Movie Review: Taken 2 - Liam Neeson

You had me at "Taken"...then lost me at "Taken 2."

While I don't normally review movies, this one just screams "review me." And I think it's because it's earned over 50mil. to date, and I can't figure that out. (some books are like that too.  You scratch your head and can't figure out why the heck its sold millions of copies, but you are still happy for the author, at least I am. :-)  (this is not really a review, more like WTH?)

My two daughters wanted to do movie night, and suggested Taken 2, because Taken (first movie) was really good, so this one should be too, right? Wrong.

We make the 8pm movie, and had to sit in the very front row because all the seats were taken. (no pun intended here.)  I couldn't handle my neck looking up at the big arse screen so we decided to go back to the ticket counter and beg for the next showing instead.   I should've known this was a bad omen.

From the very beginning of the movie to the very end, you knew exactly what was going to happen.  There were no surprises.  There were no thrills.  There really wasn't any suspense either. The acting was so-so. (Sorry, Liam.)

While I love Liam, and his sexy accent, it just didn't feel like he was into his character.
The scenes were unrealistic (more than usual) and I kept thinking in my head. "Are you serious?" and "Did he just say that?"  Really?

I'm not even sure if the writers were the same from Taken #1, but if they are, they must've been rushed into getting out another script. I hope they learned a hard lesson. 

Don't rush. Get it right.

And that writing friends can apply to all of us, including myself.  We often want our books out there NOW, and so we self-publish or accept contracts that are horrible. Well, before you self-publish please make sure you have at least 3 readers who are great at grammar (my critique buddies will tell you I suck at comma's), plot, characters, & overall story arc.  If you don't get help like this, you'll end up putting out a not-so-polished book (or movie like Taken 2), and no one will buy the next one. 

And if you accept the first contract that comes along without asking your friends in the publishing biz, then you might get stuck with the publisher from hell for a long time or forever. (Check out Savvy Authors.com they have loads of info) And remember, don't rush a good thing.  Get it right.

I hope the next movie I see Liam in, he's much more into his character, and that his movie is not just a 50 mil. hit, but it's good movie too. :-)

So what is Taken 2 about you ask...Well, it's basically about an Ex-CIA agent protecting his family from bad guys out for revenge. 

However, just like good and bad books, we all have different taste. You might love Taken 2. You might think its the best movie ever.  I hope you do if you spend your money to see it. :-) 

And on the upside. I enjoyed being with my kiddo's, and I enjoyed eating popcorn mixed with plain (no peanuts) M&M's.  (if you haven't tried it, don't knock it.) LOL.

Have a wonderful day,
Dawn Chartier