Olympus Has Fallen was one of my guilty pleasures from a couple of years ago. Silly, but well paced with some great action scenes, it also stood up to a second viewing recently.
The sequel follows the same basic template: US President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) is placed in jeopardy and there is only one man to save him, his secret service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler). This time, Asher is attending the British Prime Minister’s funeral in London with a host of other world leaders when he is caught up in a major terrorist incident. On the run from the bad guys, it is up to Banning to get him to safety.
The initial set up for the story is well done. The idea of terrorists striking at a major funeral and the security nightmare that scenario would bring is an interesting one, and it is something I haven’t seen before. We are introduced to the various leaders and everything is set up nicely. However, the next 15 minutes or so are really poor. The idea that the terrorists could have infiltrated the Metropolitan Police to the extent it is shown and also the Queen’s Guard at Buckingham Palace is completely unbelievable. Even if you could put that to one side, the CGI explosions are horribly unrealistic.
Fortunately, that segment of the film is just a blip, as it is followed by a great helicopter escape, and once Asher and Banning are fleeing the movie really picks up. The action scenes from that point are excellently staged, and the chemistry between the two leads keeps the film bubbling along between those sequences. Also, the appearance of Charlotte Riley as an MI6 agent gives the film a real boost, accomplishing a lot in some very brief scenes, making more of an impression than the rest of the more star-studded support cast, such as Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, and Melissa Leo.
The end reveal of the bad guy is as predictable as in the first film, and some people may find it hard to get too invested in saving the life of the US President whilst glossing over so many other deaths. But, I found it entertaining in a block headed, ridiculous way, for most of its running time.
Rating: 7 out of 10