There was a war going on in 2013 – a battle forged at the box office between director Antoine Fuqua’s OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN and director Roland Emmerich’s WHITE HOUSE DOWN. When it was all said and done OLYMPUS, a story about a badass Secret Service agent who saves the president from North Koreans, was the clear winner. Now its sequel, LONDON HAS FALLEN, looms to once again dominate. Despite the gratifyingly snappy one-liners, handsome hero and energetic pace, nothing can distract from an unwanted sentiment imposed onto its audience.

We begin our tale in one of the most dangerous regions of the world – Pakistan. After a U.S. drone strike kills the daughter of arms dealer Aamir Barkawi (Alon Moni Aboutbouli), he and his sons begin to plot their “profound and absolute” revenge. Two years later and half a world away in Washington D.C., we get reacquainted with President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and his extraordinary Secret Service agent Mike Banning. With POTUS still under his care, and expecting his first child with wife Leah (played by a still woefully-underused Radha Mitchell), things couldn’t be finer for Banning. That is until the British Prime Minister dies and they, along with Secret Service director Lynne Jacobs (Angela Bassett), are called away to the funeral. With all the world’s superpowers descending upon London, it should be the securest place to be. Hmm…Not so much. As powerful figureheads are swiftly knocked off and mass destruction to the city’s major landmarks ensues, Banning’s ingenuity and special set of skills are called upon once again to save the President’s life. Cue TEAM AMERICA’s “America! F**k Yeah!”

Similar to the original, the terrorism threat scenario cooked up by returning screenwriters Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt, with help from new writers Christian Gudegast and Chad St. John, seems plausible. That realism grounds any subsequent absurdity. Banning questioning retirement is an interesting facet to explore because, yes, putting himself in the line of fire isn’t such a smart idea anymore. Though it lacks OLYMPUS’ punchy throwback vibe (echoing SUDDEN DEATH, UNDER SEIGE and DIE HARD), director Babak Najafi’s second chapter moves at a brisk pace and retains the gift of quippy, quotable one-liners. I won’t be forgetting the line, “Things are gonna get sporty – just watch your balls,” any time soon. He wisely ups the stakes; it’s now not just a domestic problem – it’s a global one. Instead of having one room for intel officials, there are two rooms relaying information. Emmerich would be happy this is what his destruction-porn legacy has begat – but would also chip in a few extra bucks to polish up a few of the special effects. Plus there’s a suspenseful, well-executed, long-take action sequence that’s refreshing to the genre.

LONDON has fallen prey to predictable outcomes. Reveals are treated as surprises even though the audience is leaps ahead. Most problematic is the film’s tangible, off-putting “us vs. them” mentality. Not only is it divisive and unnecessary, it plays like right wing masturbation material. Its “ugly American” sentiment crops up a few times throughout – most specifically when Banning brutalizes one of the heavy’s henchmen in the third act. Our hero is much more aggressively stabby this time around – which amps up the viciousness in a darker manner. Unlike in the original, new supporting cast members are incredibly generic and don’t serve much function. Heck, even returning co-stars like Melissa Leo and Morgan Freeman barely get any lines or weight assigned to their continued roles. The material doesn’t allow them to carve out any opportunities to establish themselves. Plus, unlike last time, Butler doesn’t doff his top. I know: Boo hiss.

While this doesn’t make me want to stand up to sing Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The U.S.A,” it does hold a modicum of entertainment value. We should all be so lucky to have Butler save our government – and, now, the world.

2.5 out of 5

LONDON HAS FALLEN opens on March 4 and is rated R.