Abduction (2011)
Violence and infrequent coarse language
| Director: | John Singleton |
| Actors: | Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Jason Isaacs, Sigourney Weaver, Maria Bello, Michael Nyqvist, Denzel Whitaker |
A thriller centered on a young man who sets out to uncover the truth about his life after finding his baby photo on a missing persons website.
| Status: | QuickPick |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 106mins |
| Origin: | UNITED STATES |
| Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 |
by Simon Miraudo, 22/09/2011 3:24:00 PM
Hollywood loves telling us who the big new movie stars are. Sam Worthington and Ryan Reynolds have both recently been given lead roles in tentpole blockbusters, and audiences have responded as enthusiastically as an infant getting their first vaccination. “Who is this stranger, and why is my mother telling me this is for my own good … Ow! That sucked! That really, really sucked.” (Side note: obviously, vaccinations are good for infants. Please do not take this metaphor too literally.) Taylor Lautner, the frequently shirtless breakout star of those Twilight films, is the latest action hero to be forced down our throats. Sure, he has a built-in audience, thanks to the immense success of the Young Adult franchise that shot him into the stratosphere. But is it the right audience for a Bourne-l...
Hollywood loves telling us who the big new movie stars are. Sam Worthington and Ryan Reynolds have both recently been given lead roles in tentpole blockbusters, and audiences have responded as enthusiastically as an infant getting their first vaccination. “Who is this stranger, and why is my mother telling me this is for my own good … Ow! That sucked! That really, really sucked.” (Side note: obviously, vaccinations are good for infants. Please do not take this metaphor too literally.) Taylor Lautner, the frequently shirtless breakout star of those Twilight films, is the latest action hero to be forced down our throats. Sure, he has a built-in audience, thanks to the immense success of the Young Adult franchise that shot him into the stratosphere. But is it the right audience for a Bourne-lite imitator like John Singleton’s Abduction? Last I checked, tweenage girls weren’t too keen on this genre, and the boys who normally would be a fan will likely be disappointed by its bloodless, stagnant lameness.
In a bold move, our protagonist Nathan (Lautner) is established early in the film as a jerk; he sits on the bonnet of a car, whooping and hollering as his friends speed down the open roads of Pittsburgh. At a party, he drinks and guffaws obnoxiously, almost starts a fight, and, of course, wakes up shirtless on the front yard the next day. Later, he and the pouty girl next door Karen (Lily Collins) visit a missing children website for a school project, and joke about how ugly the kids are. The missing kids. That’s really unnecessarily mean. Whilst browsing the site, Nathan spots a photo of a three-year-old that resembles himself as a child. Helpfully, it offers a predicted composite of what that kid would look like today and … well, you get where this is going. Before Nathan can discover the truth about his identity, his fake-parents (the wonderful, vibrant Jason Isaacs and Maria Bello) are dispatched by assassins, sending the teenager and his love interest on a hunt for the truth. Also, Sigourney Weaver and Alfred Molina play CIA agents who are either trying to help or hurt them. It’s not important.
Actually, none of this plot is important. Despite the presence of so many talented character actors (including Swede Michael Nyqvist, who, as the main villain, reels off exposition in English as if he’s reading it off a crazy-fast teleprompter), this whole project seems purely a vehicle to showcase Lautner’s skills. “Skills?” You know, like, backflips and stuff. Admittedly, he does get an opportunity to show off some physical prowess in a rather cool final stunt, reminiscent of Jackie Chan’s biggie from Police Story. Otherwise, any awesome moves he may have are hidden beneath Singleton’s cluttered direction, which alternates between frantic to the point of incoherence, and sluggishly lackluster. And frankly, the moves are all Lautner has. Shawn Christensen’s screenplay has some pretty cringe-worthy lines, and it doesn’t help that the star relays them in such a literal, nuance-free manner. He’s not fun, he’s not funny, he’s not charming, and he doesn’t seem all that tortured. He even struggles to convincely play a teenager, and he is one. Also, all those abs and biceps and glutes and what-have-yous make him look a little unnatural; like that Little Hercules kid that used to always be on Ripley’s Believe it or Not. The lesson here: next to Robert Pattinson, anyone can convince you they’re a charismatic and talented actor.
