London Has Fallen Blu-ray Review
Brad Sturdivant
June 20th, 2016
There’s no use lamenting the fact that the moderately enjoyable OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN managed to get a sequel, so the best bet is just to accept it. With that out of the way, LONDON HAS FALLEN succeeds on one surprising level; it manages to capture the 80’s action vibe (perhaps unintentionally) better than any action film since…well…maybe the 80’s. There is no complicated plot or complex revenge scenario; this is just a movie about one tough dude taking on an entire army by himself and coming out of the skirmish unscathed.
We pick up with Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Butler) as he’s about to hand his resignation to President Asher (Eckhart). He’s done with protecting the POTUS and wants to spend time with his wife and newborn son. But before he can break the news, the British Prime Minister dies suddenly, sparking a gathering of world leaders in London for the funeral. Mike assists the President to the UK, even though everyone knows it’s dangerous and a perfect opportunity for a terrorist attack. Of course, as soon as they get there, the terrorists attack and kill all of the world leaders except for Asher, who managed to avoid getting killed thanks to Mike’s quick thinking. Their narrow escape prompts the terrorists to track them throughout London as Mike and Asher try to survive long enough to escape.
Like all of the best 80’s action movies, little time is spent on setting up the plot. We get it; bad guys want to hurt good guys. The film rockets towards several action sequences, most of which pit Mike against dozens of faceless terrorists and he easily kills every one of them. There’s nothing believable about the events that transpire on screen and I was perfectly okay with that. LONDON HAS FALLEN is just a mindless, fast paced action movie with nice action and decent characters. I don’t normally recommend someone changing their mindset to enjoy a movie, but once I realized what I was getting with LONDON HAS FALLEN, I started to enjoy it. For a brief moment in time, I felt I was watching an 80’s action movie and I enjoyed it.
The thing about some of the best 80’s action movies is that they were fun because they were bad, which might describe LONDON HAS FALLEN. This is not a good movie by any means, it’s just a fun movie. There are too many plot holes to count, the acting is pitiful, the dialogue is cringe worth and even some of the action sequences are too unbelievable to be enjoyable (especially the climactic third act). So don’t let my love of nostalgia fool you; LONDON HAS FALLEN has problems.
I respect movies that know what they are, and although that may seem like a backhanded compliment to LONDON HAS FALLEN, it’s intended to be sincere. LONDON HAS FALLEN knows it’s not breaking any new ground or giving you a heartfelt, emotional drama. This is nothing more than a testosterone fueled action film that succeeds at exactly what it’s trying to do; have fun. Of course, having fun doesn’t necessarily make for a good film, but LONDON HAS FALLEN does enough to make it worthwhile on a late weekend night.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: This is a nice transfer from Universal.
Audio: I loved the audio on LONDON HAS FALLEN; it shook the room several times.
The Making of London Has Fallen (13:15): This is a quick overview of everything involved with the making of the film. It’s too short to cover anything in detail, but it’s a decent overview.
Guns, Knives and Explosions (7:40): A look at the action in the film.
Trailers
