London Has Fallen (D+ or 1.5/4 stars)
'London Has Fallen' (directed by Babak Najafi) - sequel to 2013's Olympus Has Fallen - shifts the focus from Washington D.C. to London, where Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is thinking of turning in his badge & retiring so he can spend more time with his loving wife (Radha Mitchell) & their expected baby. Instead of more North Korean terrorists, the 'baddies' this time around are from the Middle East, out for revenge over a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan that killed the daughter of an international arms dealer at her lavish wedding, where he was the main target. Chaos & destruction begins on the afternoon of the funeral of the British Prime Minister, who unexpectedly died during some 'routine surgery' -- hmm, perhaps there was more to that death?
As TV audiences around the world watch in complete horror, the terrorists launch an all-out attack on London, where many of the world's heads of state (who've come to London for the funeral) are systematically assassinated, while Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, & the Houses of Parliament are destroyed. Since the arms dealer's barbaric son wants to kidnap President Asher (Aaron Eckhart) & execute him live on YouTube, it's up to Banning to, once again, keep him safe, aided by an MI6 agent (Charlotte Riley). Meanwhile, back home, VP Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman), Secret Service Director (Angela Bassett), the Sec. of Defense (Melissa Leo, & other elite advisory agents (Robert Forster, Jackie Earle Haley) watch the horror from their situation room; trying to figure out solutions. Banning tries desperately to protect Pres. Asher, but with the 'baddies' disguised as cops/military personnel, it becomes difficult to weed out who’s trustworthy and who’s evil.
I wasn't the biggest fan of Olympus Has Fallen, but it was a decent-enough blockbuster. You know the type, rah-rah patriotism, explosions galore, etc.. Now, with 'London Has Fallen', there is MORE patriotism, more explosions, more landmarks being destroyed, more innocent bystanders being killed (with no remorse or consequence), more profanity, more sadism, yet ALL with even less originality than its so-so predecessor. Honestly, aside from the solid opening 20 minutes, as well as seeing the logistics of assembling so many world leaders in one location, most of this sequel ends up lifeless, repetitive, & irritating -- descending from a decent set-up into brain-numbing chaos. Director Najafi includes a few tracking shots & shock deaths, but I was honestly bored through much of the film's proceedings.
Gerard Butler is well known, likeable, & looks the hero. We feel comfortable that he'll 'save the day'. Having said that, he's no Bruce Willis or Harrison Ford; too austere. All the other actors (most are Oscar-nommed) look their parts, but are given forced/clunky dialogue to spit out -- they deserve better, and so do we. Honestly, a big actioner like this needs some levity, wit, & emotional ties to keep us interested. For me, there's pretty much no one to connect with. And now for my biggest beef, the visual effects (SO cheesy & poorly executed). And the depicted 'action' that occurs defies credibility; relying far too often on coincidence {can't STAND that}. 'London Has Fallen' - while not truly negligible - is a depressing action flick; depressing in what happens, and depressing in its quality.
As TV audiences around the world watch in complete horror, the terrorists launch an all-out attack on London, where many of the world's heads of state (who've come to London for the funeral) are systematically assassinated, while Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, & the Houses of Parliament are destroyed. Since the arms dealer's barbaric son wants to kidnap President Asher (Aaron Eckhart) & execute him live on YouTube, it's up to Banning to, once again, keep him safe, aided by an MI6 agent (Charlotte Riley). Meanwhile, back home, VP Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman), Secret Service Director (Angela Bassett), the Sec. of Defense (Melissa Leo, & other elite advisory agents (Robert Forster, Jackie Earle Haley) watch the horror from their situation room; trying to figure out solutions. Banning tries desperately to protect Pres. Asher, but with the 'baddies' disguised as cops/military personnel, it becomes difficult to weed out who’s trustworthy and who’s evil.
I wasn't the biggest fan of Olympus Has Fallen, but it was a decent-enough blockbuster. You know the type, rah-rah patriotism, explosions galore, etc.. Now, with 'London Has Fallen', there is MORE patriotism, more explosions, more landmarks being destroyed, more innocent bystanders being killed (with no remorse or consequence), more profanity, more sadism, yet ALL with even less originality than its so-so predecessor. Honestly, aside from the solid opening 20 minutes, as well as seeing the logistics of assembling so many world leaders in one location, most of this sequel ends up lifeless, repetitive, & irritating -- descending from a decent set-up into brain-numbing chaos. Director Najafi includes a few tracking shots & shock deaths, but I was honestly bored through much of the film's proceedings.
Gerard Butler is well known, likeable, & looks the hero. We feel comfortable that he'll 'save the day'. Having said that, he's no Bruce Willis or Harrison Ford; too austere. All the other actors (most are Oscar-nommed) look their parts, but are given forced/clunky dialogue to spit out -- they deserve better, and so do we. Honestly, a big actioner like this needs some levity, wit, & emotional ties to keep us interested. For me, there's pretty much no one to connect with. And now for my biggest beef, the visual effects (SO cheesy & poorly executed). And the depicted 'action' that occurs defies credibility; relying far too often on coincidence {can't STAND that}. 'London Has Fallen' - while not truly negligible - is a depressing action flick; depressing in what happens, and depressing in its quality.