Review

Review Date: 25-September-11
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Just OK

Abduction (2011)

Rarely have I seen a movie as deliberately planned and packaged as Abduction. The action flick, directed by John Singleton, is the vehicle by which Taylor Lautner means to graduate from his also-ran role in the Twilight series to bona fide movie stardom. Playing a high school senior who discovers that his whole life has been a lie on the same night that strangers blow up his home, Lautner delivers what his fans want to see: a macho fighting side, backed by actual martial arts skills, and a romantic softer side, bolstered by pouty lips and a squinty smolder. Most importantly, he removes his shirt (though much less often than I expected). What feels so deliberate, however, is the movie's conservative concern over Lautner's position as role model. Despite his partying in the opening scene (with beer and everything!), Abduction drips with important lessons for teens such as honoring your parents, sticking with your friends, controlling your hormonal urges, and understanding that "trust needs to be earned." After a while the picture gets bogged down by good (highly thought-out, market-driven) intentions.

Indeed, viewers who aren't satisfied simply by gazing at Lautner may lament the story's skimpiness. After discovering his own photograph on a website about missing children, the hero, Nathan, loses the people he thought were his parents and is forced to flee with the underfed girl next door (Lily Collins), on whom he has a crush. They are pursued by a slippery CIA agent (Alfred Molina) and a prototypical Eastern European baddie (Michael Nyqvist), who both want top-secret intelligence stolen by Nathan's real father, a mysterious spy. An encounter on a train (always an intriguing location) gives Lautner the chance to flex his muscles, but during the showdown at a Pittsburgh Pirates game he does little but move around. It's pretty weak stuff when compared with the sensational title (which has nothing to do with the plot) and premise of a young, suburban version of Jason Bourne. Maybe if they weren't so intent on devising a springboard for Lautner's career, the writer, director, and star could have made Abduction grittier or looser, and more of a thrill.

Copyright © 2011 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.