"London Has Fallen" - An Extremely Entertaining Sequel

 
  There was a time in movie history where action movies reigned supreme. Names like Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Willis became synonymous with success. The 80s gave us some of the greatest action franchises of all time. Their action, violence, intensity, and memorable characters with their historic one-liners, fed our cinema hunger for a decade...until they petered out in the 90s. We just don't see those types of franchises anymore...until recently that is. This weekend's London Has Fallen, the sequel to the 2013 smash hit Olympus Has Fallen, hits theaters with a blast of awesomeness, reminiscent of those action gems of old.

    Gerard Butler returns as secret service agent Mike Banning--the millennial John McClane--in this high-octane follow up. When London's Prime Minister passes away, all the world leaders make their way across the pond to pay their respects during his funeral. Mike leads the team of secret service agents tasked to protect President Benjamin Asher, played once again by Aaron Eckhart, and quickly discovers a sinister plot to assassinate all the attending world leaders. Once again, Mike and the President are left to fend off hoards of terrorists as they both try to survive and escape. This movie is essentially Olympus Has Fallen, but on a much grander scale...and I'm perfectly fine with that.

    Where I think London Has Fallen surpasses its predecessor (but only slightly) is with the added stakes in the story. Olympus was a blockbuster hit that, for whatever reason, struck the right chord with audiences (including yours truly). London is no different. It has some freakin' sweet action, intense moments, and a story that you care about just enough to get into it. The threat, however, is on a larger scale, with both global and personal consequences hanging in the balance. Much like the old action movies of the 80s, both Fallen films have that same feel about them. My comparing Mike Banning to John McClane is no joke, I think Gerard Butler is completely in his wheelhouse with these movies. He's got charisma, action-prowess, and he's made the character of Mike Banning as compelling and fun to watch as Bruce Willis' McClane.

    When you boil it down, London Has Fallen is a straight-up action film purely meant to entertain, and it delivers on that front. If you liked Olympus Has Fallen, then you'll like this movie. The supporting cast returns in much of the same role, including the great Morgan Freeman as the Vice President. We get to meet the British Intelligence and their task forces, as well as some cookie-cutter bad guys. Like I said, it's Olympus Has Fallen, but with higher stakes, more action, and a new location. For most sequels that doesn't always work out for the best. But in this case, it does. If you're looking for a fun movie night out, check out London Has Fallen. At its core, it's just a fun, stinkin' movie.