Following on from my blu-ray review of the first Taken film starring Liam Neeson is the sequel Taken 2. So you can expect plenty more action in this one. So without further ado here’s my Taken 2 blu-ray review.
- Taken 2 (2012) Extended Harder Cut
- UK Rating 15
- Discs: 1
- Released By 20th Century Fox
Plot
Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is working in Istanbul when his ex wife and daughter make a surprise visit. That’s the good news, the bad news is all three of them are about to find their lives under threat due to the actions of Mills in the first film.
The story is written by Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen.
Style / Direction
Olivier Megaton directs the sequel and if you liked the first film you going to like the second film. This one is set largely in Istanbul and provides some truly spectacular camera shots of an extremely beautiful location. As with the first one it’s all very fast paced providing plenty of car chases and other action sequences. Put it this way it does action incredibly well.
The cinematography is handled by Romain Lacourbas.
Music / Audio Effects
Nothing particularly special but is more than adequate to help the action sequences feel tense and enjoyable. The music is provided by Nathaniel Méchaly
Acting / Characters
Again Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills deserves all the credit for making the film hugely entertaining. That said the sequel does offer an expanded role for Mill’s daughter Kim played by Maggie Grace. There is certainly an improvement in the writing of her character which allows her to show off her ability as an actress much better. In fact I liked her character a whole lot better and consider Maggie Grace’s performance to be very good.
Those awkward family scenes from the first film seem to have gone giving way to a much more natural dynamic playing out when all three are present in a scene.
In the end its Liam Neeson’s performance that really matters and he again delivers an outstanding one.
Conclusion: Taken 2 (2012) Film Review
If you loved the first one then you will certainly love the second film, I know I did. It doesn’t seem to go for the bigger is better approach that most sequels tend to do but that may be because it’s probably impossible to outdo the first one in terms of sheer body count.
Taken 2 is an excellent sequel that further enhances Neeson’s action hero credentials.
The blu-ray version includes the ‘Extended Harder Cut’ and to honest I prefer that version to the original theatrical one. For starters it just adds more action and tension to proceedings.
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Conclusion: Taken 2 Blu-ray Review
Clearly the picture quality is not an issue being a 2012 released film so I’ll move on to the extras.
The alternate ending reduces the tension by making certain persons safe earlier than in the other version. This changes the motivation of Bryan Mill’s character. In one ending he still has everything at stake whereas the other is simply a revenge shoot.
There plenty of other bits for those who want as much Taken related content as possible. Taken 2 Extended Harder Cut comes packed full of interesting extras.
Note you can now buy all three Taken films in a nice boxset.
Extras
- Alternate Ending
- Extended Harder Cut
- Original Cinema Cut
- Black Ops Field Manual
- Sam’s Tools
- Deleted Scenes
- Trailer
Popcorn Cinema Rating: Taken 2 (2012)
MOVIE RATING: WELL WORTH WATCHING
BLU-RAY RATING: EXCELLENT
EXTRAS RATING: GOOD
POPCORN CINEMA: RECOMMENDED
Purchase Taken 2 (2012) On Blu-ray
Taken 2 (2012) blu-ray is available now, I’ve added a link below.
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Taken 2 (2012) Trailer
For those of you yet to see the film I’ll leave you with a little taster…
Clip may not be representative of the Blu-ray version
That’s Taken 2 blu-ray review, if you have any thoughts on this film you can leave a comment over on our Facebook page.
Summary: Taken 2 (2012) Blu-ray Review
Movie title: Taken 2 (2012)
Duration: 94 mins
Director(s): Olivier Megaton
Actor(s): Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen
Genre: Action, Thriller
- Movie Rating
- Blu-ray Picture Rating
- Extras
Summary
Liam Neeson is on top form in the perfect sequel which is without doubt a must see for all action movie fans.
