I enjoy big goofy action movies as much as anyone. In fact, I grew up with Schwarzenegger and Stallone shoot ’em ups and appreciated them for their over-the-top heroism. London Has Fallen (a sequel to the hit Olympus Has Fallen) has a plot that wouldn’t be out of place in one of those films. Unfortunately, there’s an undercurrent of ugliness to this effort that ruins any sort of goofy thrills the concept could have provided. By comparison, it makes old John Wayne flick look culturally sensitive.
Picking up long after saving the White House in the first film, Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) works as a Secret Service agent for US President Ben Asher (Aaron Eckhart). When the British Prime Minister dies unexpectedly, the President arrives in London with other world leaders for the funeral. But almost immediately a group of terrorists strike, cutting power and killing several dignitaries with bombs. Banning and Asher escape but the villains plot to capture and behead the President, while broadcasting it all on the internet. On the run, the two must find safety.
Just about everyone from the first film returns, but they are completely wasted. In fact, most of the cast (including Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo, Jackie Earl Haley, Robert Forster) spend the running time sitting in a boardroom looking on with shocked expressions. Actually, it’s understandable given the enormous plot holes. The sinister plot involving government moles and terrorists disguised as cops doesn’t make any logistical sense.
Not to mention the strange lack of onscreen extras. One moment, we’re in one of the world’s biggest metropolitan areas. Only a couple of scenes after the attack begins, the city center goes completely silent. Certainly given the power outage, most would be struggling to get home. Yet everyone disappears… everyone. I mean, I’ve seen more people wandering the streets of London during an England World Cup match.
Instead, we’re left with Banning and Asher fighting on the desolate city streets. There are some terrible one-liners, including plenty of comments that are so awkward they earn an unintentional laugh for sheer strangeness (particularly one comment regarding dehydration). I’m paraphrasing, but there’s also a laughable discussion about Banning’s impending fatherhood. In it, Asher espouses the importance of being patient and compassionate. All of their actions before and after the conversation contrast with the message.
Unfortunately, for every preposterous moment, there is just as much political rhetoric and mean-spiritedness. Our heroes don’t just kill the terrorists, they taunt them as they do so. In fact, some of Banning’s behavior is borderline psychotic. A couple of culturally tactless comments that follow the violence are ugly and wince-inducing.
Regardless of the questionable politics on display, it’s even hard to feel any excitement from the action scenes. There is heavy use of CGI throughout, from the numerous bombings and firefight battles to an elaborate helicopter chase sequence. They all employ badly rendered effects work that never looks convincing at any time.
But I digress. Ultimately, London Has Fallen doesn’t work at all – in fact, it’s so ham-fisted that I almost wonder if it wasn’t intended as a parody. It should have provided escapist kicks, but instead is an unpleasant exercise with an even more unwelcome undercurrent.