2/5
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Member Reviews (79)
79 Member
Reviews
Lissa
says
Really quite a good action flick. Taylor Lautner makes for a convincing action hero. Plot was a little thin in places (like why they would go after Taylor's character in the first place - that was a little flimsy - but it is light entertainment after all), but otherwise it was good viewing with a good cast.
says
If swearing is unallowed.... then this was.... poop.
Acting was atrocious.
Pfurball
says
This had a lot of twists and turns, some predictable but most not. Watched it solidly from start to finish although a little slow at the start. Good actors and a good movie.
says
I enjoyed this movie as a bit of light entertainment...a bit of action and suspense and Taylor Lautner and Lily Collins make a cute couple.
nic
says
ho hum
Matthew B.
says
Kind of pointless. Could have been so much better.
helen
says
excellent good viewing all the through
Mike
says
This appalling American teen movie has pretensions that are completely unjustified and is suitable only for semi-comatose American teenagers. Poor photography, poor acting, gooey music and pathetic script. If you value your brain cells, do not go anywhere near this.
Anie
says
Didn't mind this one actually. Better than I expected.
D.M.
says
Was disappointed in this movie because I think with what the director had to work with, a far better job could have been made of it. The script was predictable and thus very poor; the plot was weak and sloppy. Also I think that the constant showcasing of Lautner's body was overdone. This could have been a much tighter production, but for some reason the whole thing was dumbed-down.
says
not the best acting or storyline, but battled through to the end
Stuart
says
Really? the worst acting! Stupid story. Taylor Lautner looks like a camel and just can't act. DO NOT BOTHER!!!!
Mel
says
Action for the sake of action. Poor acting. Too bad.
Murray
says
DVD kept stopping in the movie. Could not finish the movie.
Danksy
says
like many other discs lately it played and stopped, played and stopped then stopped. i forwarded thru the sceens and missed the crucial parts toward the end. it was pretty good what i got to see.
Noel
says
Very slow to start the story, but once the action starts it is pretty full on. Story line is weak, but we still enjoyed it.
Jojo
says
I found this a bit confusing to start however then it got interesting and had some good twists and turns in the plot. Not a brilliant film by any stretch but good and entertaining enough to sit the whole way through.
Sybil
says
Almost worth watching...but I would not recommend you waste your time.
Ahlam
says
Abduction!!! The best on the edge of your seat fast paced thriller iv seen in a long time.. I give it 5 stars
Luc
says
Despite the opening scene, I'm glad to see that either Taylor Lautner himself or the director of the film tried something new in actually attempting to act, not just walk around shirtless.
What a pity he still missed the mark.
With a great premise and so much potential, Abduction focuses too much on the blossoming guy-gets-the-girl relationship, rather than the actual story at hand. There are two scenes where the viewer feels they're watching a throw in with the actors just talking it all out, almost deus ex machina, designed just to catch up and/or explain everything that they've missed and realised needs explaining.
With very stiff acting from most, surprisingly including Sigourney Weaver, you often wonder if they just filmed the rehearsals and threw it all together.
The only things that saved this from 1 star for me were the folk behind the scenes. The camera work and soundtrack were quite well executed. Apart from that, this is just a movie to fill in the time.
GK
says
Different to what I expected. Not a bad movie but not an academy winner either. Watchable.
Marg
says
Watchable - but only just!
Evert
says
What shocking acting in this low budget movie, the so called 'star' cant act to save himself.
Not a movie i would recommend.
BAR
says
Definitely a movie for teens, except the ones that can appreciate good acting, directing and a good storyline
juliekym
says
Not what I was expecting to watch. Taylor Lautner's acting is woeful and I would say don't bother unless you are a teenager and like him so you don't care about the acting.
