It quickly became an individual’s preferred way of communication. I myself am a daily user of iMessage, as many people I know have it; even though I do have a cap with unlimited SMS with Vodaphone.

There are various other chat apps available for people to download and use as an alternative to SMS.

What is a chat app?

A chat app is an online chat, which includes web-based applications that allow communication between directly addressed, or anonymous users in a multi-user environment. With the creation of such devices, the term “chatiquette” has emerged. “Chatiquette” is a term that is a variation on “netiquette” (Internet etiquette), and describes the basic rules of online communication. It immerses users in a new network of connection with social rules and expectations.

The different chat-apps on the market:

WHATSAPP: It is an internet based messaging service available on multiple internet based messaging platforms. It can be seen as an efficient iMessage alternative. It does cost $0.99 to download from the App Store.

FACEBOOK MESSENGER: This is a messaging service available through the social media platform Facebook. It eliminates the need to create another user account, if the individual already possess a Facebook account. Even if the Facebook Messenger app isn’t directly downloaded, any individual can still access their messages by checking their Facebook account. Another positive – it is a free service. Every person is also provided with an @facebook.com email address to every person on Facebook who wants one. Now people can share with friends over email, whether they’re on Facebook or not. To be clear, Messages are not emails. There are no subject lines, no cc, no bcc, and you can send a message by hitting the Enter key. It is modeled more closely to chat and reduces the number of things you need to do to send a message. Facebook have made it more like a conversation.

VIBER: Viber is similar to WhatsApp, encompassing all aspects of group chat, texting and photo/video sharing. It also allows users to make free Viber-to-Viber calls; this means users can have access to free phone services, even over long distances.

What the future will hold is unknown, but what can be seen is that many consumers, especially in less developed regions, will continue to rely on traditional mobile phones and text messages in the years ahead, research firm Informa suggests.

Vampires’ Graduation

Maggie Partsi — Mon, 20 May 2013 05:38:19 +0000

By Katrina Minchenko

Vampire Diaries: Graduation
Season 4, Episode 23

Here it is! Graduation day has come. Everything turned upside down in the episode! I haven’t been so nervous and thrilled for a long time. Bonnie is dead, but Jeremy is alive. Elena stayed a vampire, but Katherine is a human. Elena chooses Damon, Rebekah is now with Matt, Klaus and Caroline seem to be together, and there is more to come.

Bonnie tries to close the gates to the dead world, but let’s not forget that she is dead as well. What we see is a ghost walking around and desperately trying to resolve the disaster, not being able to forget about Jeremy. Bonnie succeeds in saving him; he is alive, but she is now dead. However, Jeremy can still see ghosts, so they can communicate. But why is he so unlucky with girls? Every girl that falls in love with Jeremy, dies.

Stefan hangs out with Lexi and talks about the “love of his life” – Elena. If she chooses him, he will not hesitate and will be reunited with her, but if she doesn’t, he will go away forever. Sad, but he cannot live with Elena being in love Damon; they have an amazing past, one that is full of danger and love. If Elena were to choose Stefan, Damon’s heart would be broken into a million pieces. Something tells me this will happen, because Elena is so worried about Damon all the time. When Damon almost died due to the bullets with the wolverine blood, she was extra caring.

Moments later, Damon has finally “got the girl”! Since the sire bond is gone, this means her feelings for him are real. Yes, eventually Elena has fallen in love with the bad guy. I was crying at this moment. Imagine how Stefan’s heart is being ripped out; his hopes are broken and his faith has crashed. Yes, there were lots and lots of tears, both of joy and of misery. I was tremendously happy for Damon, but on the other hand I was feeling immensely sad for Stefan. Now the situation is reversed. Damon has the girl, and Stefan is dying from feelings for her, however he cannot do a thing.

