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TAKEN 2Movie Reviews
Action thriller about a retired CIA agent who must free himself and his wife when they are taken hostage by the father of a kidnapper he killed while rescuing his daughter two years earlier. Cast:Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Rade Sherbedgia, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, Luke Grimes, D.B. SweeneyDirector:Olivier MegatonRelease Date:October 5, 2012DVD Release:January 15, 2013From:20th Century FoxRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 31 min
Taken 2 played to fair reviews. • Ann Hornaday wrote in the Washington Post, "...a sequel every bit as clumsy, ham-handed, outlandish and laughable as the original was sleek, tough and efficient... sometimes lightning should stay in the bottle." • And Soren Andersen wrote in the Seattle Times, "...a compact, relentless thriller." More Reviews Below...
Taken 2 Positive Reviews (46 Reviews, reviews below)
Richard Corliss, Time: MODERATE "Megaton's direction aspires to the power and noise of an atomic blast. 'Taken 2' doesn't quite get there... somehow Neeson makes the ridiculous plausible."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 999 words, 10/05/12
David Germain, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "...a mix of third-rate action, dreary family melodrama, laughable bad guys and even more laughable plot devices... a quick, crappy replay of the original..."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 506 words, 10/04/12
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...simultaneously silly, nasty, a lazy festival of stereotypes, and a cleverly made piece of merchandise -- i.e., it's the devil we know."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 407 words, 10/05/12
Scott Bowles, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...bereft of much suspense or tension... a rehash of the original. Fortunately, they're leftovers from a fine first course."(See all of Scott Bowles's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 483 words, 10/05/12
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: VERY GOOD(cg) "...slick, professional action... The cast is uniformly capable and dead serious, and if you're buying what Luc Besson is selling, he's not short-changing you."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 603 words, 10/05/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: WEAK "...a nonstop car and foot chase, with Albanian after Albanian falling victim to Bryan's remarkable aim and hand-fighting skills. Foreigners bad, Americans good..."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 203 words, 10/05/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...has a plot that could have been written by a GPS program, and contains all the technical charm that conjures up.... Neeson can still make these paycheck roles fun..."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 369 words, 10/05/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...more a remake than a sequel.... Neeson's empathetic performing skills put him in a different category than the usual suspects for this kind of a part."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 757 words, 10/05/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: WEAK(cg) "...there was novelty value in seeing an actor with Neeson's gravitas turning mad action hero. But Neeson's done it several times since, with diminishing returns..."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 437 words, 10/05/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: POOR(cg) "...much lousier than need be... its action sequences look as if they were put together by someone who doesn't know what he's doing. That's a problem."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 503 words, 10/05/12
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "...all nonsense, with villains so inept and slow-moving that there's little satisfaction in watching Mills take them out.... Even Liam Neeson seems tired of it all."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 310 words, 10/05/12
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: FAIR "Megaton doesn't seem to know how to shoot an ordinary conversation... You can't quite follow the blur of bodies with your rational mind, but you rock with the punches..."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 674 words, 10/05/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...slick, professional action... The cast is uniformly capable and dead serious, and if you're buying what Luc Besson is selling, he's not short-changing you."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 603 words, 10/05/12
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...any breathing room from the hurtling narrative illogic only allows the audience opportunity to notice slips in Mills's father-knows-best infallibility."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 246 words, 10/03/12
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "The first thing to be kidnapped is logic... don't let the details keep you from enjoying this so-bad-it's-good experience, which is funnier than most comedies."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 696 words, 10/05/12
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...no one is likely to get took by 'Taken,' which neither pretends nor aspires to be anything more than what it is.... just a mediocre action franchise..."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 631 words, 10/05/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...hampered by a creeping sense of its own pointlessness... Neeson looks tired and Grace is now more than a decade older than her teenage character."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 481 words, 10/11/12
KEY CITIES (12 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: POOR(cg) "...a sequel every bit as clumsy, ham-handed, outlandish and laughable as the original was sleek, tough and efficient... sometimes lightning should stay in the bottle."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 539 words, 10/05/12
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: MODERATE(cg) "...unfortunate... directed by Olivier Megaton ('Transporter 3,' 'Colombiana' - I will resist the temptation to call 'Taken 2' a Megaton bomb)..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 624 words, 10/05/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "The film shortchanges the paradox of two aggrieved fathers in an eye-for-an-eye feud. This is a punchy, shooty movie, not a thinky one."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 433 words, 10/05/12
Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "...aims to be a fast-paced, workmanlike sequel that shows off its charismatic leading man, and that's exactly what it does."(See all of Randy Cordova's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 413 words, 10/05/12
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "The absurdity grows like mold in the dank, dark of seriousness. So it's fun for some of the right reasons, but mostly for the wrong ones... The revenge has lost all its fantasy."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 888 words, 10/05/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: WEAK(cg) "There are several car chases and one mano-a-mano fight; none of them does anything new.... lots of people get killed, if you're keeping score (I lost count early on)."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 502 words, 10/05/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a good action film doesn't need subtlety but clean lines, sure definitions, big emotions and, ideally, economy. 'Taken 2' has all these things."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 668 words, 10/05/12
