• Home
  • Meetings
  • Events
  • Blog
  • E-Board
  • Around Boston
  • Join
Northeastern University's Film Enthusiasts Club
.

Haley Emerson on London Has Fallen

3/4/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
I was going to think of a witty joke to make about this movie, but honestly it isn't even worth it. -The Editor
I can think of a couple of much more apt names for London Has Fallen: perhaps Same Shit, Different Movie, or Literally None of This At All Could or Would Ever Happen.  Alternate titles aside, this film fell short of my specially ordered low expectations. The sequel to Olympus Has Fallen (2013), London Has Fallen is a carbon copy of its precursor, except maybe even worse.

Presidential security officer Mike Banning (Gerard Butler, 300) is planning to resign from his post in preparation for the birth of his first child. Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister has died under suspicious circumstances, so every important world leader must gather in London for his funeral. Banning has no choice but to accompany President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart, The Dark Knight) to keep him from any harm, so his resignation is postponed. The world’s leaders arrive in a heavily protected London, but shortly, something goes horribly wrong!!!!! The British police force has been infiltrated by Middle Eastern terrorists, and even the Queen’s Guard starts shooting at innocent civilians (honestly, one of the most unintentionally funny scenes I’ve seen in a long time). Banning springs into action to protect the President, who also happens to be his partner in bromance. If you’ve seen Olympus Has Fallen, this plotline may sound awfully familiar. And that is for good reason: the two films have almost identical plotlines, apart from taking place in different cities.

Everything about London Has Fallen is wildly unrealistic. I know that’s pretty much a keystone characteristic of any American action film, but this one takes it too far. My personal favorite logic-defying scene is when Banning happens upon a hallway full of terrorist soldiers with automatic rifles, and he somehow manages to pick off every single one...using a small knife as a weapon. Seriously. That is something that happened in this movie. I am so embarrassed that this is the type of movie geared towards American film-goers. I am especially embarrassed that it is still somehow acceptable to employ the trope of Middle Eastern terrorists as the main enemy. As much as I disagree with the use of this stereotype, there are some ways to make it a little less egregious. London Has Fallen is so flagrantly racist that I’m surprised it hasn’t seen more backlash as of yet. “Go back to Fuckhead-istan, or wherever you came from,” is something that Butler’s character actually said to one of the soldiers. Disgusting, I know.

I struggle to find any redeeming qualities in this film. The only thing I can consider as positive is that it didn’t drag on. It was kept to a jam-packed, shit-filled hour and forty minutes. The ending came at exactly the right time, but brought with it a terrifying possibility: they could make another one of these trainwrecks. The movie ends with Banning permanently erasing the resignation email he was drafting, leaving his character on the very path that he was on before. It is so scary to think that within the next few years, we may see Sydney Has Fallen or Tokyo Has Fallen or whatever the hell they decide to do next.

London Has Fallen was filled with cheesy one-liners, ridiculous action sequences, stupid “humor,” and empty dialogue that contributed absolutely nothing to the film as a whole. If you’re a fan of action movies with little to no substance, this is the perfect movie for you. If you’re not a fan of that stuff (and I truly hope that you are not), then avoid it at all costs.

Grade: D
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    AJ Martin
    Andy Robinson
    Anime
    Anthony Formicola
    Anu Gulati
    Arjun Agarwal
    Arzu Martinez
    Ben Garbow
    Brandon Isaacson
    Brian Hamilton
    Carter Sigl
    Dan Simeone
    Discussion
    Elizabeth Johnson Wilson
    Eliza Rosenberry
    Emily Fisler
    Erick Sanchez
    Eric Tatar
    Essays
    Festivals
    Gabrielle Ulubay
    Haley Emerson
    Here's Some Movies
    Ian Wolff
    IFF Boston
    IFFBoston 2015
    Interviews
    Isaac Feldberg
    Kunal Asarsa
    Library
    Lists
    Marguerite Darcy
    Marissa Marchese
    Mary Tobin
    Meghan Murphy
    Mike Muse
    Mitch Macro
    Neel Shah
    Netflix Instant Watch
    Parth Parekh
    Patrick Roos
    Profiles
    Reviews
    Short Films
    Television
    This Week In Movies
    Tyler Rosini

    Want to Write for Us?

    Contact NUFEC President Ian Wolff at nufecblog@gmail.com if you're interested in writing for this blog!

    Archives

    April 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    October 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.