Title: Taken 2
Series: Taken
Director: Olivier Megaton
Starring:
Liam Neeson,
Famke Janssen, and
Maggie Grace
Rated: Unrated ('cause why watch the PG-13 version?)
Released: 2012
Personal Rating: 5/5
Oscars: N/A
Plot: In Istanbul, retired CIA operative Bryan Mills and his wife are taken
hostage by the father of a kidnapper Mills killed while rescuing his
daughter.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryan Mills' Motives Compared to the First One
One of the differences with Taken 2 compared to the first Taken is that the first one was very much focused on the deep bonds between father and daughter. In Taken 2 Mills is still very protective/caring of Kim (and why wouldn't he be, he nearly lost her in the first movie), but his love for his ex-wife Lenore (who has broken up with her second husband) is also shown. While in the first movie the capture and rescue of Kim was deeply moving, I didn't feel the same way about Lenore's. I think it might've been because her second husband being dropped was too contrived for me (the only explanation in the movie given for their separation is that they were "growing apart"). However, this doesn't mean the scenes of her in distress weren't tense. Though they didn't move me enough to make me care if she lived or die (though that's more due to me not ever really caring about the character).
A Little Bit of Complexity
I feel the bad guys in this movie are a little complex (not a lot, but a little). Murad Krasniqi is seeking revenge on the murderer of his son (and also the sons of those he knew). This would make Murad a hero if it wasn't for the fact that the sons were in the Sex Trade and in the way of Bryan Mills rescuing his daughter Kim (who was going to be sold as a sex slave). So you get a confliction of good intentions. Bryan's good intentions in this movie are keeping his ex-wife (though they'll probably be married if there is a sequel) and daughter safe. Yeah, he keeps himself alive but it seems more so that he can keep the ones he loves alive. Some might have found it stupid when he gave Murad a choice to live or die (that's the short version of the scene). I found it pretty smart since Bryan found it better to let Murad live to see his own sons (since Bryan himself has a daughter and understands the bonds that form) and so Bryan wouldn't have to worry about getting abducted (as well as any of his family) again.
Kim's Expanded Role
Kim's role in the first movie was damsel in distress. It was nice to see her being something else in this movie (though she was still not a very useful character, unless you want to blow random shit up) and even forced her father into letting her help. revrezner thought it stupid that Kim wasn't more afraid of being captured again. But I had to point out that the movie was going with the "I want to be normal" cliche instead.
Final Thoughts
This movie was not as good as the first. However, it was still awesome and should've been longer (both revrezner and myself thought it ended a little too early). This movie followed up on the first with showing us how the characters we knew were doing now (which is always good to do). Liam Neeson does another great performance as Bryan Mills (Famke Janssen, Lenore, was lucky to get to really kiss him hard in one scene). If they make a Taken 3 I will see it. Hey, maybe Jamie will turn out to be a bad guy and threaten Kim's life. I'm sure Bryan will be more than happy to take him down.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Taken 2 (2012)
Let's Play Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Parts 65 & 66)
I go through the weird town of Silent Hill so more.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The Eternal Heart: New Recruit 3
I tried to control my breathing. I thought that being a hybrid would mean I wouldn't get so nervous. Or maybe my nervousness was because my chip had been removed, so I didn't have as much control as I should have.
After I got my uniform on, I looked at myself in a dirty mirror. Wiping the mirror off a little I could see myself just a little better. I know why I was attracted to John Connor, but would my looks and abilities be enough for me to win him over?
But there were other things to attend to now. Such as the upcoming battle. I walked out of my room and went to join the other soldiers. My comrades. There was some pre-battle talk among them but I didn't join in. Partially because I was nervous and partially because I knew the soldiers didn't want to talk to me. I was a hybrid and therefore a creation of Skynet. And there was nothing worse than something of the enemy being on your side.
But all those thoughts were pushed aside when I saw John Connor come to join the troops. For some reason he was keeping Katherine at the base. All the better for me to bond more with John. We hadn't talked much due to Katherine's efforts to keep me away from him and how busy he was in his duties as leader of the Resistance.
John Connor stood in front of me and my comrades while he gave a speech. I didn't hear what he said, I was just looking at the way he said it. It didn't matter I wasn't listening to his words as I had made sure to be clear about the battle beforehand. So I looked at his facial expressions, the sound of his voice, and how the Resistance soldiers responded to him. It was no wonder that I was falling for him. In a different way, the Resistance had fallen in love with him.