Soren Andersen, Seattle Times: WEAK(cg) "...a compact, relentless thriller.... Liam Neeson is effective as always in Grim Death mode, but he's let down by that silly screenplay. Avoid."(See all of Soren Andersen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 412 words, 10/05/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "...a movie with no surprises at all, a streamlined chase flick that is running on the fumes from recycled fuel.... eventually it comes down to brute force."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 378 words, 10/05/12
Adam Graham, Detroit News: POOR(cg) "...a thoroughly ridiculous sequel that finds Liam Neeson again piling up bodies of Albanians because, well, that's what he does best."(See all of Adam Graham's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 348 words, 10/05/12
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...any breathing room from the hurtling narrative illogic only allows the audience opportunity to notice slips in Mills's father-knows-best infallibility."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 246 words, 10/03/12
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Megaton, stepping in for 'Taken's' Pierre Morel, keeps up his predecessor's frenzied pace but none of his gonzo style, making all the action scenes feel more expected..."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 809 words, 10/04/12
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "All this for a driver's license?... Olivier Megaton could use some more lessons in directing as he bombs in his strained efforts to recreate Pierre Morel's original."(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 161 words, 10/11/12
Keith Phipps, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "...business as usual for the Besson machine... Liam Neeson's Jason Statham-ization continues apace, but it's looking less and less like a welcome development."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 489 words, 10/04/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: MODERATE(cg) "To its credit, the film acknowledges the absurdity and doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is, a sequel cashing in on a surprise hit."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 818 words, 10/05/12
Alison Willmore, Movieline: POOR(cg) "...dumb... as discardable as a box of cheap tourist trinkets, and its fights go so disappointingly easy the film's end arrives almost arbitrarily."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 827 words, 10/04/12
John Semley, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...an obvious dud.... the original film grappled with some seriously icky themes (sex slavery, specifically). 'Taken 2' never feels excitingly unsettling..."(See all of John Semley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 815 words, 10/03/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...hampered by a creeping sense of its own pointlessness... Neeson looks tired and Grace is now more than a decade older than her teenage character."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 481 words, 10/11/12
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: POOR(cg) "...anemic... ridiculous.... What modicum of humor there was in the first film is gone, and suspense is nonexistent... Tedious car chases, same-old fisticuffs..."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 601 words, 10/01/12
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: WEAK "...a nonstop car and foot chase, with Albanian after Albanian falling victim to Bryan's remarkable aim and hand-fighting skills. Foreigners bad, Americans good..."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 203 words, 10/05/12
Stephanie Zacharek, NPR: FAIR "...the plot mechanics are so clunky and overloaded that even the eminently capable Neeson has trouble shouldering them... the action sequences are mildly thrilling..."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 515 words, 10/04/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...more a remake than a sequel.... Neeson's empathetic performing skills put him in a different category than the usual suspects for this kind of a part."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 757 words, 10/05/12
Dana Stevens, Slate: WEAK "...a wan disappointment.... Cue a long string of indistinguishable, choppily edited fistfights and chases through the back streets of Istanbul."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 992 words, 10/05/12
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: POOR "...inept and offensive... relies on a boom-boom-chaka-boom musical score and repeated shots of random structures in Istanbul being destroyed by men in fast cars."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,722 words, 10/06/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Charles Gant, Daily Variety: GOOD "...equals the original in enjoyable silliness, if not brutal nastiness... enjoyably ludicrous... Plenty of the dialogue falls into the so-bad-it's-good category..."(See all of Charles Gant's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 615 words, 09/23/12
Bernard Besserglik, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...the filmmakers know precisely what they are doing... Liam Neeson is utterly convincing as the anger-fueled but soft-spoken action hero..."(See all of Bernard Besserglik's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 658 words, 09/07/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...more a remake than a sequel.... Neeson's empathetic performing skills put him in a different category than the usual suspects for this kind of a part."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 757 words, 10/05/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: FAIR(cg) "...derivative, exploitative... There is dialogue here and there, but it's all terribly written and, on a regular basis, unintentionally comical."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 10/03/12
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: WEAK "...a nonstop car and foot chase, with Albanian after Albanian falling victim to Bryan's remarkable aim and hand-fighting skills. Foreigners bad, Americans good..."(See all of Neil Genzlinger's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 203 words, 10/05/12
15.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Taken 2's reviews are separated by an average 15.8 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.
Taken 2 (46 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Taken 2's reviews cover 84.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 26,170 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 569 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Taken 2 Coverage, Volume & Length (46 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 14.6 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Taken 2's reviews on average broke 14.6 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 Taken 2's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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