Does Hollywood care? Seemingly not, unless the fourth Mike Banning film can do something to surprise us.

In what has now become known as the ‘Has Fallen’ franchise, another new entry has been announced. There is no release date yet, and there has been no word on plot details, but we do know that Gerard Butler will be returning to the role of Secret Service agent, Mike Banning in Night Has Fallen.

Deadline confirmed the news of the sequel recently, and revealed that Butler would once again be directed by Ric Roman Waugh, his Angel Has Fallen director. Little other information was given, but you can expect to hear more next year.

But here’s the thing: Do we really need a fourth entry in the franchise? Over the years, there have been many promised movie sequels that never happened, often for good reasons. And so it is with Night Has Fallen. Is this really a movie that needs to be made? Like the Transporter film franchise before it, each film in the series has become progressively worse. So, what’s the point?

As questioned in the title, is the decision to bring Mike Banning back a sign that Hollywood has fallen? It could be, and here are the reasons why.

The Films Are Just More Of The Same

Via: Screen Rant

For a movie series that isn’t very good, one has to question why Hollywood execs would choose to make another. While the first movie, Olympus Has Fallen, was a perfectly acceptable entry in the action movie genre, the last two installments were unoriginal and badly reviewed.

Jeffrey M. Anderson of Common Sense Media had this to say about the first sequel, London Has Fallen.

“Anyone who was calling for a sequel to Olympus Has Fallen should’ve been careful what they wished for; this sequel borrows shamelessly from many action classics and ends up lifeless and dim. London Has Fallen is interesting when it’s showing the logistics of assembling so many world leaders in one place, but that order is quickly turned into brain-numbing chaos. And director Babak Najafi uses at least one impressive, 60-second tracking shot, but that still leaves about 90 dull minutes to slog through.”

Anderson’s review is but one of many citing the movie’s lack of originality.

The third entry in the series, Angel Has Fallen, was also guilty of the same. Chris Giroux of Movie Reelist said in his review:

“Angel Has Fallen is an unnecessary movie we’ve seen thousands of times before, devoid of any original ideas to forward the genre. It isn’t even an unapologetic action movie. It’s time to retire Mike Banning.”

Unoriginality isn’t the only thing these films have been blamed for. Critics have also slammed these films for their high body counts and plodding narratives, but the fact that they have been so predictable just seems to make them worse. When you watch a Mike Banning film, you know exactly what is coming. Each entry in the series has followed the same pattern: The President gets into trouble/Mike Banning saves him. Rinse and repeat!

These films are examples of Hollywood laziness.

Quality Has Gone Up In Flames

Via: The Federalist

Of course, there are lots of unoriginal action movie franchises out there, but we can forgive some of them for their lack of originality because of their overall quality. The James Bond movies are generally very good,  despite the odd misstep (A View To A Kill, Quantum Of Solace), and so too are the Mission: Impossible movies, which seem to improve with each new entry.

The reason why these movies are so good is that the people behind them care about their audiences. Despite working to a formula, they mix things up a little with breathtaking new stunt scenes and variations of traditional storylines.

This isn’t the case with the ‘Has Fallen’ films. The action is generic, the plotting is the same, and the heroes and villains are all one-note. In short, they are painfully bland.

Does Hollywood care? Seemingly not, unless the fourth Mike Banning film can do something to surprise us. Instead, they seem to be more focused on box office takings than overall movie quality. As the ‘Has Fallen’ films have done well financially, Hollywood seems to be content to make more of the same.

After all, if audiences still continue to pay to watch these films, then why bother trying something new? Why make the effort to make something with both quality scriptwriting and quality action? Why bother to come up with a valid reason to keep the franchise going?

It is this contempt for moviegoing audiences that automatically gives one the assumption that Hollywood has fallen. Admittedly, the ‘Has Fallen’ series of films aren’t alone in this.

There are other movies franchises that keep going because of box office receipts, including the Transformers series, but don’t we deserve better? These movies make money at the box office because of audience interest in the characters, but time after time, their money is wasted, and people leave theaters feeling disappointed.

Has Hollywood Fallen?

Via: Box Office Buz

Yes and no. There are still filmmakers working today who favor originality over anything else. Just look at the films of Christopher Nolan, Jordan Peele, and David Fincher, for example, which showcase both real storytelling and craftsmanship. These directors are the shining lights of Hollywood, and they beat to the sound of their own drums.

However, in other cases, studio decisions are made for monetary reasons above all else, regardless of originality and quality. And this is why it could be said that Hollywood has fallen.

Of course, if we were to stop paying to watch such films as Night Has Fallen, the powers that be might sit up and take notice, and give us something worth watching. Something to think about, right?