After he was done giving his speech, we went into different helicopters. I went into the one I had been assigned to and saw myself next to John Connor. I was going into battle with him right beside me. Not just as my leader, but as someone beside me.
As the landscape passed below us, I tried to calm myself down again. I knew once I was in battle I would be able to distract myself, but not now.
"First time?" John jokingly asked me.
"For the right side and not under mind control, yes." I replied with a smile.
"I'm sure you'll do fine. You were made to fight."
"And what were you made for?"
John paused a moment. His mind seemed to turn in on itself. Finally he replied, "I was made to lead."
"Skynet didn't mess with you. You are human and I don't think you were made for a purpose. You are free to make your own decisions. Your own destiny." I said.
He gave me a weak smile.
"You just do what you were made for, Jash." John said and that was the last thing he said to me before the battle began.
We arrived at the battlefield and there was chaos. Of course it was controlled chaos but it was hard to concentrate. However, I was quickly able to realize what I was supposed to do. This wasn't my first battle, but this was the first time I was fully aware of it. This time I knew who I was fighting for and who I was fighting against.
Minutes turned into hours and hours turned into years. Orders were yelled at me and I obeyed. It was odd killing Terminators and knowing that they were metal. I had to hold back bile as I remembered I used to be brainwashed to not know I was killing humans.
Once the deepest levels of hell became just the entrance, I felt relieved. Even though all of us wanted to shout out in joy for the fact that we were alive and had won today, we knew that we couldn't rest until we were back at base. The only safety we were guaranteed.
After a few minutes I remembered John. What if he had died?
"John!" I yelled while running around looking for him. Suddenly I heard a shot and then felt it pass me by just inches.
------------------------------------------------
The Eternal Heart Blog aka The Wars Against Skynet
The Eternal Trilogy Facebook
The Eternal Heart tumblr
After I got my uniform on, I looked at myself in a dirty mirror. Wiping the mirror off a little I could see myself just a little better. I know why I was attracted to John Connor, but would my looks and abilities be enough for me to win him over?
But there were other things to attend to now. Such as the upcoming battle. I walked out of my room and went to join the other soldiers. My comrades. There was some pre-battle talk among them but I didn't join in. Partially because I was nervous and partially because I knew the soldiers didn't want to talk to me. I was a hybrid and therefore a creation of Skynet. And there was nothing worse than something of the enemy being on your side.
But all those thoughts were pushed aside when I saw John Connor come to join the troops. For some reason he was keeping Katherine at the base. All the better for me to bond more with John. We hadn't talked much due to Katherine's efforts to keep me away from him and how busy he was in his duties as leader of the Resistance.
John Connor stood in front of me and my comrades while he gave a speech. I didn't hear what he said, I was just looking at the way he said it. It didn't matter I wasn't listening to his words as I had made sure to be clear about the battle beforehand. So I looked at his facial expressions, the sound of his voice, and how the Resistance soldiers responded to him. It was no wonder that I was falling for him. In a different way, the Resistance had fallen in love with him.
After he was done giving his speech, we went into different helicopters. I went into the one I had been assigned to and saw myself next to John Connor. I was going into battle with him right beside me. Not just as my leader, but as someone beside me.
As the landscape passed below us, I tried to calm myself down again. I knew once I was in battle I would be able to distract myself, but not now.
"First time?" John jokingly asked me.
"For the right side and not under mind control, yes." I replied with a smile.
"I'm sure you'll do fine. You were made to fight."
"And what were you made for?"
John paused a moment. His mind seemed to turn in on itself. Finally he replied, "I was made to lead."
"Skynet didn't mess with you. You are human and I don't think you were made for a purpose. You are free to make your own decisions. Your own destiny." I said.
He gave me a weak smile.
"You just do what you were made for, Jash." John said and that was the last thing he said to me before the battle began.
We arrived at the battlefield and there was chaos. Of course it was controlled chaos but it was hard to concentrate. However, I was quickly able to realize what I was supposed to do. This wasn't my first battle, but this was the first time I was fully aware of it. This time I knew who I was fighting for and who I was fighting against.
Minutes turned into hours and hours turned into years. Orders were yelled at me and I obeyed. It was odd killing Terminators and knowing that they were metal. I had to hold back bile as I remembered I used to be brainwashed to not know I was killing humans.