Meanwhile, Caroline keeps herself occupied and thinks about graduation and graduation only. Of course, where big events happen, Caroline is always at the helm. She is the perfect leader I think, but with minor hysterical moments; she always has everything under control, except for her love life. Klaus was very kind to allow Tyler to live and come back to the town. The nuance is that Tyler was her first love, while Klaus is her last one – at least that’s what Klaus said. I have been waiting for this moment for a long time.

I have been waiting for Matt and Rebekah to finally confess their love to each other as well. Rebekah saved Matt’s life when her ex boyfriend trapped him with a bomb; they also made plans to travel together. Honestly, it felt like everybody had their final kisses and everything got to their right place. However, this is the season finale. That’s what it should always be about: putting things where they belong, but at the same time, challenging our expectations.

Katherine is still strolling around, extremely furious at Elena for taking away her life, as she supposes. She tries to kill Elena, but during the fight Elena shoves the cure in Katherine’s mouth. Katherine falls down, defeated. That was an unexpected move. And the roles had switched. Now Elena is the vampire and Katherine is the human. At least we can safely say that Elena will stay a vampire forever, and will have her “happily ever after” with Damon, unless there is a mysterious plan B that can cure everyone, which I doubt is going to happen.

Silas had tricked everyone as always. Nobody had known his true face, and in this episode we finally see his genuine evil nature. My jaw fell down to the floor. I could not believe what I saw. Just as Stefan was about to drop Silas into the ocean in a huge safe, he could not find the stone body. Suddenly, Silas appears to be alive, because Bonnie had died and the curse was gone. Until now we did not know what his true face was, when, suddenly: “Hello my shadow self”, says Silas to Stefan. Stefan is a doppelgänger of Silas. How scary is that? And Silas pushes Stefan into the safe and drops it off the cliff into the deep dark water. Firstly what I thought was: Stefan is a vampire and he won’t die, so this will just be torture for him; he will be healing all over again while under the water, while Silas can walk around pretending to be Stefan. That is “great”. It just couldn’t be more complicated.

To sum up, my impression is mind blowing. Scenes were rich with feelings and action. Now I keep on thinking: did Elena make the right choice when choosing Damon? I feel terrified with expectations of what will happen next. Vampire Diaries have dazzled me. Graduation has taken my breath away. My heart was trembling.

Run | App Review

Maggie Partsi — Sun, 19 May 2013 11:20:05 +0000

By Nikola Kantarovski

Bored? Stuck in class and need to wile away the time as the clock ticks ever closer towards zero hour and freedom?

Perhaps Run, by the developers ‘Albino Blacksheep’, is for you.

Switched-on? In need of a game to thoroughly engage your mind and reflexes? Does your brain need some serious gaming nourishment?

Perhaps you should look somewhere else.

This game doesn’t even give the pretence that it will be any good when you start it up, so you pretty much know what to expect as you play. As an adaptation of a popular flash game, it felt as if all the developer had done was taken the bulk of code from the website and dumped it onto a phone without bothering to change it in any way.

If you actually manage to navigate to adventure mode, you are rewarded with a very simplistic game, one without any depth perception, variation or perceivably challenging task. Feeling almost as if you are playing a joke and wondering idly if you were cursed at some point to endure this torture; going through the very tried motions in this game is like having your brain ripped out by a hungry zombie and being made to watch.

Once you get tired of smashing a new phone to pieces after frustratingly trying to finish each new level, you may want to try out the infinite mode. At least infinity has a promising ring to it. No annoying level split-ups? Different environments? Better music? No, Run can’t even achieve that. The most it can muster – and try not to explode with excitement as you read this; is changing ground colours as you progress into infinity.

It is a wonder that this game has made it into the top 20 free games on the Google Play marketplace.

One and a half stars.

Drugs: The Social Pressure, The Risks and The Repercussions

Maggie Partsi — Wed, 15 May 2013 06:46:52 +0000

By Huy Au

The issue of ‘drugs within today’s society’ no longer carries the weight it once did. Before drugs and alcohol became commonly acceptable as aspects of social entertainment, they carried a negative connotation – one that displayed narcotics as dangerous substances; one that had the potential of having harming and life threatening repercussions on an individual. Today the use of narcotics has become something of a norm – an aspect of society that individuals no longer negatively react to, but rather just simply accept.

