Taken 2
- Director: Olivier Megaton
- Genre: Action, Drama
- Cert: 12A
- Details: France/ 91 mins
In 2008, Taken came out of absolutely nowhere to become a cult favourite, and make an action star out of Oskar Schindler. On a budget of $25 million, and making over $225 million in the box office, a sequel was inevitable. And so here it is, with a severely inflated budget ($80 million), but also a severely watered down certificate (12a's compared to the uncut original's 18s), as well as an interesting twist on the original's premise; this time it is Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) and his no-longer-estranged ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) who get taken, and it is up to their daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) to save the day. The villains are also not just bland, faceless bad-guys; they are the fathers, brothers and sons of all the men Bryan killed while trying to retrieve his daughter the first time around. But all of this potential is wasted in a massively dull action film that has clearly had its teeth pulled out.
A big part of the appeal of the first Taken was its ruthlessness; the way Mills tore around Europe absolutely destroying anyone and anything that stood in his way. The vicious nature of the movie gave us a giddy thrill, and most of those rough edges have been taken away for the sequel. The fight sequences are shot and edited with that close up shaky cam look that makes it impossible to fully understand what's going on, and the same goes for a prolonged car-chase that never really feels like it gets out of first gear. Most of the violence seems to have been edited out too, which will probably end up being on the uncut DVD release, but here it just causes confusion, as we see bad guys die from a single punch, instead of getting to see the big steel rod they were obviously impaled on.
There is some fun to be had in a scene where Bryan tries to find his daughter's location with the use of a map, a shoelace and a bunch of grenades, and it's always fun to watch the now 61 year old Neeson kick ass, but all in all, it's obvious that all of the stuff we loved about Taken got taken away for the sake of making more money this time around. Very disappointing.
Review by Rory Cashin | 08:45 | Friday 5th October 2012 | Movie Review
PreviousUntouchableComments
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DoubleLetter
I started reading. Came to the part that mentioned the watered down certificate of 12a. Yet, at the top the Cert:15a. Hmm. This kind of inconsistency makes me not trust the reviewer.
Posted 17:25 | Fri 28th Sep 2012 -
FilmBuff76
Taken 2 was reduced from a 15A to a 12A on appeal in Ireland. The film was cut in the UK to get a 12A there, so 20th Century Fox wanted a 12A here as well (we end up with the same cut version too). A really, really dumb thing to do. I had high hopes for this film, but once I saw that it had been dumbed-down for children I knew it would be a sell-out. I mean seriously... 12A?
Posted 10:41 | Sat 29th Sep 2012 -
Fozz
Yea folks...wait for the uncut Bluray but even at that this was always gonna be a cheap cash-in.
Posted 09:34 | Mon 1st Oct 2012 -
DoubleLetter
I work in a cinema. I can tell you more adults go to the cinema then children (an adult ticket is age 15+). They will not make more money with a 12a cert. Not only that, this film already has it's Market set out - those who have seen Taken.
Posted 12:09 | Tue 2nd Oct 2012 -
DoubleLetter
Oh and to add, my manager has seen it and said its horrendous :(
Posted 17:02 | Wed 3rd Oct 2012 -
spikeprint
Given that entertainment.ie gave the first Taken 2 stars I'll reserve judgement until I see it.
Posted 22:20 | Wed 3rd Oct 2012 -
DoubleLetter
^ It is a 2 star film though, when your observing it by film standards. However, Taken is so cheesy, exciting and enjoyable that it was a huge crowd pleaser. It did not need a sequel though.
Posted 17:45 | Thu 4th Oct 2012 -
FilmBuff76
Saw Taken 2 this evening and thought it was mediocre. It's clearly a compromised work - Neeson sneaks up behind a baddie and strangles him with a chain, but it all happens very quickly and there's a flashcut to hide any struggling and suffering - a sure enough restriction of the 12A cert. Also, punches and gunfire have been toned down as well. It's not a film for children in the first place, so why tone it down for them?
Posted 22:10 | Thu 4th Oct 2012 -
Sara
why does it have to be really violent anyway! Im going to see it as i enjoyed the first one but just as a bit of action it's hardly a throught provoking high brow film it is what it is and so what if it's not 15 i can't believe people are moaning about it being 12a use your imagination!
