Movie Review : London has Fallen


Before I go ahead with my review I want to clarify that, yes, I did put together that picture using paint and power point. Not because I don’t know how to use Photoshop but because, to me, that picture perfectly sums up this movie: Bad editing, Bad visual effects, America is great moments and explosions. And I enjoyed most of it.

London has Fallen is a direct sequel to Olympus has Fallen, which was directed by Ryan Couglar, and Olympus was a movie which I liked quite a lot. The plot is simple to the point of it being absurd, and the dialogues exist only to provide exposition so that we can get to the next action scene. I really have no valid reason to review this thing, but since I laughed so much when I saw this, I want to share my experience with you guys.

Story and Writing:

This thing has no original story of its own. President of the USA goes abroad, is put in a live or die situation and his bodyguard has to save him. It is pretty much the same exact plot of the last movie except on a bigger scale. And it is set in London, so yeah.

In the last movie, the director at least tried to explain how the bad guys planned all the crap that they do, but in this one the director gives us no explanation. All we get is people telling each other that they must have had a long time to plan this.

The dialogues are really not that great and, like I said earlier, exist only as a buffer until we move onto the next action sequence.

But to the movies credit, the plot in itself never takes you out of the film. It makes sure that you keep shoving snacks in your mouth, while the characters say dialogues which basically say: “’America!! F**k Yeah!!”

This thing is more patriotic than the American national anthem for Christ’s sake.  

Acting:

I mean, come on, are you seriously expecting acting in this movie? If you are, than sadly, you will be disappointed. Gerard Butler is stoic as the unbreakable presidential bodyguard. Aaron Eckhart is as flustered as a president caught in a firefight and Morgan Freeman basically plays... Morgan Freeman. 

The villain has no real personality and pretty much half of the time the action sequences are acted out using stunt doubles so there is pretty much zero acting involved in this. But then again I’m not really saying that it is bad, which is really surprising coming from me.

Cinematography, Editing and Visual Effects:

The way I would describe the visual effects in this movie is that they applied the same visual effects budget they had last time in the white house, to the whole city of London. To put it lightly, it is pretty much crap.

The editing is the same quick cut shots so that the audiences don’t notice that it is a stunt double and not the actor performing the stunts. It is pretty jarring, how apparent the use of body doubles is. But hey at least it has explosions.

The cinematography is nothing ground breaking. In fact it is just what you would expect to see from a generic action film.  No surprises there.

Music:

Music by Trevor Morris is adequate, adding thrills when the action ramps up and slows down during the video game like stealth kill moments. All in all the music by itself is serviceable.

Final Thoughts:

While my review is mostly negative, there is one thing I can’t deny. This movie is pretty darn fun to watch, especially with a friend. It has mindless action, no story and it is just an hour and a half long. It is pretty much the best way to waste an hour and a half of, not only your time, but your friends too. Just make sure you have snacks handy.

The action scenes are exiting enough to keep you hooked till the end. So, really this movie is a win win situation for everyone.

Conclusion:

While the movie is riddled with flaws, if I am being honest, I knew it was going to be like that before I even watched it. The fact that I still watched it and had a good time is a testament to the fact that it is an enjoyable movie.

I give London has Fallen 6.5 out of 10

If you have time to waste, this is a great thing to waste it on. Until next time:


Peace!!!

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