Angel Has Fallen - Finally, a good entry in this series

In 2013, a film titled Olympus Has Fallen was released in theaters, and could best be described as Die Hard but in The White House, except it was nowhere near as exciting as that sounds. Suffering from terrible action scenes, repetitive dialogue, lousy special effects, and laughable attempts a tough-guy acting, the film was a total bore, saved from absolute death only by the professional commitment of Gerard Butler and the ever-welcome presence of Morgan Freeman, who may very well be the only reason this franchise even survived as long as it has. Further solidifying the films lackluster status was the release of another movie with the same premise titled White House Down, except that film was a far superior execution of Die Hard but in The White House in every conceivable way. Despite all that, for some reason, White House Down never got a sequel, but guess what did? London Has Fallen released in 2016 and, while it was still terrible, at least featured a few improvements. Now, here we are with the third installment of this unusually popular franchise, Angel Has Fallen. Which, surprisingly, is not bad. I mean, it's The Fugitive as written by Tom Clancy on steroids, but it's more entertaining than that may sound.  

The story follows aging but dedicated Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) who is facing the real possibility of having to step down as a field agent due to a series of medical and personal issues. He is approached by President Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) to become the new Director of the Secret Service. Before Mike can answer, he and his team are attacked by a mysterious Drone strike killing Mike's entire squad and putting President Trumbull into a coma. Upon arriving at the hospital, the FBI informs Mike of evidence suggesting he orchestrated the attack in an attempt to assassinate the President. With no other options, Mike escapes off the grid to find a way to clear his name and take down the ones who are responsible. Little does he know that the answers may be closer than he thinks. 

Say what you will about the movies politics (and believe me, there is a lot to say about it), but as an action movie on its own merits, it's pretty much okay. The action is exciting and easy to follow, the characters have some texture to them, and the story manages to feel familiar yet fresh. A big part of the reason why is likely because for the past two installments, they were made by talented people but either didn't possess enough skills nor experience in action. It seems that this time around the producers managed to assemble a team of people who not only have some genuine talent for high octane action, but have a lot more experience, and it shows. 

This may not be the next greatest thing in action cinema, but it is a decent use of your free time that will adequately reward you for your box office money. If you need a quick break from the boring modern world, check this one out. 

Is this movie worth seeing? 

Yes. 

Is it worth seeing in Theaters? 

Yes. 

Why? 

It's an inoffensive piece of action schlock that does its job well. Go with a friend if you can and have fun. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you all for reading.