Here We Go Again..."London Has Fallen"

London Has Fallen (2016)

Rated R

Starring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman,

Directed by Babak Najafi

The Story:

President Asher (Eckhart) heads to London for a funeral. Naturally, that's when a terrorist attack takes out all the leaders of the visiting nations except for the President, thanks to the planning of Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Butler). Can he keep the President alive again, or is this finally the Vice President's (Freeman) chance for promotion?

Okay, I admit, I had a blast watching Olympus Has Fallen a few years ago. It was Die Hard...in the White House!

Much like the Die Hard franchsie, the setpiece has to get bigger, and this one plays more like Die Hard With A Vengeance as the two race all across London trying to stay one step ahead of the bad guys who want to catch and kill the President on live tv.

So that being said, this is a popcorn film, round two!

If you didn't like the first installment, you'll find nothing redeeming here.

Otherwise, if you didn't mind it, you'll have a good time watching London get blown up, real good.

;)

I'm not sure if they can pull off yet another sequel in the franchise.

Eventually, the President is going to stop going places, or run out of time in the office.

But if they decide to give it a go in the future, I'll be back.

I watched the DVD version, but now that this review has moved to the top to be published, you also have the option of streaming on Netflix.

It doubles your chances of being able to watch and enjoy some popcorn!  :)

Final Grade: B-

I'm In A New York State of Mind..."Die Hard With a Vengeance"

Do I look Puerto Rican to you?

The Story:

John McClane (Bruce Willis) returns, and this time New York City is being held hostage by terrorist Simon Gruber (Jeremy Irons).  He's planted a bomb in one of the thousands of New York schools, but wants to play a game of Simon Says with McClane.  After inadvertently helping McClane with his first test,  Harlem shopkeeper Zeus (Samuel L. Jackson) is forced by Simon to help McClane the rest of the day.  Can McClane save the day again?

Ah... that's better.

John McTiernan returns to the franchise, and reinvigorates it with a return to form from the first, with a terrorist act covering up for an elaborate heist.

And why not tie this to the first even further by bringing the best villain family line back into play, as Jeremy Irons steps into the role of Hans' brother.

Yes, if you're going to do Die Hard, you might as well borrow all of the elements that made it work so well in the first place.

It's fun, and it crackles from start to finish.

The banter between McClane and Zeus is gold throughout.  Yes, there's even a subtle lesson in racism tossed in for free, but often overlooked because it actually works in reverse.

It could be argued that part 3 departs too much from McClane as the solo hero and enters buddy cop territory.

Eh.

I see the point, but at the end of the day, it's McClane with a novice who is along for the ride by force, not so much by choice.

While McClane doesn't do much of the claustrophobic sequences this go round, he ends up running amok in New York which can be even more unsettling than being trapped in ventilation or elevator shafts.

If you're going to close out a trilogy, again, like many franchises, you end with a solid bang that is better than the second while falling short of the first.

Die Hard with a Vengeance did that admirably.

They had no idea there would be another movie over a decade later...


Oh, and if anyone can honestly explain to me how they do the water jugs to disarm the bomb, I'd love to hear it.  I laugh during that scene every time because it makes absolutely no sense. :)

Final Grade: A

Rewatchabililty/Purchase Factor: My second favorite in the series, and just a fun movie to watch.  The chemistry between Jackson and Willis is a lot of fun to watch and enjoy.