However, despite the social and pleasure value that drugs possess, individuals (particularly naïve adolescents) have chosen to forget the stigmas attached and consequently have caused the portrayal of drugs to become a normative standard of our current culture. Accessibility and consumption has rapidly grown throughout the years – to the extent that when the media broadcasts a story that a student has overdosed, audience members are no longer shocked at the behaviour.

Although generally illegal, most students claim that drugs are easily at their disposal, simply through a contacted request. The presence of drugs within youth circles is at a dangerous level, as more and more teenagers are adjusting their values to the principles of peer pressure. The perceived misconception that bad is good and drugs are cool is an aspect of peer pressure that many teenagers willingly expose themselves to in an attempt to climb a social hierarchy – but what is the cost? Is their future worth the risk? What will be given up? These are all questions that need to be asked, and disorderly drugs needn’t be taken.

Other than medicinal and pharmaceutical purposes, drugs have no real significance to our community. Whilst the impact that drugs have in the media is no longer able to evoke a strong emotional response, the reality of the situation is not negated. When an individual overdoses we fail to remember that they are a person, someone’s child, someone’s friend and somebody’s loved one. The repercussions can affect more than just the partaking individual, also having a powerful aftermath on those that surround them. Narcotics are a real issue, one that tears families apart and destroys lives.

Unfortunately, narcotics do provide a temporary escape from reality and can even allow an individual to experience a contentment not normally found in their everyday lives. Yet despite these impermanent satisfactions, the repercussions that follow are of greater risk and most definitely outweigh any jubilation received from narcotic consumption. The influence and results of drugs cause more than a financial loss, they damage a person’s sanctity and health; they have the capability of conjuring uncharacteristic behavior, causing loss of memory, loss of actuality, health damage and expose one to dangerous circumstances – a result the normal mentality cannot control.

Drugs today play a large role in the present youth culture. Although aware of the severe consequences, the social reputation that drugs hold appeal to young mind-sets, which unfortunately cannot fully comprehend the risk that is involved. The rate of overdoses and drug usage has almost doubled in the last three years, and the availability of drugs has magnified. The issue of drugs is a hard one to convey, as it is one that is too large to fit in an article and too broad for people to be fully aware of, and educated upon. But to put it simply: narcotics cause corruption and rob an individual of a potentially bright future. Be aware. Be educated. Be smart.

The Walking Dead Take Revenge in The Vampire Diaries

Maggie Partsi — Mon, 13 May 2013 04:24:24 +0000

By Katrina Minchenko

The Vampire Diaries: The Walking Dead
Season 4, Episode 22

Elena finally has her emotions back, but the only thing that she holds on to is her rage to kill Katherine. Everything gets scarier and scarier. While Elena is obsessing over Katherine, Bonnie tries to get ahead of Silas. Meanwhile, sunshine Caroline can’t forget about her school worries; the graduation is soon and she desperately distracts herself from the horror around.

Bonnie is concentrating on gathering everybody from the dead world and killing Silas, but unfortunately he’s tricked everyone, making Bonnie think that he could not get into her head, when he is actually capable of doing so. The Walking Dead confused me so much with what to believe; there is such a play on reality. Silas is very smart and tricks everybody throughout the episode.

Elena is going mad over Katherine – she cannot stop thinking about revenge. She can’t handle her brother’s death, and revenge is the only thing she can hold on to now. But, this is a bit too much. Of course I like the image of badass vampire Elena, but she seems too overwhelmed with emotions.

Meanwhile, Rebekah is in love with Matt, which is so obvious. I can’t wait for this couple to get together. This is the most surprising relationship that is about to occur; I have a feeling this will be an amazing couple. But right when there is a “moment” (they are alone with romantic lights), somebody has to interrupt them. This is so frustrating, but with every episode we want them to be together even more.

