Not as good as the first but still packs a punch!

Rating: 7/10 (16 October 2012)

Lets get one thing straight first... TAKEN kicked ass! it was an unexpected powerhouse of a movie, with awesome fight scenes an a bad-ass lead character!
TAKEN 2 has to hold that weight on it's shoulder, everyone is expecting this to be as good if not better..and in my opinion it just falls short of expectation!
Don't get me wrong, it's actually a really good movie, but i couldn't help thinking something was missing.
Positives: Liam Neeson kicks ass once again as Bryan Mills this time though it's he himself and his wife (the gorgeous Famke Janssen) that are 'taken' and daughter Kim is left to fend for herself. Maggie Grace is believable as the hardened version of the girl we met in the first movie, although still young she seems determined for the same thing that happened to her, to not happen again to her parents. The action is slick, and Neeson is as cool as in the first film. A particular car chase towards the end of the movie is worth pointing out as being pretty impressive.
Negatives: Try as they may, the whole film does have a 'seen it all before' feel to it. The plot is too similar to the first film, and at no point did i genuinely believe Mills or his wife were in any REAL danger. Some of the decisions made by the characters are ridiculous, and left me screaming at the screen "Why the hell did he do that, is he an idiot!" You'll understand what i mean when you see it! and the final thing that many reviewers have picked up on is the corniness of some of the dialogue. but i'm not going to dwell on that too much as i believe this is where the film actually shows a more humorous side and in a way i enjoyed it!
So overall i'd say this is definitely worth seeing whether you've seen the first movie or not. My only advice would be, don't go into the theatre with your expectations too high.. Just enjoy it for what it is.