London Has Fallen Review

Director: Babak Najafi

Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman

The Overview

In this sequel to 2013’s Olympus Has Fallen, badass bodyguard Mike Banning (Butler) accompanies the US President (Aaron Eckhart) to London for a state funeral. However it’s not long before the President’s life is at risk and Banning must step up once again to save the day.

The Good

Olympus Has Fallen was a big surprise for me, it was dumb, loud, unabashed fun; something few action movies are these days. I was hoping for more of the same in the sequel London Has Fallen, and I was not disappointed.

This mostly unnecessary sequel is absolutely ludicrous, and I’ll start off by saying that it is not a good film, but for the most part, I had a good time watching it. Whether it was intentionally meant to be as funny as it was, I laughed throughout. It’s deeply flawed in many ways, but it was exactly what I expected; balls to the wall action, unashamedly patriotic, over the top in every sense of the word, but an enjoyable watch.

It’s rare to find a 90 minute action film that is just pure “switch your brain off” entertainment, but London Has Fallen has no pretenses, or airs and graces. It’s dumb fun, and sometimes that is okay.

The Bad

This is one of the more difficult reviews I have had to write, because I can categorically say that this is not a good film, but that being said I had a blast watching it, and I’m in no way ashamed to admit this.

The CGI in this film is absolutely atrocious. Mr Sunday Movies described it as looking like “a 90’s action flick, made in 2006”, and this sums up my thoughts perfectly. There is something hilariously dated about the effects, the explosions look so terrible, and the CGI is laughable throughout. Now, if this was the look they were going for, then great, however I found it incredibly distracting.

There’s also some very questionable racial politics, and it is incredibly hamfisted in it’s approach to pretty much everything. The spirit of ‘MURICA has transferred over from Olympus Has Fallen, but this time it has taken steroids, is wearing a star spangled suit with a bald eagle perched atop its shoulder, firing a gun that plays the tune of “America the Brave”. The tagline for this film isn’t “if they’re brown, shoot them down” but it might as well be. Every single stereotype is turned up to the max, and this only added to the dated feel the film had.

The Verdict

I saw this movie so you don’t have to. London Has Fallen is trash entertainment, but because of the terrible effects, it is not a film I can wholeheartedly recommend you spend your money on to see at the cinema. It is instantly forgettable and throwaway; a film I will never have the desire to see again, but I didn’t completely feel like I had wasted 90 minutes of my life. If this is your sort of thing, you’ll love it, and by all means go and see it, but it is not essential “cinema viewing”, so you’re better off waiting for this to be on Netflix or TV.

Agree with everything I’ve said, or am I a terribly misguided idiot who has got it all wrong? Please let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to share as well.