Instead, the filmmakers make an all-too-common sequel mistake by thinking that if they flip-flop the structure of the first one, the second one will seem completely different, even though it’s the exact same movie. Grace’s teenager role, for which she’s far too old and embarrassingly cast, should have been written out completely. More important to the filmmakers than showcasing the badass talents of Neeson, whose action hero status was solidified by the 2009 original, is developing the silly character of Kim. Lazily written by producer Luc Besson and his frequent co-writer Robert Mark Kamen, incoherently directed by Olivier Megaton ( Colombiana), and laden with no end of silly plot elements, this is among the most unnecessary action movies in recent memory. In terms of lackluster Hollywood sequels, Taken 2 is on par with Die Hard 2: Die Harder as one of the worst. Maybe the special set of skills attributed to her ex-CIA father Bryan (Liam Neeson) were somehow passed down between films.
At one point, she quickly learns to drive better than Stuntman Mike behind the wheel of a local taxi, and on a stick shift no less, navigating narrow streets and dodging pedestrians better than Popeye Doyle did in The French Connection. Do you think she might gain some experience during a family vacation in Istanbul, where her father and mother are suddenly kidnapped by the revenge-bent family of the sex trafficking criminals who kidnapped her in Taken? She just might. Alas, Kim is having some trouble with the parallel parking section of the driver’s test. She failed the exam twice, but she’s unconcerned at the moment because her cool new boyfriend has a car. Kelly Iverson is a sophomore in journalism and mass communications.Taken 2‘s audience goes on a very special journey in which 17-year-old Kim, played by 29-year-old actress Maggie Grace, finally gets her driver’s license.
Year of taken 2 movie movie#
The love story subplot was one I could do without, but other than that, the movie was overall, pretty good. Especially in the beginning, when I was waiting for someone to get kidnapped, I could not help but be nervous for the entire family. I knew everything would be okay throughout the entire film, but I was still on the edge of my seat. The action scenes with Neeson are ones that I personally cannot get enough of. The tables are turned as she navigates through the foreign town to help her father.Īlthough “Taken 2” does not live up to the original, it is definitely worth seeing. This gives Bryan the upper hand, because Kim is now available to help save her dad. After kidnapping Bryan and Lenore, the two are taken to a torture chamber, tied up and left to wait while the rest of the kidnappers search for Kim.īut Bryan has already informed Kim that they are on their way to kidnap her. As the three get settled in a luxurious hotel, the head of the Albanians, Murad (Rade Šerbedžija), puts his plan into motion. Little did he know, the Albanian family members of the men he had killed in Paris in the first movie were devising their own plan of revenge on him and his entire family. He invites her and his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) on what he thought would be a nice vacation for the three and a break from all of the drama at home. The movie starts off with the divorce of his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen), which gets the romantic theme of the film rolling with the inclination that Bryan will get back together with her. Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) brings his previous ass-kicking ways back to the big screen just in time, as always, to save not only his daughter but his wife and, consequently, himself.
It was a thriller that got me anxious just with the opening credits. So, in the sense that it is a sequel, it was a bit of a let-down however, that does not mean it was bad. Everyone who is going to see “Taken 2” is going to compare it to the first one.