London Has Fallen

As I have said before, I have a soft spot for movies made by Millennium Films, because they are the closest modern day equivalent to the notorious Cannon Films, which made a ton of cheesy but fun B grade movies in the 1980s. The Millennium Films production "London Has Fallen" is really a glorified Cannon movie, and that's why I had fun with it. Oh, I will admit that a lot of it is silly and/or bad. The CGI is often kind of cheap, the depiction of the story's terrorists and their intricate plans is really hard to swallow, and the movie is quite predictable. But it's enjoyable all the same. The first twenty five or so minutes are kind of slow, but then it starts delivering almost non stop action until the end. It's certainly never dull, and even a little exciting at times despite the fact you'll know how each scene will end as soon as it starts. I can see why some people would hate this movie, but for me, it was a fun romp. The more you like B movies, the better the chance you'll like this movie.

1 star? Not as good as the first movie? Let's get real! Olympus Has Fallen was equally ridiculous, jingoistic, lacking well-rounded characters, and originality - so why is everyone surprised when London Has Fallen is no different?

Yes it's jingoistic. Yes it's still lacking well-rounded characters. Yes it's mindless violence. And yes it's ludicrous...

...ludicrously freaking awesome that is!

The first thing I loved about this movie was the bad language. It was refreshing. I know that sounds like an odd thing to say, but go with me a moment...

...see, in an era of 12A action movies with tonnes of violence and no bad language, Butler dropping the F bomb a billion times ironically brings a level of realism to London Has Fallen, that is lacking in movies that take themselves far more seriously.

Yes the entire concept is stupid, but that's not what we're here for. I'm here to watch Butler stab bad buys repeatedly in the chest and shoot AK-47s out of 4X4 cars bombing along the Thames at 80 miles per hour. That's what I signed up for.

The pacing of this movie is perfect. It's never boring, and the action sequences are really fun. Yes, in places the CG is a bit shoddy, but the movie is still quite spectacular in pulling off some big set pieces in London.

London Has Fallen is mainly a two-hander between Butler and Eckhart, with some nice buddy moments and fantastic action sequences throughout, including a mega shoot-out at Somerset House, a mega shoot-out in the Underground, and mega shoot outs in dark buildings, including the finale in Soho, of all places.

This isn't going to get any Oscars, but it's a brilliantly retro action movie that takes itself far less seriously than throw-back action films like Taken, which is no less crazy in the plot department.

Anyone who enjoys mindless action will not be disappointed, and where this movie lacks realistic plot, it makes up for it in pacing. At 1 hour 40 - in an age of bloated, long movies that think they're more intelligent than they are - this is frankly a breath of fresh air.

Get a big bowl of popcorn and some sodi-pops, and enjoy relentless, shooting, stabbing, swearing and explosions. Great fun!

The good: Solid action, good pacing and tongue-in-cheek but solid performances from the leads. The film clips along at a nice pace and does not overstay its welcome. There really aren't any unnecessary scenes, but some do fall into exposition heavy territory.

The bad: Mostly just some implausible action scenes fuelled by absolutely stupid decisions by the characters. Both antagonist and protagonists are guilty, and it really takes you out of the movie. This dumbness isn't necessary - Die Hard conquered it in the 80s. Intelligent heroes and villains do exist.

Should you watch it? If you're wanting a standard action flick that is fun, enjoyable and not too long. You've come to the right place.

Great action flick but with one major goof. When Banning and the Pres were at the mi6 hideout the agents there were told to leave and get to safety. The next scene showed the mi6 agents in the main mi6 headquarters briefing the chiefs. Why didn't Banning and the Pres go with them!!

London Has Fallen is directed by Babak Najafi and include the main cast of Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, and Morgan Freeman. I enjoyed the movie throughout, even though it started off really boring it definitely had some interesting parts here and there. The ending is also quite fun, in a turn-your-brain-off kind of way. What bothered me the most was the editing, which was terrible up until that one-shot sequence at the end, where it finally got a bit better. Gerard Butler is really great on the role, a total badass, even though he was so in a very unrealistic way. The overall character fits with the theme of the movie. Aaron Eckhart is also fine here, as he is in any movie ever. I think this actor is terribly underrated and overlooked no matter what role he is playing. The CGI is pretty underwhelming, they should have increased the budget from the first movie, which was also better in almost every aspect than this sequel. London Has Fallen is not made to be over analyzed, it is just a fun action meaningless, suspenseful and to a point unnecessary movie that's made for 90's action movie fans to enjoy.