Taken 2 (Released in 2012) - Sequel to fast paced action (starring Liam Neeson, Rade Šerbedžija, Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen)

Taken was an interesting movie and a big hit. The concept of having an unlikely superhuman type of character (wrapped in the body of a normal person, although with a highly skilled background) who is possessed with getting his daughter back from whoever had kidnapped her, proved to be a package that was very interesting for viewers, and the movie was a hit, both commercially and with critics. Liam Neeson was an unlikely looking extra-ordinary man, who when faced with a kidnapping happening in another country, is able to figure out what to do and start executing on such a plan, was fun to watch. And when he started on his killing spree, using guns just like that, or when he wired up the main kidnapper to electric cables for interrogation, all of that was attractive to viewers (he was trying to get information about his kidnapped daughter, wasn't he?). However, all such movies have a loose end - he killed a number of people, won't their folks want revenge ?
Well, Taken 2 is based on the concept of the family members of the killed villains wanting their revenge, and they are also ruthless in terms of this revenge. So, when Marko was killed, strapped to an electric cable and died of electrocution, his father wants revenge and promises that he will get the killer back to Albania, to suffer as the family of Marko has suffered. However, it is not clear as to who the killer is (after all, Neeson had killed almost everybody in the first movie), so Marko's father, Murad, goes to Paris, looking for the former intelligence friend of Neeson whose card was found near where most of the people were killed. He gets some information from this guy and then kills him and his family, and is now on the hunt for Neeson and his family.




Neeson is in Istanbul for a piece of work, and finds Lenore (ex-wife) and Kim (daughter) ready to surprise him over there. And then the action hots up. Kim wants Lenore and Neeson to go out for lunch while she would remain the hotel. However, Neeson spots them being tailed, and this starts the explosive action. He has to give up when Lenore is captured, but is able to warn Kim off, who just manages to escape the people hunting for her at the hotel. Later, when he has been captured, he is able to use a hidden phone (they did not search him for a hidden phone) to tell Kim to go to the American Embassy, but she refuses and persuades him to let her help, and he agrees (another weird thing, agreeing to put his daughter in danger). In the meantime, to make him suffer, Murad cuts Lenore's neck slightly, enough for her to bleed and hangs her upside down so that she can bleed in front of him.
The next part is fun - he tells his daughter that she has to explode grenades at regular intervals through which he will be able to use the sound to determine the location where she has to go to (seems a bit out of the world for me, but am not an ex-CIA operative, so maybe I do not know enough). She finally arrives at the house where he is, and he is able to get out and take Kim with him, but Lenore is recaptured.
Finally putting Kim in the safety of the US embassy, he is able to retrace the path and find where Lenore is, and after dispatching every other bad guy, he is finally left with Murad in front of his gun. He offers to let Murad go to end this killing urge, but when Murad agrees and then tries to kill him, he kills Murad (but thankfully, this does not form the basis for Taken 3).
The movie made a lot of money and the performances were also appreciated, but the surprised of the first film always makes it more difficult for the second film. Even though stuff such as using grenades to get location was a twist, the movie still seems to follow a regular script. You will like it if you like action, but it is not the same as the first version.

Mirror Mirror (Released in 2012) - Starring Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane

Mirror mirror is a comedy/ fantasy movie adaptation of the fairy tale Snow White, written by the Brothers Grimm. Directed by Tarsem Singh, the movie has a huge star cast, including actors like Julia Roberts and Sean Bean. With rich cinematography and grand sets, every scene in the movie is a feast for the eyes. This is solely because of the direction given by Tarsem Singh, who is partial to bright and attractive costumes, with larger than life sets. Each scene bursts with colours and grandiose. But, even though the movie is a fresh and entertaining take on the fairy tale, it is not loyal to the original story. Keeping with modern times, the story line is written so as to be a bit more believable, unlike its predecessors.
The movie opens with a short narration by Roberts, explaining how she was married to the King of a vast kingdom, played by Sean Bean. Then one day the King enters the forest and doesn’t ever return, leaving the poor Queen to play stepmother to the Princess, and manage the kingdom and its subjects. But the princess, played by Lily Collins, has been made prisoner till she turns 18, at which time she escapes from the clutches of the Queen and finds a safe haven in the forest. Soon the Queen’s adviser, played rather amusingly by Nathan Lane, informs her that the kingdom is in deep financial crisis.
The movie shifts through an uncomfortable phase where Prince Charming stumbles into the kingdom, and the Queen plots to marry him, so as to use his riches to save the kingdom from financial ruin. The only problem is that she doesn’t even have the money to fund the royal ball, where she plans for them to fall in love.



Meanwhile Prince Charming, played by Armie Hammer has already crossed paths with Snow White in the forest. However, it isn’t the Prince but Snow who has been given a stronger character in the movie. So as to force the Prince to marry her, the Queen manages to slip him a love potion. What follows is an amusing half hour of “puppy” love, rectified only by Snow White and her band of rebellious dwarfs, thus saving the Prince.
Collins does a beautiful job as Snow White. But, it is Roberts who steals the show with her understated acting skills. What sets the movie apart from the original, is the fact that in this version, the evil queen never asks the question - “Whose the fairest of them all?”. But, her obsession with aging and fading beauty are expressed clearly in the movie. In spite of all the plus points in the movie, it still falls a bit flat in the chemistry and dialogue department. Especially the chemistry between the Queen and Snow White, or the Queen and the Prince fails to impress.
All in all, even though the visual appeal of the movie speaks volumes, the dialogues and basic chemistry leave a lot to be desired. Where the movie could have been crackling and explosive, it falls into the same repetitive pattern of the fairy tale it was adapted from.