By MEGHAN O’CONNOR
Staff Writer
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 3, 2011
Abduction, starring Taylor Lautner, made famous from the Twilight saga, stars in this movie about an average teenager who has a not so average life. When we first see Nathan, Lautner’s character, he seems to have the normal teenage existence. Partying, driving, and all around reckless, because that’s what’s apparently normal. Throw in a pretty girl named Karen, played by newcomer Lilly Collins, as Nathan’s love interest and you have the plot of any teenage movie. However, we soon find out that not everything is as it seems in Nathan’s world. His parent’s are not his real parents but really CIA agents and before the audience knows it Nathan and Karen are on a wild ride and we are just told to buckle up and enjoy.
Lautner has only been in a couple of movies and only recently has he really become a regular name that you hear around Hollywood. After this movie, I’m surprised that we are still hearing from him. Playing Nathan in an average kind of a role, Lautner tends to overdo himself in a lot of scenes. The over acting shows through so much that even a tween who is in love with him would think his delivery on some lines was corny. Besides the unnecessary over-acting was the way the film relied way too much on his good looks. In every scene that it was possible Lautner had his shirt off or was to doing something that overly accented his muscles. A positive on Lautner’s performance however, was that he did most of his stunts in this movie. You could tell the way the movie was filmed that most of the things Nathan was doing were in fact, filmed with Lautner doing them.
Though there was less than average acting, I have to admit that the writers did an excellent job. The plot for Abduction was very interesting. A story about a teenager having his whole world turned upside down because of the mystery surrounding his birth parents is not something that the average teenager deals with. However being confused about what is going on in your life is something most everyone deals with. The movie made running away from home to find out the truth, and the secrets people have hidden from you, a relatable coming of age story, and explored not being comfortable in your own skin. Granted, not every kid goes on a high-speed chase to find his or her answers but as a former teenager I could see how it would be relatable.
Overall I thought the plot line was good but they should have cast better actors. Putting an actor in a role just because he is good looking and the most recent high profile teenage actor will get you no where with people over the age of 18. If I was younger I would have loved it but I have matured from my teen years and now know good acting when I see it. In the end, Abduction promised only a lot of flashy eye candy; too bad my money was abducted.
