Director: Babak Najafi
Writer: Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt, Christian Gudegast, Chad St John (Screenplay) Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt (Story)
Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Alon Aboutboul, Radha Mitchell, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Colin Salmon
Plot: In London for the Prime Minister’s funeral, Mike Banning is caught up in a plot to assassinate all the attending world leaders.
Tagline – Prepare for bloody hell.
Runtime: 1 Hour 39 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Action Packed Sequel
Story: London Has Fallen starts when the prime minister of England dies suddenly meaning the world leaders are going to be heading to London for the funeral, President Benjamin Asher (Eckhart) along with his most trusted bodyguard Mike Banning (Butler), they are going without a true plan because every leader wants certain plans put in place, with none being offered.
When the world leaders start getting killed off by Aamir Barkawi (Aboutboul) and his men, destroying major parts of London, leaving Mike the last man standing to protect the President as they search for a way out of the city, can Mike perform him duties once again and save the President from another group of terrorists.
Thoughts on London Has Fallen
Characters – Mike Banning is the bodyguard to the President, he will always be there for him and has a strong friendship with him too. He isn’t comfortable with this visit and shows why, he will go on to show he combat skills and planning skills to keep his President safe. President Benjamin Asher is doing the right thing going to the funeral, he knows and trusts Mike to keep him safe despite the odds they will be facing. Aamir Barkawi is a terrorist that has been targeted in the past, he has planned this revenge on the world leaders, wanting to bring the war to countries targeting him. We do see the world leaders, the people trying to find a solution to what has happened and finding a way to get people out safely.
Performances – Gerard Butler is once again great in this leading role, he is a great choice for any action role. Aaron Eckhart once again bring sus a President we could believe in, while the rest of the returning cast don’t do anything wrong.
Story – The story here follows the President and his most trusted bodyguard needing to navigate the streets of London after a massive terrorist attack has targeted world leaders. This is a simple enough story for action, it is literally just the two needing to stay ahead of the countless enemies coming after them, while more of the technical side of the story being handled about who is involved and why. It does feel like an episode of 24 at times, this one, but that isn’t always a bad thing.
Action – The action is the big part of this film, be it the excellent opening attack that doesn’t hold back on the body count, right down to the tight street combat scenes too.
Settings – The film is set in London, hence the title, we do see landmarks destroyed before falling into the narrow streets in hope for safety against the enemies coming their way.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are stronger than the last one, though it does have moments that does look CGI including a bridge sequence, which doesn’t stand up.
Scene of the Movie – The opening attack.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Referring to London as the capital of Britain, not England.
Final Thoughts – This is an action packed sequel that builds on the action from the first film and shows the bond between Mike and Aaron.
Overall: Great sequel, even though I didn’t like it first time around.
