Fans of "Taken" will probably enjoy Taken 2. But for me, the guy who sees the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to action movies, was unable to enjoy this film. This was an ugly film. Keep reading to see why.
Taken 2 is nowhere near as good as Taken. While Taken isn't the most inventive action film, it was very enjoyable and had some genuine excitement. This is not the case for Taken 2. Taken 2 takes the "Bourne" approach even more than the first, utilizing the very cliched shaky cam and quick cuts. Quick cuts are even used in slow dialogue scenes, and for no obvious reason. As an editor myself, I believe cuts should be precise, intentional, and purposeful. As I was studying some of the shots in this film, I came to the conclusion that the editors didn't really put much thought into WHY the cuts were being made, other than to make the film faster-paced, and it didn't work. Also, the director overused high-shutter speed cameras to "intensify" fight scenes. This made me dislike the film even more, as this is an extremely overused technique. This film wasn't just bad technically. The writing was poor. A friend I was with even pointed out some contradictions in the dialogue, causing some serious continuity issues. The writers were very sloppy and it is clear the focus of this film was not on the story or the writing, but the action, which is something a film should NEVER do.
I apologize for not being able to find anything good with this film. Taken 2 is a prime example of what I dislike about action films: fast cuts, shaky cam, and high shutter speeds, not to mention, poor writing and dry acting. This film was obviously action-based with weak characters and a very flimsy script. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to go to the movies and literally be in a coma and not use their brain whatsoever. This is easily a candidate for the worst film of the year.
MY RATING:
1 out of 5
-Kevin A. Millward
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