Once the deepest levels of hell became just the entrance, I felt relieved. Even though all of us wanted to shout out in joy for the fact that we were alive and had won today, we knew that we couldn't rest until we were back at base. The only safety we were guaranteed.
After a few minutes I remembered John. What if he had died?
"John!" I yelled while running around looking for him. Suddenly I heard a shot and then felt it pass me by just inches.
------------------------------------------------
The Eternal Heart Blog aka The Wars Against Skynet
The Eternal Trilogy Facebook
The Eternal Heart tumblr
The Following "The Poet's Fire" Review
Disturbing...
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Shipping Confessions: Introduction
What I usually keep from my blog is my shipping obsession (my Terminator Fanfic series The Eternal Heart not included). True, I make music videos with different pairings but that's as far as I go (and even then I might not believe in the ships I show).
Now, I know, some of you might be confused by what I mean by shipping. Simply put: it's putting characters in fiction (though there are people who do the same thing to real people) into romantic relationship. Sometimes these pairings/ships are canon and sometimes they aren't. It really doesn't matter which.
It seems that a lot of people look down on us because we appear crazy to them. I hate that I have to keep some of my favorite ships quiet because I want to keep down on the drama. Camerah (Cameron and Sarah Connor from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) being the exception that a lot of people on Twitter know about.
So I'm starting this series merely to come out and to give a different viewpoint of shippers. Without, hopefully, scaring too many of you away. I must say, though, I form most of these ships without looking at fanfictions. This is due to me being extremely picky about what fanfics I read (I'm only following 2-3 fanfics at the moment). Just because a fanfic features a ship I like doesn't mean I'll like the fanfic.
As Shipping is a very broad category, I'm going to set down a few ground rules before I continue with this series:
1.) The ship must be non-canon. This is Shipping CONFESSIONS. So showing ships that are canon seem to defeat the purpose of me embarrassing myself. The only exception being if I feel the majority of people don't think I believe in a canon pairing. This is, of course, leaving myself open to talk about a particular pairing I think some of my Terminator fans might not think I truly believe in.
2.) The ship must be something I truly believe in. So those looking at my music videos to get a sneak peek might not get what they're expecting. When I make music videos I sometimes do them of a pairing because I think it's funny (for various reasons). So this means there will be no Wincest (the pairing between Dean and Sam Winchester from the TV show Supernatural).
This final one isn't a rule as much as a warning: I am a big Terminator fan so a good majority of my ships, in the beginning, will be Terminator ships.
With all that out of the way: next part will be the proper beginning of this series.
Now, I know, some of you might be confused by what I mean by shipping. Simply put: it's putting characters in fiction (though there are people who do the same thing to real people) into romantic relationship. Sometimes these pairings/ships are canon and sometimes they aren't. It really doesn't matter which.
It seems that a lot of people look down on us because we appear crazy to them. I hate that I have to keep some of my favorite ships quiet because I want to keep down on the drama. Camerah (Cameron and Sarah Connor from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) being the exception that a lot of people on Twitter know about.
So I'm starting this series merely to come out and to give a different viewpoint of shippers. Without, hopefully, scaring too many of you away. I must say, though, I form most of these ships without looking at fanfictions. This is due to me being extremely picky about what fanfics I read (I'm only following 2-3 fanfics at the moment). Just because a fanfic features a ship I like doesn't mean I'll like the fanfic.
As Shipping is a very broad category, I'm going to set down a few ground rules before I continue with this series:
1.) The ship must be non-canon. This is Shipping CONFESSIONS. So showing ships that are canon seem to defeat the purpose of me embarrassing myself. The only exception being if I feel the majority of people don't think I believe in a canon pairing. This is, of course, leaving myself open to talk about a particular pairing I think some of my Terminator fans might not think I truly believe in.
2.) The ship must be something I truly believe in. So those looking at my music videos to get a sneak peek might not get what they're expecting. When I make music videos I sometimes do them of a pairing because I think it's funny (for various reasons). So this means there will be no Wincest (the pairing between Dean and Sam Winchester from the TV show Supernatural).
This final one isn't a rule as much as a warning: I am a big Terminator fan so a good majority of my ships, in the beginning, will be Terminator ships.
With all that out of the way: next part will be the proper beginning of this series.
Continuum "Matter of Time" Review
Very interesting thing the episode leaves us to think about at the end.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Elementary "The Deductionist" Review
What a weird beginning...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)