Ash
says
Abduction could have been a much better movie but it was pretty lackluster & the main girl actor...wow, she was terrible! The only reason it's even worth one star is Taylor Lautner.
Caren
says
This movie was not very credible. Bad acting & the DVD kept stopping. Did not enjoy it at all.
Larry
says
Only for the sub 25 crowd! About as believable as Red Dog becoming Prime Minister!
Kate
says
Not a bad movie but not an overly good one either, as others have said the storyline dragged on to the point of borderline B-rate film quality. I found it to be more lacking than the movie trailer made it seem to be and seemed to be targeted to the teen population, especially since the male lead was wolf boy from twilight. Wasn’t overly keen on the female lead either...
What was with her eyebrows?! If you are looking for mind numbing dribble this is a good one...if not...keep looking.
Sarah
says
OK - so not sure why the movie is called abduction...... Good story line but dragged at the begining - almost as if it were a teen movie. I liked the concept but I think it could have been a little less preppy in places. Worth watching though!
Annie
says
Loved it..... Really enjoyed this twisted movie. Def recommend it.
Danielle
says
Quite a good movie enjoyed watching, similiar sort of movie to liam neeson's (taken)
Faye
says
Didn't mind it... Storyline was weak and needed a bit of depth for it to be a really great movie, but Taylor Lauter was hot and action scenes were good.
Rocketr
says
My mother always told me; “if you don't have anything good to say, then don't say anything at all”. I don't do reviews therefore I have not said anything about a few very good movies, many not so bad movies and a few bad ones. Oh so remiss of me, I now find, after seeing “abduction” (the lack of a cap intentional). So I feel I should be clear. I am actively not saying anything good about “abduction”. I also feel reasonably confident that I will not need to make this active non-statement again for quite some time.
PS (and unrelated (sic)) why can’t you give a zero star?
jeppe toft
says
The worst movie i've watched in a very long time
Phil
says
Over the top Hollywood garbage thousand times seen before!
Joy
says
Okay
Kaye
says
Very enjoyable.
Paul M.
says
Khole's review here is harsh, but accurate.
Adults that like action thrillers: Avoid this. Could be a forgettable but reasonable 'date movie' for under-20s, especially girls that like the lead actor.
Movie is implausible and cheesy. Sigourney Weaver will look back on this with embarrassment - especially that last scene.
sue
says
I enjoyed the film, it was different to what I expected it to be.
Amos
says
plot is predicable but will keep most viewers interested to the end. script is average. more action than thriller with the usual explosions and gunfights. clearly aimed at the older teen market it hits that mark. a watchable film for a saturday night.
kathy
says
great movie
Khole
says
awful, awful, awful.
if you are over 16 avoid like the plague.
Stephanie
says
This is neither here or there. It kept you interested but didn't really include anything to write home about...
Peter
says
I really liked this movie! guess I must be a teenager at heart.. :)
Kam
says
If you are female or gay (but then maybe you still need the female googly hormone) then you might sit through the whole movie. Sometimes an action film has more action than a credible story line, this film didnt. actually it didnt do much at all. It was mentioned that a lot was riding on Taylor, but it appeared that this was about as much thought that went into it. . so much so it was almost a parody of itself. Constant up close shots and if they weren't close up then "quick pan in we're paying this guy a lot, forget the other actors in this scene focus on Taylor". But then maybe having credible actors as support in the film only enhanced the poor acting from Taylor; . I have so many bad things to say about this film that I am better off saying if you saw the first Twilight and thought that was bad, this is its twin for no story, no credibility, no action, no acting and well just . . . NO!!!! (weep I will never get back the time lost)
Hayesy
says
This movie has had a lot of bad press, but after seeing it I enjoyed it. It's made for the teenage market and has cashed in on Taylor fame with Twilight.
major Tom
says
This has got to be one of the worse movies of all time.I realise it comes out of the same factory that produces all those other movies for brain dead young people but give us a break,can't they at least have some kind of plot and acting that has some resemblance to reality.What a stinker!!
