STAR CAST- Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace
DIRECTED BY- Olivier Megaton
I enjoyed the film Taken mainly because of Liam Neeson's solid performance, which added deepness to the screenplay because of his conviction and intensity (I will refrain from mentioning that the TV series 24 was quite popular in that time, and Neeson basically played Jack Bauer, but on the big screen). Now, 4 years later, we have Taken 2, which unfortunately is a pathetic action film with an incredibly weak screenplay, insipid direction and some of the most boring action scenes I have seen in the last years.
Neeson made his best effort in rescuing Taken 2, bringing the seriousness and conviction from an authentic professional actor who trusts in the screenplay...or at least pretends to. For the rest, the film is a collection of forced domestic melodrama (Kim couldn't obtain her driving license; Bryan distrusts of Kim's new boyfriend; Lennie has problems with her new husband; etc.) and confusing action scenes completely lacking of any energy and impact. I was almost falling asleep during the car chase through the narrow streets of Istambul; and the fights are edited into micro-shots of less than a second, and as a consequence, it was very difficult to notice what was happening.
But the worst thing of all is that Taken 2 retroactively harms Taken, because the villains are so inept that they make us doubt about the hero's ability. He was maybe just lucky of finding a gang of idiots who leave him alone during long periods of time in order to give him the opportunity to escape; kindly allow him to make phone calls while they are having him held at gunpoint; and start to endlessly make a monologue when they should be having the revenge they enjoy mentioning so much. As for the violence, Taken 2 is strictly PG-13 material; the main character employs magic bullets which always hit the spot, but without shedding a single drop of blood; on the opposite, the villains employ bullets which inoffensively dissolve through the air, or at most, only work on walls.
In conclusion, Taken 2 is an unbearable film, whose 90 minutes feel like 180 because of the poor screenplay and director Olivier Megaton's laziness. I liked his previous film (Colombiana), but he fell so low in Taken 2 that it will be difficult to have any enthusiasm in his future films. In other words, save your time and your money, and don't watch Taken 2. I just hope that this piece of junk isn't economically successful, and we won't have a third part, in which Neeson will have to look for the cup of coffee he accidentally left on his car's roof. After Taken 2, I think any foolishness would be viable for producer Luc Besson.
Neeson made his best effort in rescuing Taken 2, bringing the seriousness and conviction from an authentic professional actor who trusts in the screenplay...or at least pretends to. For the rest, the film is a collection of forced domestic melodrama (Kim couldn't obtain her driving license; Bryan distrusts of Kim's new boyfriend; Lennie has problems with her new husband; etc.) and confusing action scenes completely lacking of any energy and impact. I was almost falling asleep during the car chase through the narrow streets of Istambul; and the fights are edited into micro-shots of less than a second, and as a consequence, it was very difficult to notice what was happening.
But the worst thing of all is that Taken 2 retroactively harms Taken, because the villains are so inept that they make us doubt about the hero's ability. He was maybe just lucky of finding a gang of idiots who leave him alone during long periods of time in order to give him the opportunity to escape; kindly allow him to make phone calls while they are having him held at gunpoint; and start to endlessly make a monologue when they should be having the revenge they enjoy mentioning so much. As for the violence, Taken 2 is strictly PG-13 material; the main character employs magic bullets which always hit the spot, but without shedding a single drop of blood; on the opposite, the villains employ bullets which inoffensively dissolve through the air, or at most, only work on walls.
In conclusion, Taken 2 is an unbearable film, whose 90 minutes feel like 180 because of the poor screenplay and director Olivier Megaton's laziness. I liked his previous film (Colombiana), but he fell so low in Taken 2 that it will be difficult to have any enthusiasm in his future films. In other words, save your time and your money, and don't watch Taken 2. I just hope that this piece of junk isn't economically successful, and we won't have a third part, in which Neeson will have to look for the cup of coffee he accidentally left on his car's roof. After Taken 2, I think any foolishness would be viable for producer Luc Besson.
Don't waste your money at the cinemas Wait till its on DVD
MY RATING
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