“Taken 2” Movie Review

I haven't watched the first movie installment of “Taken” starring Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, and Maggie Grace, but it will not take me a rocket scientist to know what had happened in the first movie to relate myself with this sequel. “Taken 2” is one of those sequel films that can stand on its own, away from the shadow of the first installment. The events on the first installment of the movie may be taken to give way to the sequel, but of course, we all know that the story of “Taken” has already finished when the movie ended.

And of course, the creative writers of “Taken”, Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen would always look for a possibility of a sequel to their masterpiece—like all writers and screenwriters do! So, “Taken 2” is born!

Liam Neeson reprises his role as Bryan Mills in “Taken 2” and reunites with his “family” Lenore (Famke Janssen) and Kim (Maggie Grace) when all of them had moved on to the events that had happened in Paris, France a year ago. The thrilling action movie might have the same formula as the first “Taken”, I really don't know and I have no idea because I haven't seen the first one. But to tell you honestly, I enjoyed this “Taken 2” movie! The feeling I get in watching a movie is more important to me than liking the artist/s that star/s in it. When I watched the press screening of “Taken 2”, I felt a different kind of excitement as compared to when I watch other action films with the same genre. It's like watching “The Bourne Identity” once again, only this time, it stars Liam Neeson! But the level of my expectations really surpassed that of the Bourne Trilogy series!

I didn't watch the first movie, so I have no comparison of this one, but that map reading scene with Bryan and his daughter, Kim is really fantastic, thrilling, amazing, logical, scientific and makes you gasp for air of excitement. It might have the same formula as the Bourne series—chasing cars, outwitted villains by the protagonist, revenge, lots of explosions and gun firings, abductions, family and love, bloods, lots of them, and location-based settings—but this “Taken 2” movie, I tell you is a lot more different! If you think you've seen all the actions in the Bourne series, well, you haven't seen it all, because I haven't! And trust me on this one! Hahaha!

And oh, I almost forgot, if you are waiting for any sex scenes here... you can't find any! This movie is just pure, unadulterated, no-sex-scene action-thriller-intelligent movie that will surely give you excitement, the thing that action movies should always do! If those adjectives that I have mentioned above were not enough to describe “Taken 2” well, I guess you just have to watch it for yourself and be taken away! Hahaha! I think “Taken 3” will end the story, really! That would be an amazing finale to the series!

“Taken 2” starring Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, and Rade Sherbedgia opens on October 4, 2012 in more than 100 movie theaters, nationwide from 20th Century Fox released by Warner Bros.