The 5 Most Disappointing Movies Of 2012

3. Taken 2 (Dir. Olivier Megaton)

I’m convinced that somewhere amidst the unedited footage for Taken 2, there’s a good film lurking. One with, at least, the spirit of the original in tact – and that means lots and lots of violence. Granted, the original Taken wasn’t a great film, per say. It became a cult hit because it had a somewhat bizarre premise: un-action star Liam Neeson playing an action hero – and doing it with a completely straight face. And it was just kind of glorious to watch it play out. Besides that, Taken played like an unashamed pulp movie and gave its audiences scenes of bloody satisfication, one after the other. Nevermind that it was completely unbelievable… that was all part of the fun. And that’s the point: it was fun.

But Taken 2 doesn’t seem to understand why fans liked the original in the first place – at all. Gone is the knowing tone of the original, replaced here with a movie that actually attempts to take itself seriously. It fails, of course, because Luc Besson films never succeed when they’re going for completely serious. And then, as the more ridiculous ideas pile up, the film just dissolves into the most generic action thriller of the year. Taken 2‘s biggest crime, though, is in its editing. Here’s a flick that has completely lost its identity trying to scrape a few extra bucks at the box office. The fights are rendered incomprensible, and gone is the blunt violence that gave the first film such a satisfying punch.

The real Taken 2 will emerge on DVD, presumably: only then will we see if there’s a good time to be had with this dull excuse for a thrill-ride.

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