In the meantime, Bonnie finally opens the door to the other side and some individuals come back. It was so good to see Alaric, Lexi, Bonnie’s grandma and Jeremy again. During the episode I was feeling nostalgic. Damon had his only friend back, and Stefan had the minute with his best friend that was taken from him in the first season. Bonnie was so worried about her granny and she finally could talk to her. Elena was crying so hard when she could hug Jeremy again, when she could say goodbye to him. But enemies had returned as well; Kol was haunting Elena and Rebekah’s ex – the vampire haunter was back! This was an extremely tough situation.

Bonnie finished with Silas by turning him into stone, which gave her some time. But after, she went crazy about bringing Jeremy back and could not resist trying another spell. However, the young witch did not have enough power. At this stage, my eyes were wide open and I could not believe what was happening. Bonnie was dead. There was too much killing! And what about the walking dead? Who will close the door to the other side? Is it even possible now?

We can’t forget about the reason for all these events. The cure for vampires happens to be in Damon’s hands. What will he do with it now? Will he give it to Elena? Or is he afraid she will go back to Stefan? And let’s not forget that the graduation is coming up! Let’s hope for a miracle to happen and a happy ending!

Warm Bodies | Movie Review

Maggie Partsi — Mon, 13 May 2013 02:25:30 +0000

By Christine Alexander

With an exciting range of movies coming out in May, Warm Bodies has to be one of the top blockbusters to look forward to! This new take on the horror theme kicks arse, as audiences take a look at the life of R, a zombie who almost thinks like a human, minus the fact he’s eating the living to survive. Whilst hunting one dark day, R literally stumbles across Julie, a beautiful and tough girl, whom he is instantly attracted to. With Julie’s team all deceased, R takes her in to keep her safe, while a forbidden love grows between the couple. Their love sets off a chain of events that could break the zombie apocalypse forever.

Warm Bodies is definitely something different, especially for fans of zombie TV shows or movies such as ‘Walking Dead’ and ‘Zombieland’, as we view a completely different side of the dead; they are being portrayed as the good guys, and with feelings for a change! It also has the romance for the ladies who love a good romantic storyline! This is a rom-com like no other!

With ‘the works’ of the fun script, fantastic makeup, special effects, and great action sequences, Warm Bodies will keep you on the edge of your seat! Warm Bodies was perfectly performed by the gorgeous Nicholas Hoult as the leading zombie, followed by funny man Rob Corddry, R’s best friend M, also a zombie! Our own Aussie actress, Teresa Palmer, plays the leading zombie-lover Julie, and owns her role with her tough girl act!

This zom-rom-com/feel good film is unmissable and is suitable for a wide range of audiences!

Supernatural: Clip Show

Maggie Partsi — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:44:11 +0000

By Katrina Minchenko

Season 8, Episode 22

Clip Show was very intense and consisted of various storylines that flashed back to past episodes. It was very dynamic and filled with action.

Sam and Dean are trying to close the gates of Hell, but first they must complete the Tree Trials. They are left with the last one, but Crowley does everything to stop them. The last trial requires Sam to cure the demon. While researching how to achieve that, the brothers find old videos with executions that are totally different from what they have ever seen.

Castiel, meanwhile, tries very hard to gain Dean’s trust and respect. He even goes to the supermarket for the Winchesters, which was an unusual thing to observe. When Castiel walks around ordinary people, something awkward is bound to happen. Suddenly, Metatron appears and convinces Castiel to close the gates of Heaven. Castiel has to do the trials that Metatron had written before – and the first one is to kill the only Nephilim in the world.

