MOVIE REVIEW: LONDON HAS FALLEN

London Has Fallen

Director
Babak Najafi

Cast
Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman.

One thing I’ve realized tonight is that when you watch a lot of action movies, and you’ve seen them done really well, it makes the weaker ones really stand out in their crappyness. I vaguely remember “Olympus Has Fallen”, but I do recall it being a R rated, B movie that was surprisingly violent and action packed. That movie really worked on a cheesy popcorn level.
“London Has Fallen” embraces is B movie roots, but it takes way too long to get to the good stuff. A long introduction of the bad guys (we don’t know them or care about them) discussing business, and then something happens. Flash forward two years later.

We’re reintroduced to Gerard Butler as Secret Service agent Mike Banning and Aaron Eckhart as President Asher. They’re still buddies and enjoying their bromance.

When England’s Prime Minister suddenly dies, all the world leaders head to London to pay their respects, including our President. Terrorist attack London in an attempt to get their hands on President Asher, and then it’s pretty much a paint by numbers action flick until the end. Gunfire, stabbing, quippy puns. Mix it together, credits.

Some people in my theater LOVED it, so I know there’s an audience for it. I was really distracted by some of the strange camera choices I saw. There were some weird cuts and establishing shots that had me questioning exactly how did Najafi get this directing job? There is an impressive scene involving Banning shooting his way through bad guys to get inside a building, and most of it was done as a single, continuous take. As impressive as it was, that wasn’t enough to save the movie for me.

A clichéd action movie, with a weak script, but lots of gunplay. The acting is okay all around, except for Morgan Freeman, he’s just awesome in the few scenes he’s in!

Just watch the original “Olympus Has Fallen”, or start binge watching an early season of “24”.

Grade 2 out of 5

-Markellus