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Parents' Guide to

Angel Has Fallen

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Endless, numbing violence in overly long action threequel.

Movie R 2019 114 minutes
Angel Has Fallen Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 7 parent reviews

ashleyb217
ashleyb217 Parent of 10 and 14-year-old
October 4, 2022
age 17+

Watch with a filter, and it is great!

The language is extreme. I can’t imagine even adults wanting to hear this much profanity. We let our teenager watch on Vid Angel filtering language and graphic violence, and it was great. Highly recommend.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
Matt19
Matt19 Adult
August 1, 2020
age 18+

Excellent action film but not for children

Angel Has Fallen has plenty of action but it isn't for kids in any way. Lots of violence and some blood in many scenes. The hero constantly battles terrorism whose goal is to kill the president. There is a lot of swearing as well. No sex is present in the movie. I really enjoyed this movie like Olympus and London. Cannot wait for the 4th.

This title has:

Great role models
Too much violence
Too much swearing
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In ANGEL HAS FALLEN, the third film in the series that began with Olympus Has Fallen and continued with London Has Fallen, Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is considering moving to a desk job within the force when a brutal attack leaves President Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) grievously injured -- and Banning implicated as the leader of the strike. Now it's up to Banning to uncover exactly who's trying to kill the president and why, to clear his own name, and to stay alive long enough to get back to his wife (Piper Perabo) and daughter.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7 ):
Kids say (16 ):

Punishingly grim and overly long, this third entry in the Fallen series mostly squanders any credit it earned from the previous two outings. As Banning battles (and battles) his way out of increasingly ludicrous odds, viewers may forget at times just who he's fighting. Mowing down armies of faceless bad guys with guns and explosive devices and (at one point) a long-haul truck, Butler looks as exhausted as the audience feels while numbly watching the carnage.

The overstuffed plot of Angel Has Fallen has a lot of threads, as well as characters who show up briefly to throw monkey wrenches into Banning's plans. Of course, as in most protect-the-president films, there are cardboard villains standing between Our Hero and victory: This time around, it's Oval Office insiders, Russian spies, and a group of private military contractors. If that sounds overly complicated, it is, and that's one of the chief reasons it's hard to remember just who's inside the helmet being shot at. Perabo is wasted in her blah worried-wife role, as is Tim Blake Nelson as a shifty-eyed vice president. But a game Nick Nolte is the best thing this movie has going for it: still wild-eyed, raspy, and vital, he brings both pathos and crackle to his all-too-brief role. Filmmakers, some advice: Forget about Fallen, and give this guy an actioner to head up on his own.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the amount of violence in Olympus Has Fallen. How does it compare to other action films you've seen? Is it necessary to the story? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • Russians have been popular "enemies" in movies and TV shows at different times over the years. Why do you think that is? What are the consequences of portraying a particular group as villainous?

  • How does Angel Has Fallen compare to previous entries Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen? Which do you like better, and why?

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