London Has Fallen (6/14/2016)

Rated R for strong violence and language throughout

Starring: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Radha Mitchell and Angela Bassett

Directed By: Babak Najafi

This franchise has fallen.

The sequel to the worldwide smash hit Olympus Has Fallen. The story begins in London, where the British Prime Minister has passed away under mysterious circumstances. His funeral is a must-attend event for leaders of the western world. However, what starts out as the most protected event on Earth turns into a deadly plot to kill the world’s most powerful leaders, devastate every known landmark in the British capital, and unleash a terrifying vision of the future. Only three people have any hope of stopping it: the President of the United States (Aaron Eckhart), his formidable Secret Service head Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), and an English MI-6 agent who rightly trusts no one.

In 2013 Antoine Fuqua directed Olympus Has Fallen and it was an action-packed film that made the audience contemplate the possibility of a terrorist attack on the White House. The characters were likeable and the action was edge-of-your-seat exciting. After the success at the box office, everyone expected the squeal. Well here it is.

Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman and Aaron Eckhart are all back for a second run at surviving an unbelievable terrorist attack. But Antoine Fuqua is not at the helm and it was painfully obvious. The edits were bad, the score was weak, and this time around the story is really, really unbelievable. I mean can anyone believe that a terrorist could assassinate several world leaders and go on a city wide man hunt to track down the “one who got away”…pssst it’s the President of the United States who escapes because Mike is really good at his job.

Although the action is bigger, it is less intense than the original. There are several iconic buildings in London that are nearly destroyed and the amount of bullets fired are completely ridiculous. And if that’s not enough, Banning and the President manage to escape one ludicrous scenario after another. But besides walking…I mean running away from a helicopter crash (especially when Mike is not even wearing a seatbelt) and dodging thousands of bullets and escaping a beheading video in the nick of time, the biggest eye roll comes at the robust celebration when the threat is finally neutralized.

I walked into the theater really looking forward this sequel, but with Babak Najafi in the director chair and not Antoine Fuqua…London Has Fallen was a huge disappointment. I say “Skip it.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
The is no sex or nudity but the language and violence are both strong and relentless.

There are a lot of F-words and S-words as well as several other profanities. And the violence is graphic and intense. We see people die from explosions, gun shots, stabbings and hand-to-hand fighting.

CONVERSATION STARTER:

1. How would you describe Mike’s job?


2. What are some ways Mike protected the POTUS?

Read John 15:13

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.


3. Would you say Mike and President Asher are friends or is it just a job?


4. You may not be asked to lay down your life for your friends, but are you willing to lay down your will or agenda for them?


5. How can we show a selfless love to our friends?