Grade: B+
In my life, I have always surrounded myself around loyal people because loyalty is a trait that is important to me. I have never turned on a friend and my friends have never turned on me. After refreshing myself with “Olympus Has Fallen” and watching “London Has Fallen” for the first time with my friend Justin, I came to the conclusion that Gerard Butler’s character, Mike Banning, is one of the most loyal characters a franchise can have. Through the craziest of scenarios dealing with national security to international threats, Banning has always been the most loyal secret service member to President Asher and President Trumbull.
In the newest movie in the franchise, “Angel Has Fallen,” Banning is framed for the attempted assassination of President Trumbull (played by Morgan Freeman). While President Trumbull is in a coma after the attack, Banning has to clear his name with his own agency and the FBI. Nobody believes he is innocent and instead of saving the country or the world, Banning has to save himself.
Like the prior two movies, “Olympus Has Fallen” and “London Has Fallen,” “Angel Has Fallen” is simply a fun and thrilling action movie. It isn’t trying to grab any Oscars and it isn’t trying to woo the audience with amazing special effects. It does succeed in engaging audiences with a ton of action and close quarters combat over a duration of two explosive hours.
While the plot for “Angel Has Fallen” is a little weak compared to its predecessors, it actually is the most plausible of the three movies. For example, in “Olympus Has Fallen,” the North Koreans infiltrate, and take over, the White House. If you have seen the movie, it is quite clear within the first twenty minutes that it is far fetched. Also like in the first two movies, in “Angel” the main villains in the movie rely on a mole in order to carry out their plans. I would like to think, and pray, that there would never be a traitor to our country that has the power to aid a terrorist plot.
Naturally, the action and fighting sequences take center stage in “Angel.” The close quarter combat choreography is done very well and it is for the most part, realistic. Banning is a complete badass with elite skills nobody can touch. If you’re in a fight with the guy, you’re going to lose. Period. Like most action movies, the film would not be complete without a car chase. In “Angel has Fallen,” Banning uses a huge semi-truck on the winding roads of Appalachia to evade the police. It was an awesome chase scene that was creative and highly entertaining. It was one of my favorite scenes in the movie.
The cast all deliver solid performances as most of the cast reprises their respective roles from “Olympus” and “London.” One glaring problem within “Angel” was the lack of President Asher. President Asher was played by the super talented Aaron Eckheart in the first two movies. In “Angel Has Fallen” former Vice President Allan Trumbull somehow becomes the President without even a mention of President Asher. The writers either forgot or were too lazy to write him out of “Angel Has Fallen.” We are not even given a time frame as to how much time has passed since “London Has Fallen.” The only clue we get is Banning’s daughter who was a newborn in “London,” is probably at the age of three or four. It is never addressed and it was a pretty big omission. It doesn’t make much sense because Asher is such a key character in “London Has Fallen” as he is pretty much Banning’s right hand man through the movie. I am going to assume that Eckhart was too busy filming his upcoming movie “Midway” and was not available for “Angel Has Fallen.” Sometimes scheduling conflicts happen and this just happens to be one of those instances?
Other than that glaring oversight, “Angel Has Fallen” was a really good thrill ride that should be enjoyed with a loud Dolby Cinema theater. The sound was exceptional and it helped keep you engaged while Banning experiences hell. If you’re a fan of action movies and enjoyed the previous movies in the franchise, you will feel right at home with “Angel Has Fallen.” Go out and see it with your most loyal friends and have a good time!