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Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Alon Moni Aboutboul, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell Director: Babk Najafi Millenium Films, Nu Boyana Film Studios Cert: R( Imdb), 15( Cineworld) 1hr 40 min

By Mithunya Appudurai

This much hyped sequel to 2013’ s hit action thriller Olympus Has Fallen, sees Gerard Butler’ s return as US Secret Service agent Mike Banning, fresh from rescuing the President from North Korean terrorists at the White House. But if you’ re expecting another, all-action adrenalin-rush studded with extraordinary visual effects and drama, you’ re going to be disappointed.

This time, Banning is in London along with the President to attend the funeral of

the British Prime Minister, who has died in mysterious circumstances.

With the world’ s most powerful leaders attending to pay their last respects, London becomes the focus of another, super-ambitious terrorist plot that aims to assassinate all VIP mourners – and blow up most of London’ s important landmarks on the way.

But if you’ re prepared to swallow that scenario, you’ ll believe anything. Like how Mike Banning single-handedly saves the day. Mercifully, the producers have kept running time down to a crisp 99 minutes. So the climatic explosions at landmark locations all over London, including Westminster Abbey, though making for engaging viewing throughout, did come to an end with the movie.

But explosive special effects, no matter how well-crafted, are not enough, and presidential bodyguard Gerard Butler not only saves little ol’ London town, but also the film. It’ s a pity many of his co-stars were unable to make a similar impact.

Actors like Morgan Freeman and Aaron Eckhart weren’ t done any favours with a two-dimensional script. Nor were the female characters, leaving the three main female leads Charlotte Riley, Angela Bassett and Radha Mitchell desperately trying to engage with the story.

And although Butler holds his own well enough, he sometimes fails to convince as a superhero and his monotonal emotions become tedious. And the story is similar to the prequel and lacks clarity and depth.

For example, how come

Banning can find his way around London, knows precisely where to go, if he’ s never lived there? And how could the intelligence services screw up security at an important event, like the funeral of the Prime Minister?

These loose ends were magnified by some formulaic stereotyping amid all the car bombs and gunshots. In Olympus Has Fallen, it was the Korean people who were demonised. Here it’ s the people of the Middle East, and especially Pakistan. They’ ve all got brown skin, so are

Starring: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Aubrey Plaza, Zoey Deutch, Julianne Hough, Jason Mantzoukas, Danny Glover, Dermot Mulroney Directed by: Dan Mazer BillBlock Media, Josephson Ent, QED Intnl

By Noor Bahman

In what could be the remaining shambles of Robert De Niro’ s acting career, this take on Hollywood’ s clichéd Spring Break theme is a cringeworthy melange of

bare butts, breasts and halfdead gags.

Zac Efron and De Niro star as grandson and grandfather with relationship problems, as in victim and sexual harasser. Sure it’ s sick humour when mates stick their thumbs up each other’ s rectums, but, hey, if that’ s grandpa’ s way of teasing, you’ ve sure missed the healthy relationship thingy.

Following his wife’ s funeral, Dick( De Niro) tricks his corporate lawyer grandson Jason( Efron) into going