The premise of Abduction no doubt had Taylor Lautner fans swooning over the idea of the Twilight actor starring in a dramatic action thriller whilst those not so keen on his werewolf frolicking may have hoped that Abduction would be a good break away from teen drama. Whilst his fans may come away more pleased with Abduction, most will probably be bitterly disappointed with Lautner’s latest offering.

Abduction has the potential to be a good film but instead it is a tame and unoriginal attempt that relies too heavily on muscled Nathan (Lautner) and his complicated adolescent troubles securing a big teenage girl audience.

Lautner plays American teenager Nathan, the boy next door until one day he discovers his picture on a missing children website and suddenly Nathan’s ordinary life starts to unravel into a dangerous tale of fake parents, dodgy CIA officers and rogue assassins. Of course there is also a predictable love interest in the form of neighbour Karen (Lily Collins).

The producers have obviously tried to steer away from the teen-centered flick approach by making sure nearly every scene has enough unnecessarily high-paced violence. But whilst some of the stunts are impressive, most of the film’s action comes across as over-the-top and forced.

Big name actors Sigourney Weaver and Alfred Molina also play odd cameos. Both have lazy roles as either CIA officers (Molina) or protectors of Nathan (Weaver) but both seem merely plot devices to try and give the film’s story some structure.

Abduction is by far not the worst movie I have ever seen but it is hard to stay focused on the film unless your main objective is to stare at Lautner for just over an hour and a half. But if that is the case, Abduction is a triumph.

DVD Extras

The extras on Abduction again give Lautner fans another glimpse of the star as an all out action hero including various behind the scenes interviews and a gag reel.