London Has Fallen

Okay, I admit it. I've liked Gerard Butler ever since I saw an English film entitled Dear Frankie.  If you haven't seen it or heard of it check it out.  It's a lovely film. And I thought he was a terrific Phantom in the film version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. (What, he even sings?!!)

A recent release in which he starred entitled Gods of Egypt got mediocre reviews and little box office. (Who wants to go see a costume epic about ancient Egypt in which the actors all sound like they were trained at the Old Vic? Reminds me of one of the opening credits for Deadpool - "And we've got a British Villain!")

Besides, author Tmonique Stephens, creator of the phenomenal Descendants of Ra series, commented on Facebook after seeing the Gods of Egypt trailer they don't even look like Egyptians - She should know. Authors research their subjects.

Just ask me how to load a Philadelphia Deringer (Yes, it's spelled Deringer after its inventor, even though in our era most people write Derringer.)

I think the release of this sequel to Olympus Has Fallen is fortuitous.  People can forget about the Gods of Egypt. I know I will until some late night when there's nothing else to watch on cable...

Now Mr. Butler is a fine braw Scot laddie in real life, but he plays American Secret Service agent Mike Banning very well.  Aaron Eckhart reprises his role as the President (I modeled the hero in my first novel after this actor), with Morgan Freeman returning as the Vice-President, Melissa Leo as the Secretary of Defense, and Angela Bassett as the Head of the Secret Service. They returned to their roles from the first movie when everyone was menaced by North Koreans.

Honestly, the reviews have not been that good on this one, but you know what? This is an action movie, nothing written by Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, or Dalton Trumbo. It's a formulaic film with lots of explosions, tense scenes of running from a literal horde of nasty Middle Eastern terrorists who keep coming and who have a grievance against the western powers, particularly the United States. Of course the best part is, the good guys win in the end.  Toss in a few jokes at tense moments, a human interest sub-plot, evil turncoat subterfuge, and you've got an entertaining couple of hours, even if it's nothing new.

Not only does London fall, it's heavily damaged in key places.  Lots of heads of state die at the hands of the wicked. Let's hope it is not a likely scenario. I'm sure such an occurrence would sound like a dream to some folks in the world.  Let's just hope they never pull it off...

No it isn't great literature or a contender for 2016's Best Picture Oscar. But it is entertaining. You know going in the good guys will ultimately win this one.  They have to, they're the leads.

If you're looking for some good old-fashioned pro-America entertainment, check out this one. There are even some lines that hark back to Clint Eastwood, looking furious on the telethon right after 9/11 when he stared into the camera and said something to the effect, "you will never defeat us.  There are 300 million of us who pull together as one when the time comes..."

In times of such division as this election campaign, it's good to remember we are all Americans and we have a history of facing adversity together, no matter our political leanings.

So give this film a break. Nobody is pretending it is anything but what it is, entertainment.

Lay off the negative reviews written to make the writer all puffed up with his or her importance and intellect. This is an action movie, for heaven's sake. Just enjoy it.

I liked it even without my usual popcorn - the line was too long and didn't move, so I went on to the auditorium to get a seat.

Until next time...