Taken 2 seeks for vengeance by succumbing to sheer unnecessary stupidity.

Rating: 4/10 (6 July 2019)

Paris was a no go. Istanbul was next! Eventually, Bryan Mills will end European tourism. Any successful film just cannot be left alone these days. Sequels, prequels and remakes must be made in order to capitalise on the monetary gains of a surprise hit. "Taken 2: Taking your Money". Yet, in doing so, the excellence of the original is tarnished. Ding ding! We have a prime example of that here. Whilst the story actually has purpose and could've made for a decent sequel, Megaton unfortunately turns it into a nauseous nightmarish holiday. Mega time! The Mills clan journey out to Istanbul where they encounter the family members of the sex traffickers who Bryan killed back in Paris.
A semi-realistic revenge driven plot that is conversely driven by unrealistic methods that left me doubting Bryan's legitimacy. Being hunted down within the sprawling streets and bizarres of Istanbul? Exciting. Driving recklessly (without a licence!) smashing into cars and public property without any consequences from policing forces? Encouraging 'Grand Theft Auto' silliness. However, what really tickles my custard cream biscuit, is the "innovative" use of grenades. Listen. I'm all for finding new ways to locate someone's whereabouts. But throwing grenades in the middle of the bloody day out of a hotel window is not the way to do so. Forget about the eye-rolling "Kim, me and your mother are about to be taken" phone call. There's enough explosive nonsense in those grenades to start an international conflict!
Although you may not make it to that point with Megaton switching the camera angle between every spoken word. Seriously! It's headache inducing. Neeson, whilst not as dominating unlike in the original, still gives a commanding fun performance. Grace's character gains a much welcomed mature performance, but Janssen does nothing more than play the one-dimensional damsel in distress role. Once the shenanigans cease, they all enjoy ice cream at a gloriously sunny beach to the pounding beat of Alex Clare's "Too Close". Pretty much sums up this film!