Robin
says
Good
Lynne
says
This movie is not as bad as its reputation. It is clearly designed for teenagers, and, when viewed in this light, it is entertaining. The plot's not going to set the world on fire, but it was fun with some good action sequences.
Kevin.
says
Good action movie.
Pat
says
only marginal nothing special
lisa
says
good teen movie
Jacinta
says
It was ok.. If you like your action soft, you will like this.
Trish
says
enjoyable, worth watching
MEL
says
An alright show to watch but not what I was expecting. There were a lot of gaps in the storyline that made it quite unbelievable and two dimensional. I believe this is actually aimed at young teens and would sit well with them if the parents found the level of violence acceptable.
Some action scenes were good and I appreciated the stunts and effort the actors have gone to. I was disappointed that this was Taylor Lautner's first film after the Twilight franchise. He has promise but it is not showcased in this film.
Vicki
says
Taylor Lautner should stick to being a cuddle wolf with a great six pack, the acting in this movie was terrible, good storyline but could have done so much more with the movie. Not worth the watch.
brooke
says
Taylor made it watchable :-)
Laura
says
its great
andrea
says
ok if you have nothing else to watch
Dave
says
Enjoyed this movie
Nasca
says
Pretty good movie, plenty of action.
A-M
says
Average - watchable but nothing to rave about.
Suze
says
Enjoyed it! True about Taylor's poor acting but all forgiven as he is very cute and does some great stunt moves.
RL
says
Action Thriller movie - good to watch...
Enjoy it, worth a look
Edward Hanlon
says
Great body, poor actor...a pretty face can only take you so far.
Great movie for teens with no aesthetic sense. Predicatble plot. Noisy with some spectacular stunts. Rastrus
Lyndal
says
I enjoyed this movie.
Jo
says
This film sounded like it had potential but it turned out to be really cheesy!
poshreany
says
it was good but not great. just a typical teenage action movie.
MLV
says
A bit juvenile and some stilted overacting but all can be forgiven with Taylor Lautner as eye candy. Worth a watch
MJA
says
Great movie. Solid acting from Taylor Lautner and supports, in a storyline that flows with intrigue, drama and a little action.
Ann E.
says
Without a doubt the BEST MOVIE I have seen in quite awhile. It has everything drama, adventure, espionage, touch of romance, heartache(nice to see a super hero that can shed a tear), one for the whole family except very young ones. The storyline holds your attention, the acting is exceptional this is the first time I have seen one of the young 'Twilght' series stars without thinking of the original films, Taylor Lautner is going to be a young actor with a big future. Brilliant movie can't recommend it highly enough, have to buy a copy for our home libruary now.
Lea
says
Typical teenage begining but is a very good action packed movie.
Very entertaining.
Anita L
says
Better than I expected, but still something aimed at the Twilight fans, bit of action, bit of romance. An added bonus was the Michael Nyqvist, from the original Swedish 'Girl With The Dragon Tattoo'.
Elaine
says
Didn't know what to expect after the Quickflx review but it was better than I thought. Good story and entertaining.
Pieta
says
Not what I was expecting, had higher expectations but this is still a good movie. Couldn't get over the similarities between Taylor Lautner as "Nathan" in this movie & his mannerisms to being similar to "Jacob" from the Twilight Saga movies. 'Nathan' in this movie lives in Clearwater Drive. 'Jacob' from Twilight has members from the Clearwater family in his shape shifting werewolf clan. "Nathan" rides a motorbike in Abduction & "Jacob" rides a motorbike in Twilight. Abduction is entertaining & action packed, storyline could be believable. Definitely recommend watching this movie.
Toby
says
Great flick, good balance of action and story. Quite believable, highly recommended.
Lisa
says
Better movie than I thought it would be, worth taking the time to watch
Jessie
says
Cannot wait for this to hit quickflix! Missed it in cinema, sadly.