Moviegoers love good ol’ action films, and I think we can thank the eighties for that (or blame if you’re one of those people). With action heroes like Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Norris we were in good hands for over a decade. They ruled as if they were there to chew bubble gum and kick ass and they were all out of bubblegum. These movies were not just about blowing things up, they were about America dammit, and how we always came out on top in the end. For a while those films lost their popularity but lately they have been finding their way back, I guess you can say they are back with a bang. Enter “London has Fallen”.
Three years ago Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) saved President Asher (Aaron Eckhart) from an attack as some bad guys decided to take on the white house, but they weren’t counting on Banning, as he saves the day John McClane style. It seems everything for him is coming up roses, that is until the Prime Minster of England dies suddenly, which leads to a funeral that the President must attend, as well as every other major world leader. Things fall apart pretty quickly once they arrive in London, as attacks are carried out all over the city and leaders are taken out one by one, but luckily for the President he has Banning. Together they must make it though the streets of London, not knowing friend from foe, and of course make it out in one piece.
Being a follow up to “Olympus Has Fallen” you kind of know that to expect here. While this President has the worst luck than the politicians in a episode of “24”, he also happens to have a one-man army, like Jack Bauer from “24” a Spartan one might say. While Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt , who wrote the first film are back, the director had a game of musical chairs going on that ended up with Babak Najafi winning by default in the end. I say default because a few directors dropped out because of creative differences, including the director of the first film Antoine Fuqua. I don’t know what their expectations were, but mine were pretty low, even though the first film was serviceable, you just don’t know what you might get with a sequel, though you can probably guess. Well the film is what you expect, a lot of explosions and gunfire, bad guys who want to make a statement, and America coming out on top in the end, not really a spoiler there, because that is what they do. Butler having hopefully given up on romantic comedies looks at home with mayhem happening all around him and Eckhart as the President fits ok in that role. When you add Morgan Freeman and Angela Bassett, you have a pretty solid cast.
The movie does have its problems, as it feels like the script was rushed, and foreshadows way too often, its like a action movie that was done with paint by numbers. Substance is not important for a film like this, the only thing that matters is the action sequences, and this film has that covered. While they are not reinventing the wheel here, they make things go boom, and that is what you are paying your hard earned money for. In all honesty I still can enjoy an action movie on its level, and I look forward to see what “Falls” next, plus I think I deserve some recognition seeing as how I didn’t make one ‘London Bridges’ joke.