Taken 2

"Taken 2" is really, really goofy -- it's even goofier because it thinks it's about the futility of vengeance -- but Liam Neeson almost makes you buy it.

A meta-American movie, a Godardian spoof of the whole genre, an attempt to see how stupid and insulting a motion picture can be and still be a big hit.

So lazily put together that it relies on flashbacks from its predecessor for the majority of its character development.

Neeson, despite having turned 60 in June, looks spritely enough in the role, and more than capable of another go-round should Taken 2 match its predecessor's success.

As much as this picture is action driven, its greatest delights are grounded in personality, in the fun of having a protagonist who combines homespun values with velociraptor functionality.

Utter nonsense, a film that plays like a cross between Seth MacFarlane spoofing the first film on Family Guy and MacGyver fan fiction (although nowhere NEAR as much fun as that might make it sound).

Besson and Megaton have delivered a sequel that fails in every way to live up to its predecessor.

Unfortunately this movie just gives us more of the same but at a much lower and lazier production level.

Unapologetically rehashes the concepts of the original while leaving out the fun parts.

It's my guess that I'll be one of the few film critics who will give the film even a modest recommendation.