When it was released in 2008, Taken became a surprise hit and started Liam Neeson's current career path as an action star. That said, there wasn't really any need for a sequel. The film was seemed like a fairly stand-alone story, which saw Neeson's ex-spy Bryan Mills tear through Paris looking for his kidnapped daughter. Of course, every action has a consequence, and the plot of this sequel has the Albanians behind the kidnapping plotting revenge. The film is simultaneously exactly the same and completely different than its predecessor. I would have to say that the entire first act follow the formula of the last film note-for-note. The only twist here is that it is Mills and his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) who are kidnapped. This results in some different scenarios, such as Mills daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) taking a more central role in the plot to help save her parents. In some ways, Taken 2 is much more of a standard action film than the previous film was. While Taken had a lot of scenes of Mills beating people up, it was also part of the desperate search for his daughter. Since Mills was the target this time, there is no more mystery and we just have to watch how he escapes and turns the tables. Also, unlike the previous film, there is a central antagonist played by Rade Sherbedgia, who is the father of one of the victims of the previous film. I should also make note of the fact that, in the four years since the last film, Maggie Grace has aged to the point that she's a little less convincing as a teenager. However, it wasn't too distracting in the end. Overall, I would have to admit that Taken 2 didn't have the same charm as the first film. That said, I still found it watchable and its always fun to see Liam Neeson beat up people.7 | FAIR
