London Has Fallen (2016)
Directed by Babak Najafi
No · Ultra Based
How we score movies →Consciousness Markers
The film includes Morgan Freeman as President and Angela Bassett as a Secret Service agent, both in positions of authority, but without any thematic commentary on their significance.
Angela Bassett's character is portrayed as competent and authoritative, but this is presented without commentary on gender dynamics or feminist themes.
No LGBTQ+ themes, characters, or subtext present in the film.
No exploration of racial themes, systemic racism, or racial consciousness despite minority actors in prominent roles.
No climate-related themes or messaging present in the film.
The film presents no critique of capitalism, military-industrial complexes, or systemic economic issues.
No body positivity themes or commentary present in the film.
No representation or exploration of neurodivergence in the film.
The film does not engage with historical narratives or present revisionist interpretations of history.
The film contains no preachy speeches or preachy moments about social issues.
Synopsis
In London for the Prime Minister's funeral, Mike Banning discovers a plot to assassinate all the attending world leaders.
Why it received this score
London Has Fallen is a straightforward geopolitical action thriller that functions primarily as a vehicle for Gerard Butler's quippy Secret Service agent to dispatch terrorists in London. The film features a respectable supporting cast, including Morgan Freeman as the President and Angela Bassett as a Secret Service agent, but these actors serve largely functional roles within a narrative that prioritizes explosive set pieces over character development or social commentary.
The film exhibits minimal engagement with contemporary progressive sensibilities. While it includes minority actors in positions of authority, these roles are presented without any explicit commentary on their significance or any thematic exploration of identity. The plot concerns itself entirely with conventional action-thriller mechanics: stopping a terrorist plot, protecting the President, shooting things. There is no examination of systemic issues, no climate messaging, no queer subtext, no interrogation of capitalism or military-industrial complexes.
The only minor marker of contemporary sensibility appears in Bassett's characterization as a capable female agent presented as competent and authoritative, though even this is presented as utterly unremarkable rather than as commentary on gender dynamics. The film belongs to the tradition of apolitical action cinema that has existed for decades. It asks nothing of the audience except to enjoy explosions and one-liners.
Analysis generated by our Consciousness Algorithm
Critic Reviews
“An impossibly enjoyable live-action cartoon that plays on our real-life anxieties about vengeful cadres of foreign radicals blowing up people - and places. ”
“Brash, brutal, and simplistic in equal measure, it’s a retrograde work that, for better and worse, delivers its old-school mayhem with punishing precision and unrepentant glee.”
“As action-thrillers go, this one provides what the previews tease. Maybe that’s enough for an evening’s mindless, throw-away entertainment, but I can’t help but be disappointed that the filmmakers couldn’t have brought something more inventive to a genre that too often relies on worn-out tropes.”
“Make American movies great again. You can start by boycotting this one. ”