We've Been "Taken 3" Times To See The Same Movie!

Taken 3 (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Famke Jannsen, Maggie Grace, Dougray Scott

Directed by Olivier Megaton

The Story:

Bryan Mills (Neeson) is back, and he's brought his special skill set with him. It's a good thing too, because this time his ex-wife (Jannsen) is murdered and Bryan has been framed. He's out to prove that he's innocent, regardless of what the head detective (Whitaker) believes.

Okay, first, nobody was actually taken in this film, which leads to a bit of a misleading title!
;)

Seriously though, if you've enjoyed the first 2 installments, you'll find closure on the trilogy here.

At least, I hope it was a trilogy, and Taken 4 is not being discussed.

My guess is, like the Transporter, there is no reason why the series won't receive a reboot brand makeover in the future.

I'm sure there are many former operatives that have their relatives stolen all the time, where are there stories?

That said, this film offers little in the way of anything you haven't seen already, and if you can't guess who is framing Bryan by, oh, about the 10 minute mark of the film, then congratulations, you've apparently never seen a movie before in your life.

:)

The new wrinkle is the addition of Whitaker as the cop who is tracking down a fugitive.

Except, his demeanor refuses to channel Tommy Lee Jones and seems mostly indifferent throughout the film.

It's paint by numbers execution, but I've mostly enjoyed my stay with Neeson in this franchise.

I do believe it's time that he break the mold though and do a comedy or a romance, or anything other than handle a weapon or kill something in his next movie.

Final Grade: B-

"I Spy" With My Little Eye...A Movie That Should Have Been Better

I Spy (2002)

Rated PG-13 for language

Starring Eddie Murphy, Owen Wilson, Famke Janssen, Malcolm McDowell

Directed by Betty Thomas


The Story:

The Switchblade, the US government's newest stealth prototype is stolen by arms dealer Arnold Gundars (McDowell), the government sends in crack spy Alex Scott (Wilson) to save the day.  However, they team him with a professional boxer (Murphy) to help provide his cover, and the two must make sure the plane does not fall into the hands of the enemy.  Surely there will be no problem.

Action comedy. Buddy picture.

You name it, this movie wanted to be it.

The problem, it never amounted to much of anything.

There were bits and flashes of comedic brilliance.

Or an action gag would work very well.

But overall, the movie just sort of drags, never really able to capture any oil/water chemistry between Wilson and Murphy.

It's passable entertainment, but nothing you really need to rush out and watch if you've never seen it, or more likely, haven't seen it in over a decade.

I cannot comment on what connection, if anything besides title alone, that I Spy shares with the television show upon which it was based.  My guess...

Absolutely nothing.

Final Grade: C-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Low to watch again... No for the purchase.

It's A Super Weekend...Part Two..."The Wolverine"

The Wolverine (2013)
Rated PG-13 for Violence and Language

Starring Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen

Directed by James Mangold


The best there is at what he does...mostly.

The Story:

Wolverine/Logan (Jackman) has been in seclusion since last we saw him.  He is haunted by dreams of Jean Grey (Janssen) and longs to join her in death.  Lucky for him, Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi) has the resources to give Wolverine that peace, and repay a debt of gratitude from long ago.  Accompanied by Yukio (Rila Fukushima), they return to Japan where he meets Yashida's granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto).  However, when Yashida dies and the Yakuza come gunning for Mariko, it's up to Wolverine to keep her safe.  However, there's one problem... his healing factor appears to be gone, so he's going to get hurt...badly... and may not survive what's coming next.

Ah, much better.

To be honest, I have seen the first 3 X-Men movies, and they get a collective "meh" from me.  Amazingly, I think Last Stand, the most reviled of the three, is my favorite.  It's the one that most approached the appeal of the comics.

Then there was X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

So much potential...  so poorly executed.

"Seriously?"

My biggest beef, you don't cast Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, then sew his mouth shut. 

Stupid.
Stupid.
Stupid.

Of course, Fox knows they have a cash cow, they just have to keep cranking out these films to avoid having the rights going back to Disney where a proper X-Men film can be made.

"Do I Want To Be In Your Movie?  Let Me Think About That..."

Thankfully, they hit the reset button with X-Men: First Class, easily the best of the entire X-Franchise, and it seems like Fox was at least willing to try and treat the franchise with the respect and care that it deserves to at least try and compete with Marvel Studios for quality superhero movies.

Then the focus turns back to the star of the franchise, Wolverine.

How do they fare this time?

Better.

"That Plane Can't Be A Good Thing..."

Much, much better.

I absolutely loved the flashback to Logan's tenure in a prison camp during WWII, and how he creates his bond with Yashida.  It's very well done, and makes the comic and movie fan wish that the entire Marvel Universe was under one umbrella, because how cool would a WWII movie with Cap and Wolverine be?

