They'll be coming for you again...and again...and again...

Rating: Null/10 (6 November 2012)

It has become painfully clear that the powers that be, i.e. the money behind movies, have gained entirely too much control over the creative process, otherwise how can we explain the constant stream of prequels and sequels which have of late occupied the big screen over the past few years? I get tired of repeating this constant theme...I truly sound like a broken record with this!
A few years ago when I saw the original "Taken", I left the theatre thoroughly satisfied by the experience I had watching Liam Neeson kick ass and take no prisoners, in what was a cool, hip and to my mind, old fashioned thriller which reminded me of movies like "Bullit", the Dirty Harry movies, and the "Death Wish" franchise. Besides, it didn't have CGI effects or any other distracting bells and whistles! It made a strong case for revenge, and though it is not in my nature to enjoy revenge or encourage it as a course of action, I found myself cheering alongside my fellow audience members as we watched Neeson dispatch the baddies with such ruthless efficiency. After all how could I not, watching a father exact vengeance upon those who hurt his daughter! Seeing him dismantle a ring of human smugglers, was pure awesomeness!!! The movie ended on a perfect note! The necessity of a sequel was at least to my mind mercifully excluded.
Cue a few years later and an itch to squeeze a few more bucks out of a movie which should have been left alone...and voilà we have "Taken 2", another thoroughly unnecessary sequel. Thankfully just as other reviewers have already pointed out, the movie is not nearly as bad as it could have been. Neeson remains in form and is still good to see him in action, that is probably because this movie rests on his shoulders. In fact he is the only reason this movie remains even tolerable. Otherwise, "Taken 2", is in every way a step down from the first movie. The action is sluggish, the plot is convoluted and oftentimes the entire premise of the movie is preposterous! The script in this case seems to have been an afterthought...kind of tacked on later...it is virtually the same storyline from the first movie (this has to be the unluckiest family ever!), just add the wife, revenge-seeking relatives of the baddies from the first instalment, substitute Paris for Istanbul, and you got yourself a movie! The cast is weak and pretty much window-dressing since they are not given much to do. The storyline is ridiculous and at times it borders on being plain stupid! The acting here is non-existent, while Famke Jansen and Maggie Grace are completely wasted here, except being relegated to filling up the required spaces of a fragile accessory and an annoying side-kick.
As I said before, "Taken 2" is not as bad as I thought it would be, but I cannot recommend it as a must-see or anything of the kind. Don't waste your money on this one...
PS As a side note, this movie does not paint a very positive portrait of Albanians...also, apparently all bad guys nowadays come from the same place...Trebuje!