Hey Flicker Fans! I know it’s been awhile since I’ve “partaken” with our show, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not out there–“fighting the good fight, givin’ it the ol college try”, and a bunch of other quotes that speak to my corniness that I’m sure YOU know, but I do not. So let’s jump in shall we, today we’re going to talk about “LONDON HAS FALLEN.”
Babak Najafi (director), you tried. Respect my man, you tried. I could tell that you tried. I mean you really, REALLY tried to take us on this ride….and….well, for the most part, you kind of succeeded (kind of). Let’s take a look shall we? We’re given this sequel (which I’m still not really sure we needed) that puts us in London to watch Gerard Butler (and Aaron Eckhart) run around the city with a bunch of terrorists trying to kill them, and they just “get away”? That’s what you’re going for bro? Dude…..no. Just no. But hey, before I dive in and completely (and relatively unintentionally) destroy this movie, let’s talk about what worked shall we?
Gerard Butler. Hell YEA! I love this guy. I think he’s a bad ass and I love the work that he’s done. I mean come on, I dare you to find any fanboy or super geek to NOT like 300. But that’s not the only thing he’s awesome for, he was a bad ass in “Movie 43” (he played the Leprechaun–yea, I said it…he was a bad ass there). Then there was “The Bounty Hunter” (yea, I liked the movie, so what?) and let’s not forget about Law Abiding Citizen. As unbelievable as that movie was, it was still fun. This guy is the quintessential action leading man that just can’t quite find the “leading man roles”. Don’t get me wrong, he’s done some and maybe it’s by his choice that his appearances have become fewer and fewer, but I still dig the guy and the work that he’s done, especially “Olympus Has Fallen” this movie’s predecessor. It was fun, exciting, different, and basically “Die Hard” in the White House–it worked on a scale that was reminiscent of action movies from way back when. But this, well, let’s get to that in a minute.
Aaron Eckhart. The guy was Two-Face….what the SHIT man!!!?!?!? The guy was Two-Face. I dig him as an actor as well, but he’s cut short with his acting chops in this movie. It’s a shame because he has them. I like the guy and he’s been in a lot of fun movies as well. Thank You For Not Smoking, I, Frankenstein (ok, maybe not that one), Battle: Los Angles (eh…it was ok), No Reservations, (ok, that one was good right?), alright look, they can’t all be winners, but you know what? I still like the guy. I think he’s a fine actor and a lot of fun to watch when it comes to movies….maybe he needs a different agent because the films that he’s in OBVIOUSLY aren’t the greatest–but he still did a good job, right? Well, I think he did.
So back to London Has Fallen, here’s the problem that I see with this movie. We pick up back with the main characters (the President and his head of security detail), and they find themselves going to London for a memorial service. During their trip, the city is ambushed and the only ones who magically don’t get into serious trouble, you guessed it- The President and his head of security detail. Now that’s it. That’s the gist of the story and we’re left to watch the Pres. and HSD run around London and try and get away.
Here’s my issue with this movie Flicker Fans, it felt, “desperate”. I mean really, really trying to make everything work and or believable, and it just wasn’t. I know, I know, it’s a movie and if I liked the first one, how come I don’t really care for the second. Well, I just didn’t alright. I don’t know, I thought the first one was fun, and fresh and kind of a retelling of Die Hard if you will. It was funnier that expected, a different type of cat and mouse game and it was full of cool action. In one centralized location–the White House. This took place in the entire city of London. What the SHIT MAN!?!?! The whole city?!?!? These terrorist (north of probably 100 people were all terrorists in the movie) and they couldn’t catch 2 guys running around the city?!??!?! Are you kidding me? Come. ON! I can suspend reality and enjoy the shit out of Star Wars, but this I just had trouble wrapping my head around–for whatever reason. All that said, and I still kind of enjoyed it. That’s just it though, “kind of”. This is a great movie to watch at home when nothing else is on and it’s a great one to watch on HBO. But I spent my money on this…..in the theater…..f*ck. But that’s alright. I don’t mind supporting actors that I like, and this one has some that I really do enjoy watching and wish they would show up in more projects. But, and while I didn’t mention this earlier–because it’s not really worth mentioning–even Morgan Freeman (and all his badassery) couldn’t help save this movie that was left to fall–in London no doubt.