Taken 2 is more of the same, except a little bigger, a little dumber, and a little less invigorating. Hard-luck bodyguard Liam Neeson is back in action, this time tracking down his abducted wife in Istanbul in an efficient sequel to the hit Taken. As much as this picture is action driven, its greatest delights are grounded in personality, in the fun of having a protagonist who combines homespun values with velociraptor functionality. So lazily put together that it relies on flashbacks from its predecessor for the majority of its character development.
Megaton . could use some more lessons in directing as he bombs in his strained efforts to recreate Pierre Morels original. Compared to the balletic savagery of the first Taken, what we see here is far less intense, or creative. Still delivers what the fans want to see: Liam Neeson being a total badass. I would have liked more insight into the characters but the heavy doses of action do entertain.
Despite some pretty silly plot holes, this is a relatively entertaining hour and a half. If you lie with dogs, you get fleas; if you go to Europe with Liam Neeson, you get kidnapped. If youre hoping for even a hint here of the originals appeal, allow me to quote the immortal words of Marko from Tropoja: ‘Good luck. ‘Taken 2 shows theres just enough juice in this formula to fuel a solid sequel. Any more Mills family kidnappings, though, and things will quickly descend into farce.