Taken 2 Directed by: Olivier Megaton Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Rade Serbedzija Rating: PG-13 Release Date: October 5, 2012
TRAILER SCORE: 8/10
Thoughts by TSR: The original Taken really came out of nowhere. I was shocked by how much I enjoyed it, and I still watch it nearly every time it comes on cable. Just because I liked the first one, however, doesn’t mean I thought a sequel was a good idea. My biggest concern was that it would end up being nothing more than a retread of the first. And you know what? That seems sort of true. The surprising thing is that I don’t care. This trailer succeeded in putting me back in the right mindset for this film. I want to see Liam Neeson taking out all the bad guys, and Taken 2 is going to deliver in spades.
Even if this turns out to be very similar to the first – like, say, The Hangover: Part II – I feel I’ll be much more inclined to like this. The Wolfpack’s escapades are all well and good, but Neeson saying he’s going to do what he does best – and then seeing him do it – is hard to beat. I’m also excited that Rade Serbedzija will be one of the guys foolishly attempting to exact revenge on Neeson’s Bryan Mills.
2012 has been a nice year for Liam Neeson. His performance in The Grey remains one of my favorites and his guest appearance on HBO’s “Life’s Too Short” was very funny. Getting to reprise his role as ultimate badass Bryan Mills is just icing on the cake. I didn’t realize I wanted it, but I’m finding it impossible to resist Taken 2.