1 star? Not as good as the first movie? Let's get real! Olympus Has Fallen was equally ridiculous, jingoistic, lacking well-rounded characters, and originality - so why is everyone surprised when London Has Fallen is no different?
Yes it's jingoistic. Yes it's still lacking well-rounded characters. Yes it's mindless violence. And yes it's ludicrous...
...ludicrously freaking awesome that is!
The first thing I loved about this movie was the bad language. It was refreshing. I know that sounds like an odd thing to say, but go with me a moment...
...see, in an era of 12A action movies with tonnes of violence and no bad language, Butler dropping the F bomb a billion times ironically brings a level of realism to London Has Fallen, that is lacking in movies that take themselves far more seriously.
Yes the entire concept is stupid, but that's not what we're here for. I'm here to watch Butler stab bad buys repeatedly in the chest and shoot AK-47s out of 4X4 cars bombing along the Thames at 80 miles per hour. That's what I signed up for.
The pacing of this movie is perfect. It's never boring, and the action sequences are really fun. Yes, in places the CG is a bit shoddy, but the movie is still quite spectacular in pulling off some big set pieces in London.
London Has Fallen is mainly a two-hander between Butler and Eckhart, with some nice buddy moments and fantastic action sequences throughout, including a mega shoot-out at Somerset House, a mega shoot-out in the Underground, and mega shoot outs in dark buildings, including the finale in Soho, of all places.
This isn't going to get any Oscars, but it's a brilliantly retro action movie that takes itself far less seriously than throw-back action films like Taken, which is no less crazy in the plot department.
Anyone who enjoys mindless action will not be disappointed, and where this movie lacks realistic plot, it makes up for it in pacing. At 1 hour 40 - in an age of bloated, long movies that think they're more intelligent than they are - this is frankly a breath of fresh air.
Get a big bowl of popcorn and some sodi-pops, and enjoy relentless, shooting, stabbing, swearing and explosions. Great fun!
