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ABDUCTION (2011)Movie Reviews
Action drama about a man who discovers that his parents are not his own and his life has been carefully fabricated to hide something mysterious and dangerous. Cast:Taylor Lautner, Sigourney Weaver, Alfred Molina, Antonique Smith, Maria Bello, Lily CollinsDirector:John SingletonRelease Date:September 23, 2011DVD Release:January 17, 2012From:LionsgateRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 46 min.
Abduction (2011) played to poor reviews. • Katey Rich wrote for Cinema Blend, "...a star vehicle without a star to guide it, a by-the-numbers action plot that's supposed to allow Taylor Lautner to show us what he can do." • And Andrew O'Hehir wrote for Salon, "...a fourth-rate Hollywood thriller... entirely bereft of suspense or excitement and features a leading man who absolutely, positively cannot act." More Reviews Below...
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "...a cynical movie, with little in mind other than a showcase for a very popular, young actor.... the plot is increasingly absurd and the dialogue often comically poor."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 641 words, 09/22/11
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...less a movie than a piece of engineering, a cat-and-mouse blowout... Lautner's far from a bad actor, but if he wants a career after the 'Twilight' fades, he'll pick better films."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 223 words, 09/30/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: WEAK(cg) "The biggest mystery is the involvement of 'Boyz n the Hood' director John Singleton and talented actors like Jason Isaacs, Maria Bello, Alfred Molina and Sigourney Weaver."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 376 words, 09/23/11
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: POOR(cg) "There are laughs to be had, although none of them are intentional.... the storyline is shit. It's not silly or campy or deliciously over-the-top. It's mind numbingly awful."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,026 words, 09/24/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: POOR "...a sloppy, exploitative act of star worship created (if that's the right word for cynical hackwork) around Mr. Lautner, the pouty heartthrob of the 'Twilight' franchise."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 452 words, 09/23/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "...a ridiculously cheesy confection filled with unthrilling thrills, bored-looking adults and a comically overstuffed backstory."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 436 words, 09/23/11
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...it's impossible to see why director John Singleton signed on for this particular job-for-hire unless he's trying to make a subversive case for Team Edward."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 516 words, 09/23/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: POOR(cg) "Actual abduction may be preferable... Taylor Lautner proves again he has the acting chops of Bert from 'Sesame Street'... a junior-varsity 'Bourne Identity'..."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 445 words, 09/23/11
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "Lautner gets to show off his martial-arts training (and his kissing skills), but his torso is the meatiest thing about this skeleton-thin action flick."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 346 words, 09/24/11
Logan Hill, New York Magazine: POOR "...miserable... The sloppy action sequences and unoriginal fight scenes wouldn't be such a problem if Lautner could emote... The plot is nonsense..."(See all of Logan Hill's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 401 words, 09/23/11
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: POOR(cg) "Somebody made off with the plot and replaced it with a laughably predictable PG baby spy drama riddled with flat dialogue and aimed squarely at teen girls and their wallets."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 474 words, 09/23/11
Ben Mercer, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...a blockhead espionage thriller... Most of this takes place in and around Pittsburgh, and none of it has anything to do with abduction."(See all of Ben Mercer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 249 words, 09/28/11
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: POOR(cg) "...the movie is inept, the least competent effort in the uneven career of director John Singleton ('Boyz n the Hood,' '2 Fast 2 Furious')..."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 601 words, 09/23/11
Josep Parera, La Opinion: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "En manos del siempre mediocre John Singleton 'Abduction' nunca va más allá de la apariencia de un episodio de cualquier serie de televisión."(See all of Josep Parera's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 675 words, 09/23/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: MODERATE(cg) "Lautner doesn't embarrass himself. He may not play the tender moments like an old pro, but then again, neither have Arnold, Sly or Jason Statham."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 475 words, 09/23/11
Tom Russo, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "Also undergoing some Hollywood beta testing is Swedish star Michael Nyqvist (the 'Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' trilogy), semi-effectively cast here as a Serbian nasty..."(See all of Tom Russo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 423 words, 09/24/11
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...actor Lautner wouldn't even make a decent video-game avatar, and the script has more than a few holes and howlers. But the direction is excellent..."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 09/23/11
Ben Mercer, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...a blockhead espionage thriller... Most of this takes place in and around Pittsburgh, and none of it has anything to do with abduction."(See all of Ben Mercer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 249 words, 09/28/11
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: POOR(cg) "...a star vehicle without a star to guide it, a by-the-numbers action plot that's supposed to allow Taylor Lautner to show us what he can do."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 596 words, 09/23/11
R. Kurt Osenlund, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "This kid can't carry a movie anymore than Abigail Breslin can carry a refrigerator. He's got the look, yes, but even close-ups on that face are cause for laughs."(See all of R. Kurt Osenlund's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 875 words, 09/22/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: POOR(cg) "That's just the way it is when you're as awesome as Taylor Lautner, so you can be jealous if you want. But you'll never be as awesome as him."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 878 words, 09/20/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: POOR "...a sloppy, exploitative act of star worship created (if that's the right word for cynical hackwork) around Mr. Lautner, the pouty heartthrob of the 'Twilight' franchise."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 452 words, 09/23/11
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...it's impossible to see why director John Singleton signed on for this particular job-for-hire unless he's trying to make a subversive case for Team Edward."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 516 words, 09/23/11
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: POOR "...a fourth-rate Hollywood thriller... entirely bereft of suspense or excitement and features a leading man who absolutely, positively cannot act."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 583 words, 09/23/11
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: WEAK "...has a decent sense of propulsion but, after a faintly intriguing start, the convoluted plot mechanics overwhelm everything else... it all feels like much ado about not much."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 842 words, 09/22/11
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...it's impossible to see why director John Singleton signed on for this particular job-for-hire unless he's trying to make a subversive case for Team Edward."(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 516 words, 09/23/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: POOR "...a sloppy, exploitative act of star worship created (if that's the right word for cynical hackwork) around Mr. Lautner, the pouty heartthrob of the 'Twilight' franchise."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 452 words, 09/23/11
18.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Abduction (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 18.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Abduction (2011) (29 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Abduction (2011)'s reviews cover 39.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 15,056 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 519 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 30.1 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Abduction (2011)'s reviews on average broke 30.1 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Abduction (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Abduction (2011) (29 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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