A Movie Review: Taken 2

What is this movie about? Ex-CIA Brian Mills is at it again, in this sequel to 2008’s Taken. He and his ex-wife get kidnapped by a father of one of the men that Mill’s had killed when his daughter was kidnapped in the first film, whether for a sense of justice, revenge or a bit of both. This leaves their daughter in a tough situation alone in a foreign country yet again. But this time it is all up to her to save the day this time. This film once again stars Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, and Maggie Grace. All three had starred in the first film, and so continue their roles in Taken 2 as well.

Soooo...now we start with potential spoilers for those who may not have seen Taken 2...continue at your own risk.

Taken one and Taken 2 can both be bought online, on sites such as amazon, or at a store near you.

I went into seeing this movie, expecting it to be at least like the first and let's be honest...not really expecting to much else. I most certianly did not expect brillance or the second coming. I was not disappointed. But was it different? Did it stand out the way I think and want a sequel to stand out a bit on its own? Sadly, not so much. The story line is the same except for a few differences, such as location, who was kidnapped, and the motive behind the kidnapping. But essentially there is not much of a difference between the two story lines...the plot remains the essentially the same. I realize that it should remain the same at the core, but there should be something that makes it pop on its own. Something that gives it that little extra, that makes you really want to watch it and continue the story line. It is this little extra something that for me was lacking in a major way. The movie was slower than the first one and the action seemed a bit lack luster. I do not know about anyone else, but I hate that moment during a movie where you just want it to end. I hit that point and knew that I really was over the story before it reached its end. But like I said, I was not expecting brillance.

This is not to say that there aren't things that I liked and enjoyed about Taken 2. The location is a nice change, as its set in Istanbul, and has some excellent shots of the beautiful city and it's roof top which has been used in other films. It was good to see the roles reversed a bit showing his daughter, played my Maggie Grace, didn’t get kidnapped again and actually did more then get drugged and cry. She assisted in the rescue and show just how much she takes after dear old Dad. Liam Neeson of course gets his punches in and saves the day yet again. But really he is Liam freaking Neeson, so do we really expect or want something else? Not really, cause he is awesome and all kinds of epic most of the time. I for one am totally okay with this as a fan of Neeson's work. I also thought the acting on the part of those involved was excellent. So no need for disappointment there.

My overall opinion of this entire movie was that it was not a complete train wreck. I found myself glad I watched it. The acting was by no means subpar, but even brillant acting cannot save a film if its not in turn backed up by the storyline itself. The storyline seemed pretty much a copy of the first, with the exception of a few edits, it contained nothing new that really made it stand out. It did not provide anymore characters details, and with the exception of Maggie Grace's character there was no real growth. There really was nothing to make me care about the characters anymore or any less then I did before. It was not the most brilliant movie ever or one of the better sequels that I have seen. Did I enjoy it while I watched? Yes, for the most part I did, but not as much as I did Taken 1. For me Taken 2 was forgetable.

Would I watch it a third time? Honestly, Probaly not. Would I have watched it the second time around if I wasn't asked my opinion? Again the answer would be no. As I said...forgettable. So i wont be buying the DVD for myself. Now for the question of Taken 3, will I use my hard earned money to see it? Is it worth it? This is a hard question in a way, cause I have been known to watch a series to completion even if I was not completely in love with it, just to not leave it uncompleted. But I have to be honest, I will give the third a miss as the second really did not leave wanting more or caring for more.

But I would check it out for yourselves. This is after all one person's opinion, and I do know several who would disagree with my assessment. After all, you never know one persons rotten tomato is another persons instant classic. So do go and see it for yourselves. Let me know what you think...I would love hear it.

So this movie has been out in theater's and on DVD for a bit now, and by now most of you will be familiar with Taken 2, the series, or the fact that there is a third installment. So why is this relevant now? Well, recently I ran into some acquaintances of mine that had not watched the second, and were wondering if they should even bother with seeing the third. So I re watched Taken 2, and allowed myself to re-evaluate the movie. Would I recommend seeing it for the first time if you haven't? I will confess that I have not seen the third, but will I? Is it really worth my time and money? So....lets break it down.