Posted 10:49 | Fri 5th Oct 2012 -
Shel
If we wanted to use our imaginations we wouldn't go to see a movie?
Posted 23:22 | Fri 5th Oct 2012 -
FilmBuff76
The first Taken was violent, so I expected the sequel to follow in the same vein. Dumbing it down for kids is just plain stupid. Some people, including myself, laughed when the 12A cert came up.
Posted 14:28 | Sat 6th Oct 2012 -
shadow4798
People were probably laughing because of the "on appeal" part under the cert, which really stood out as odd and only served to draw attention to itself. Our showing had a similar reaction. The movie was ok, and more enjoyable than a lot of 1 and a half star films, but you probably won't get the same thing out of it that you got from the first movie. All in all, not a complete waste of time.
Posted 14:23 | Sun 7th Oct 2012 -
DoubleLetter
I'm with the pro-violence group here. I am sick of films being diluted for a younger audience. I am an adult and like to see adult images/themes in films... I wonder if they would ever release two verions (like they do with 3D and 2D) where one is 18s and then one is 12a's (the 12a being a very strict cut version obviously).
Posted 13:50 | Mon 8th Oct 2012 -
FilmBuff76
The "two different versions" theory was tested out in the UK a few years ago with Bruno. It got an 18 there, with cinemas reporting that many teenagers were trying to get into it. The studio responded by cutting the film and having a 15 version in cinemas at the same time as the 18 version. It would make a lot of sense, as tampering with the director's vision is not good.
Posted 00:06 | Tue 9th Oct 2012 -
dixychick
I really enjoyed this movie. The first one was great and this wasnt the same standard but I still enjoyed it. Worth a trip!
Posted 14:50 | Tue 9th Oct 2012 -
Slicker
Go see in the cinema - hugely satisfying actioner was what I saw...these high faluttin "critic's" reviews are too cerebral - bear in mind the regular guy who wants a more neanderthal thrill :)
Posted 19:23 | Tue 9th Oct 2012 -
mikecoughlan
This is a real colour by numbers film. By that I mean that the story and the characters are the same, all we have to do this time round is paint over the numbers. Liam Nesson reminds us again, as if we needed reminding, that the world is not a safe place. He has me convinced of that one anyway. . His daughter Kim is still scared, but she needs to focus, how many times do you have to tell this girl. At least his wife seems a bit more reasonable this time round. She knows now that you just do not get on a plane and go somewhere for a relaxing holiday without being kidnapped by the most dangerous race of people on the planet. I wonder what the Albanian tourist board think about the whole thing, but I can tell them one thing, no amount of dancing girls and beautiful scenery is going to persuade me that the next time I meet someone from Albanian, that I should'nt do anything other than stick a frock in their forehead. Having said all that there is not a lot new in this film, apart from Kim having a boyfriend this time round. We see very little of him, but he turns up at the end eating a chocolate sunday. He needs to be told that the world is nothing like a chocolate sunday.
Posted 10:25 | Sun 14th Oct 2012 -
Shiftybiscuits
This film deserves more than one and a half stars, don't let this review put you off. If you like action films and you liked the first one, you probably will like Taken 2. It's not as good as the first movie but sequels rarely are!
Posted 13:38 | Sun 14th Oct 2012 -
Tomboy
I really enjoyed the first movie and was really looking forward to the follow up, alas the story is very similar. Liam Neeson has more lives than a cat , he just can not be killed, so if you like exagerated action ( James Bond Style ) then this is the movie for you.
Posted 15:48 | Mon 15th Oct 2012 -
Adnan Ch
please frnds tell me this movie password . i download this movie by u turnt .i want play this movie but notification appear on screen this Taken 2 (2012)dvdrip xvid'...this password protected? please help me..
Posted 08:22 | Thu 18th Oct 2012 -
olivia glynn
I am going to see it for my birthday i kudt want to know how goodit is out of 10
Posted 20:37 | Sat 20th Oct 2012 -
DoubleLetter
Adnan Ch your a gobs**te.
Posted 18:54 | Thu 25th Oct 2012 -
sceptical
Apparently the largest cause of death for Albanian males aged 18 - 35 is now Liam Neeson.
Posted 13:32 | Sun 4th Nov 2012
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