Yeah... Pretty cool!













Then we have Wolverine's Japanese adventures, and aside from a few scenes that just seem slightly jarring in the manner in which they were filmed, overall, everything works.

What I wasn't a fan of...

Silver Samurai as a giant robotic suit.  I understand the why, it doesn't mean I have to like it.

Wolverine's claws.  Never a fan of the bone claws, and hopefully he'll have those things fixed by the next movie.  However, I understand that due to his age, he's had the adamantium claws for much less time than he's had them as bones.  Fair enough.

Which leads me to the closing credits...

Come on people, why do you keep getting out of your seats when a Marvel film from any studio is over?

"Even the God of Thunder and a World War II Super-Soldier Have Figured This Out"

 Would it kill you to sit still for an extra 3-5 minutes?

At worst, you acknowledge the hundreds of people that devoted hours to bringing you entertainment for 2 hours.

At best, you might see something pretty cool.

Looking forward to the next film.


Final Grade: Complaints aside, I'll give Wolverine a solid B.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'd happily give this one another viewing, and I'm sure it will find a spot in my library sooner, rather than later.

This One At Least Lives Up To The Cool Title..."Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters"

An alternate title could have been: Hansel & Gretel: Punching Bags!

The Story:

Everyone is familiar with the story of Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and his sister Gretel (Gemma Arteron) about the house of candy and killing the witch.  Well, apparently the dynamic duo got a taste for killing witches, and now they make a living offing those evil ladies.  However, their latest assignment puts them face to face against the most powerful witch (Famke Janssen) they've ever faced.  The two will also learn a little something about their tragic childhood that has remained a secret... until now!

Unlike the Paul Bunyan myth I reviewed yesterday, Hansel and Gretel have a bigger budget, a better cast, and much better special effects.

Don't get me wrong, it's no classic of cinema, but it's a B movie, through and through, and that works.

Really, aside from some chunks of dialogue and swearing just to ensure the movie got an R rating, it wasn't half bad.

So there, at least it's half good, right? :)

As I alluded to with my introduction, Hansel and Gretel spend a great bit of the movie getting beaten, punched and kicked throughout the movie.  Granted, they do their fair share as well, but these two are certainly put through the ringer to earn their stripes.

It's a superhero movie without the capes. ;)

Hansel also has to take a drug every few hours to counteract the witch-candy he had to eat as a kid.  They could have easily done without that part, but I guess they needed something to make Renner even more angsty than usual.

One thing that seems puzzling, is that it seems like the witches would've used more spells than engaging the witch-killing duo straight up in a fistfights, but hey, it's not so bad.  Perhaps they had to save some budget somewhere.

It's silly, harmless fun.  No harm, no foul.

Final Grade: C+/B- range

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Probably not very likely that I would go out of my way to purchase it.  Watching it again in the future.. maybe I'll catch it on cable again one late night when I'm surfing? :)

I Will Find You, And I Will Kill You. Again. "Taken 2"

It's like Die Hard...set in Turkey!

The Story:

Dad of the Year, Bryan (Liam Neeson) has held up his end of the bargain of being a good father to Kim (Maggie Grace) and keeps in touch with his ex (Famke Janssen) since the events of the first movie when his daughter was kidnapped and he had to kill a bunch of bad guys to get her back.  Well... it seems the father of one of those dead kidnappers wants to make an example out of Bryan and kill him and his whole family.

Bad move, dude.


So really, it's more like Taken... with the whole family!  But yes, following the Die Hard idea of 'the same thing happening to the same guy' formula, Bryan is once again forced to save his family, even when he is the one that is taken this time.

He does that by luck, skill, and having his daughter help save him.

I don't remember how much I enjoyed the first film, but I found this sequel to be just fine with me, and maybe even more enjoyable. 

Fast paced, action pieces moved along at a nice clip, and Liam Neeson is commanding of a presence as always.  Really glad to say that again after how much I really disliked the  movie The Grey.

I also am adding this franchise to the list of movies that I will give to my daughter's boyfriends when I meet them, and let them know that if you think THESE dads are overprotective, wait till they see me.

>: )

I must also give some credit to Luc Besson.  I find that I really enjoy most of the films where he is the writer, or co-writer, or has some dabbling writing of the film.  In addition to this franchise he's given us: Leon: The Professional, The Fifth Element; The Transporter franchise; and Lockout, those are my favorites from among his many credits.

We'll see if the franchise rolls out a 3rd film...

At this point maybe as an idea, and not the same characters?

I mean, how many times can one family keep getting kidnapped?!?

Final Grade: B

Would I Own It: I'm not sure.  I'd definitely watch it again.  I may have to watch the first one again, and possibly add both to the library. : )