Of all the types of movies that are out there that I don’t particularly like (horror movies revolving around torture more than suspense, romantic comedies where only genetically engineered mannequins are allowed love, Bollywood) I think the most depressing may be the Cash Grab Sequel. This is a type of movie that can be in any genre (and has been) and exclusively focuses on generating money. Sure, all movies are designed to generate money, but the Cash Grab Sequel’s sole and entire purpose is to make a sequel that is completely unnecessary, adding a second installment to a story that was done (and usually pretty thin to begin with) or characters we don’t care that much about, and make a lot of money for the people involved. And I can’t think of a better example than Taken 2.
What Works: Not much. I’d love to say that it “delivers the same thrill ride as the original!” in hyperbolic critic-ese that might wind up on a blurb of a blog, and get me invited to the next press screening, but that would be a lie. Liam Neeson can make any part you give him seem less ridiculous, and he certainly does that here, but this is the first time in his rebirth as an action hero that I wasn’t fully buying him being this badass dude. There’s just something about it that feels a little off this time (whereas it didn’t in The Grey, a far superior film from this year if you really have a craving to watch Neeson be tough) and I think that’s directly attributed to the overall shoddiness of this movie. It was haphazardly thrown together, knowing people would buy tickets, and was just rewarded for its overall laziness with the third best October opening in history.
What Doesn’t Work: The first movie was a sleeper hit that surprised everyone, so of course this movie wasn’t going to be able to do that, but I was shocked at how predictable and preposterous it was. Sample Non-sense: The bad guys know that Neeson killed dozens of their friends, is extremely well trained, and yet they leave him alone when he’s tied up with only a single zip-tie? They bring an army to take him on, but the second he’s captive, “Oh well, let’s just leave the room and not watch him too close, that way he can call his daughter and escape.” The plot, what little there is of it, quickly turns out to be no great-shakes either, as the entire second and third acts are pretty much an endless and uninvolving chase through some muddled Istanbul streets. Since this is a franchise film, we know nothing too bad is going to happen to our heroes (they have to come back for more cash in the next sequels), so what’s at stake? It turns out, nothing.
What I Would Have Done Differently: The first film worked because it presented us with a very tired plot (a CIA agent tries to rescue his kidnapped daughter) that kept finding fresh ground as a somewhat-realistic procedural. You felt like they had studied actual sex trafficking rings and the way they operate from street level to high-class harem. This movie has none of that realism or intrigue or danger or excitement. So, naturally, it’s a huge hit.