Review - Taken 2 (2012)

Starring Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen.
Directed by Olivier Megaton.

One man took out a whole legion of gang bangers who kidnapped his daughter to exploit her in human trafficking..... why would anyone want to mess with him again? Taken 2 is the much awaited sequel to 2008 Taken starring Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen. So after rescuing his daughter in Europe, things seem back to normal for Brian Mills (Liam Neeson) and his family. However on the other side of the world, the family of the slain men plot to avenge the murders. One in particular, Murad (Rade Sherbedgia), is pretty pissed about the death of his son. Taken 2 is basically Mills and his family being hunted and kidnapped in Istanbul while on vacation. So now Brian must do all he can to take out the kidnappers and ensure his family's safety.

When I first heard the plot for this movie, I was anticipating because at the time it seemed this sequel would consist of more action, thrills and Liam being a total bad ass again. However Taken 2 was a huge letdown. We did get to see Liam being a bad ass a few times but overall the movie lacked energy and I found myself extremely bored. This was so lazily written, it was like they ran out of ideas while filming. There were a couple scenes I found ridiculous and even the main villain Murad, the man who orchestrated the whole thing, was portrayed very lackluster. The action sequences are nothing to brag about.

Taken 2 basically follows in the same steps as it's predecessor with just a few changes. It is less exciting and not even close as intense as the first film. Otherwise from the main villain, I didn't have any issues with the acting but the screenplay was a huge letdown. An implausible cheap sequel is the perfect words to describe this movie.

Rating: 3.5/10


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Magnolia (1999)
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