Review: Taken 2

Review: Taken 2
*Spoilers Alert
 Do NOT forget to rate this post when you finish.

Official 'Taken 2' Poster.

      Though many speculated and doubted the success of "Taken 2", since the first one was a really good film, "Taken 2"did not disappoint, and actually that surprised me very much.

"Liam Neeson".

"Maggie Grace".

      After the events of 'Taken', 'Bryan Mills'(Liam Neeson) and
Kim Mills'(Maggie Grace) are trying to move on with the their lives and trying to forget the events that occurred in 'Taken'. However, in Albania, the relatives of the kidnappers ,whom 'Bryan' killed in 'Taken' while saving his daughter, are searching for 'Bryan' so that they can avenge their loved ones, led by 'Murad'(Rade Šerbedžija) , father of one of the dead criminals called 'Marko'. After 'Kim' and her mother 'Lenore'(Famke Janssen), who is having relationship problems with her husband, follow 'Bryan' to Istanbul , the supposedly family trip turns into another nightmare for this family. But this time around it's 'Kim' who has to save her parents.

"Famke Janssen" and
"Liam Neeson".

"Liam Neeson".

      After the success of 'Taken', it was obvious that a sequel would be made. Many of the critics were skeptical about the success of the film. 'Taken 2' for me was an evolution to the first one. The writers did a great job with the script. Yes there were many elements similar to the first one, but for me the writers were able to make 'Taken ' special movie and take it to the next level. Futhermore, I liked that they played with the viewers at some point with who should we feel sorry to : the 'villains' who lost their loved ones, or the 'good guy' who is being punished for saving his daughter. The director "Olivier Megaton", who directed previous action movies such as 'Transporter 3' and 'Colombiana', did a great job continuing with the somehow serious, action and sometimes comedic tones.  

"Maggie Grace" and "Liam Neeson".

"Liam Neeson".

      The opening scene was a good way to link with the first film and at the same time letting the viewers know what is sort of going to happen. Liked that they chose 'Turkey' as the place where the story takes place. I liked that they showed us a little bit of how the characters moved on from the first movie, but was not fond of the emphases on 'Kim'(Maggie) inability to drive properly, since I thought it was somehow like a ‘cliché’ and how she was able later on to drive quite well. Don’t get me wrong, the chase scene for me was really good and I enjoyed it very much. The capturing scene and the way 'Bryan'(Liam) was able to help 'Kim'(Maggie). The fact that they showed us what 'Kim' can do and that they involved 'Lenore'(Famke) into the story, was a positive thing. And hopefully they will get even more scenes in the future installment(s) of this franchise. The scenes at the end were good but not that great.

"Maggie Grace".

"Liam Neeson".

      Moving on to the cast, "Liam Neeson" is for me a great action star. Although his age does not help, but that never stands in his way of playing his demanding roles. He has been on numerous films ; however,  to see a  successful franchise lead by him is really good.And his portrayal of 'Bryan' is really good. "Maggie Grace" is one of my favorite actresses. Though she never gets too much roles, her portrayal of 'Kim' and the way she shows her to us is really commendable. I enjoyed seeing "Famke Janssen"'s character having more screen time, and hopefully in future installment(s) she will get more action stunts and scenes to do."Rade Šerbedžija" did a great job showing us the other side's pain ,when they loose their loved ones, and the other actors who portrayed the 'evil men' did a solid job. I would have liked to see more of 'Kim''s boyfriend 'Jaime', played by "Luke Grimes", and hopefully we will see more of him and "Sam"(Leland Orser). 

      In the end, 'Taken 2' is a good action movie. An action movie, that was able to bring something new and I am sure that 'Taken 3' will bring something new to the table.

'Taken 2' Poster.

-'Taken 2' Info:

-Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Rade Šerbedžija, Leland Orser, John Gries, D.B. Sweeney, Luke Grimes, and Kevork Malikyan.

-Studio(s): EuropaCorp, Canal +, M6 Films, and 20th Century Fox.

-Directed by: Olivier Megaton.
-Written by: Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen.
-Music by: Nathaniel Mechaly.

-Running Time: 91 minutes.

-Budget: $ 45,000,000.

-Box Office: -Domestic(US): $ 139,854,287.

                   -Foreign: $ 236,287,019.

-Ratings: -IMdb: 6.3/10.

               -Rotten Tomatoes: 58%.

               -Metacritic: 50%.

               -PERSONAL RATING: 7.5/10.

-'Taken 2' Trailer: