Taken 2 couldn't live up to high expectations

Rating: 6/10 (4 October 2012)

A few years ago I got invited to a press screening of Taken, and all I was told about it was that it starred Liam Neeson. Expecting some sort of sophisticated drama about Politics or World War II, imagine my surprise when Taken turned out to be one of my favourite action films of all time, a no-nonsense film that was relentlessly violent and explosive, whilst also featuring the most hilarious one-liners since Arnie starred in Commando (Google it if you haven't seen it!).
Well now we have Taken 2, where retired CIA agent Bryan Mills (Neeson) finds himself on a break in Istanbul with his ex-wife and daughter, unaware that he's being watched by a gang of Albanians, led by the father of a nameless henchman killed in the first film (a weak but plausible basis for the film I guess). As you can guess by the title, somebody gets taken, only this time it's Mills and his wife who are kidnapped, leaving their young daughter Grace as the only one who can help them....
Well this film didn't live up to the expectations I had, for starters it has a lower age rating, meaning that the violence (and main attraction) of the first film is gone. Secondly, the plot felt tiresome, there was no originality to it, no memorable one-liners or moments of brilliance that made it stand out as a great action film, e.g the final, major fight features 6 foot plus Neeson taking on....an overweight Albanian man who can barely move around, which just sums up the laziness of the film. Yes, the film does feature some moments of tension, and the story moves swiftly enough to always keep your attention focused, as a stand alone film I would say it's decent, but as a comparison to it's great predecessor, it's a disappointment.
6/10