The deck was stacked against it

Rating: 7/10 (6 October 2012)

Developing a worthy sequel to a solid action movie such as the original Taken was never going to be an easy task, if just because of how high the bar had already been set. By that reckoning, Taken 2 has faced an uphill battle from day one.
That said, while I was hoping I'd be able to say it's just as good, sadly that's not the case. Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills still has what it takes, no doubt about that, but Taken 2's plot never really gets off the ground. It's all a little simplistic, not to mention a tad short, and there are a few moments where you find common sense having to take a back seat.
It's not necessarily a bad movie though, by any stretch, and there's still much here to satisfy Liam Neeson fans. The problem is that comparisons between it and the first Taken are inevitable, and even though Taken 2 could have been much worse, it's only ever going to be seen as that disappointing sequel.