Abduction (2011)

Simply A Masterpiece

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

With the film titled Abduction we'd at least expect (or hope) Taylor Lautner's high school-er will be abducted. No? Maybe he was abducted before, hence the parents who look nothing like him but have different skin colour too. Nathan (Lautner) also miraculously knows how to defend himself. Convincing? Not in a million years. A lukewarm story accompanied by a enigmatic script awards Lautner zero edge and maximum cheesiness. Lily Collins, although very pretty and adept at acting these days, has little to do but gawp. Their romance is ruined by one foul line and an even fouler kiss. Someone wants Nathan dead, someone connected to his real father. He's wiggled out of hiding with his surrogate parents (Bello and Isaacs) by an unconvincing terrorist (Nyqvist) who wants an important list that's kept on a mobile phone. Cleverness doesn't come in to Abduction's vocabulary. Even Nathan's psychologist Dr. Bennett's (Weaver) balloon-camera cover-up trick in a hospital feels stupid.Check out my other reviews on http://straighttelling.co.uk

Taylor Lautner, to start with, who is best known as Jacob in Twilight, offers a pleasantly surprising role that shows his depth of character (meaning, he's not acting when he plays this part; he's sharing himself as one who's experienced what his character portrays.The movie, itself, has a solid plot, and the Director should be commended for successfully capturing us as an audience and in the way he chose to capture us by relating. It had this subtle hold on me, and I found I just didn't want to even pause it for a moment. This is a rare surprise, 'cause it's been awhile since a movie was that good and riveting. Best of all? You get to watch a total hulk become a man, in a tender, moving storyline, while blending the thrill of watching "Men in Action". Great movie!

In Taylor Lautner's breakout role from the 'Twilight' saga, this film did possess some potential to showcase his range, depth and quality as an actor. However, one of the only things it appeared he did showcase was his bare chest. Not that I'm complaining. To be fair to Lautner, who played the film's protagonist Nathan, the script was extremely limited and I felt that the action scenes he was involved in built up tension and added some much needed spice to an otherwise dry and predictable wordplay. I did warm to Nathan's character, although there was rarely any character development as the story centred around him finding his picture on a missing child website and the action-packed aftermath of the revelation.The unnecessary love story between Nathan and Karen, the girl next door who he had secretly been crushing on, is rushed and although the two actors have great chemistry, the relationship seems to stem from nowhere and Karen's character is about as intriguing and useful as a wet floor mop. Acting by supporting roles such as Isaacs, Molina and Weaver were also adequate in fulfilling their purpose but again, lack of character development does not allow for a great understanding.Undoubtedly the film did have potential and some really interesting moments, however the in some places flat plot and diabolical script writing left me feeling confused, and wishing that Lautner could land a role allowing him to break free from the brooding teenage love interest that he seemingly escaped from in his previous films. I do think critics have been harsh on 'Abduction', after all it is rated PG 13, I mean were they expecting 'The Matrix'?Overall the action scenes were the saviour of the entire film for me, as I found myself gripped particularly in the end scene at the baseball game. The fact that Lautner performs most stunts himself adds authenticity and again, allows the female viewers some entertainment. I would say this film definitely appeals to the teenage target audience,and if you're just looking for some serious thrills and spills, disregarding the storyline itself, the movie is perfectly enjoyable. However,if you were anticipating a riveting action film with a fully engaging plot, you will most likely be disappointed.

I was quite surprised by the vitriol and sour grapes that I saw in many of the reviews for this movie. By some accounts you would have thought that the teenage lead (Taylor Lautner) had his shirt off every chance he could, but in fact there were only two instances at the beginning of the movie and in one you only saw his back. In both cases it was not out of place for the circumstance in which it was done. It makes me wonder just how much of the exaggeration and negativity is the result of envy for the young man as opposed to the movie itself. I'm glad that I decided to take a chance on the film because my family and I found it quite enjoyable and engaging (including my 83 year old father).The story was interesting with a few twists and turns that held our attention throughout the film. There were a few loopholes in the script, but not so much that they distracted from the story as a whole or caused you to get lost in the plot. I found the action sequences to be well done because Taylor did the majority of his own stunts and the shots weren't being jerked around trying to disguise a stunt double. This young man definitely has the physicality for an action movie.The young teenage actors held their own with the support of a very seasoned veteran cast. Do they still need to grow with their acting...of course they do...but they demonstrated great potential and played their teenage parts admirably. The kissing scene was a little clumsy, but then again, the characters are teenagers under stress kissing for the first time since middle school. Who wouldn't be clumsy under the circumstances?There were a few curse words, but they weren't numerous and the "violence" was not bloody or gory. This is not a movie filled with CGI effects. It is dependent upon the action between the characters and their environment which it does very well.Overall, the movie is a teenage action flick that even adults will find entertaining if they just sit back and enjoy without over analyzing each nuance of the film. I would recommend this movie for an evening of family entertainment when you're in the mood for an action movie without a lot of violent scenes.