The Winchester brothers decide to cure Abaddon. They succeed, but the ending is not good; nothing will ever end well if you help evil forces. But why did everything get out of control? They got a call from “666”. Guess who? That’s right, it was Crowley. Who else could it have been? So, while the brothers were distracted by his threats, Abaddon managed to escape. After, the Winchesters get an SMS from Crowley with the address that is obviously a trap, but they have no choice but to go – they need another demon, and wherever Crowley is, there are always demons.

When they arrive at the address, they find the dead body of Jenny – a girl they used to save from witches. They are desperate and do not understand what’s going on. Crowley will kill everybody they have ever saved if they don’t stop doing the trials. So, the brothers run to the next address and try to save Sarah, who was saved from a ghost years before. Unfortunately, they fail to save her; Crowley is too cruel and wily. Well, what can you expect from the King of Hell? He always has his quirky ways of gaining victory.

This was a very unexpected and sad episode for me. So many innocent people got killed and the Winchesters could not save them. However, I really hope they will achieve their goal: to save the world. They try very hard and I am sure that there will be an immense amount of attempts and failures, but “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger”.

Olympus Has Fallen | Movie Review

Maggie Partsi — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:57:41 +0000

By Mar Borboa

Does anyone remember the time when action films asked nothing from us except to sit back, not think too much, and just enjoy the awesomeness that is America? The days when every day was the 4^th of July, when Harrison Ford was president, when the heroic actions of one, very patriotic man could single-handedly defeat an evil (and foreign) threat. It was a time when films did not shy away from “offensive stereotypes”, and had no issue with being a bit “politically incorrect”.

Well, there is no longer need to yearn for the good ol’ days. ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ brings back everything you miss from any 80s action flick: impressive explosions, a bad-ass president, and the opportunity to confirm your notion that the Russians, and the Middle East, and basically every single foreign person, wants to threaten the American way of life.

It is a normal day in Washington D.C. The president (Aaron Eckhart) is getting ready for his meeting with the South Korean prime minister. Former Presidential bodyguard, Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), goes on about his day as an office worker who wishes he could “get back in the game”.

Suddenly, an enemy bogey flies over the American capital and begins to indiscriminately shoot at civilians. The president is rushed to the White House’s bunker before an army of North Korean men and women begin their attack on the heart of the US government.

Mike finds his way to the battle, where the enemy literally pulverises every single member of the White Houses’ security staff. There is no time to ponder over the incredibly slow response of the US Army or the incompetence of the secret service, because Mike is now the last man standing, and the future of the nation rests entirely on his hands – ‘Die Hard’ style.

What comes next is a series of heavily stylised fight sequences filled with gunfire, loud explosions, and the occasional stab to the brain. Mike is determined and fierceless; he sees this as an opportunity to make amends for past mistakes. He is an unstoppable killing machine, as he murders his way through any enemy that crosses his path.

‘Olympus Has Fallen’ is not afraid of clichés, or overly used tropes. The movie showcases the unredeemable, foreign bad guy who hates America – and therefore freedom and everything that is good. It further includes the token friend of the protagonist who turns out to be a traitor, and the continuous reminder that: “the United States does not negotiate with terrorists!”

The film overwhelms us with patriotic symbol after patriotic symbol – constantly reminding us that God blesses America. Soon enough, we feel nothing but an unconditional support for our hero and hatred towards the baddies. We start to ignore the in-your-face patriotism and racist undertones, and begin to enjoy the excitement of the very thrilling, and entertaining, action sequences.

Once you get over the cheesiness and the racial prejudices, ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ becomes quite an enjoyable action film. The highlights include Melissa Leo as the courageous Secretary of Defence, and a surprisingly humorous performance by Gerard Butler. But Morgan Freeman steals the show as Speaker Trumbull, especially when he addresses the nation in a scene that perfectly mirrors the one from ‘Deep Impact’.

‘Olympus Has Fallen’ is the first film in a while to present a seriously crippled US, and this is quite refreshing. However, in the end, it does make you want to do nothing but jump out of your seat and triumphantly scream: “Hell yeah, ‘merica!”