additional links
Transporter 2
Having watched the Transporter I was reasonably sure what to expect from Transporter 2, and was reassured when in the opening sequence, Frank (Jason Stratham) takes apart a gang of car thieves in a matter of seconds. Then things got a little weird with him having to pick up a kid from school, although, to be fair he is known for transporting anything, no questions asked. Of course, all is made clear when he gets embroiled in a kidnapping centred on the kid. Frank then has to foil the bad guys, evade the cops and keep his promise which requires saving the boy.
Sequels are always a tricky thing. They have to live up to the original while still being original enough to maintain your interest, Living up to the original for this wasn’t all that difficult, all you needed was a couple of Hong Kong style action sequences and some high intensity car chases. As far as originality goes, this one had a different set of rules, and some character development, which really wasn’t required, so it was a good thing that it was just a little character development.
The only real criticism I have for Transporter 2 is that the fight scenes and car chases could have done with a little more fluidity. I understand that the current style is to edit the fight scenes to be quick and brutal, and while this is generally an effective technique, if it is overdone the scenes become disjointed and difficult to follow resulting you losing interest. Which, when that is the selling point of the movie is not a good thing.
Dodginess
Being a sequel, it’s always going to be difficult to score high on the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man Scale given that the expectations are already set. That being said, this one still manages 4 Stay Puft Marshmallow Men thanks to the formulaic script, great fight scenes and extreme driving skills of Frank. The dodgiest moment in this movie is definitely the appearance of the deadly virus and life-saving antidote. If I ever manufacture a super biological entity capable of destroying the entire world, I’m not going to make it look like some reject prop from “The Rock” or an energy drink at a rave.
Rewatchability Rating
While this one is cool and dodgy, the overdone editing of the fight scenes and car chases caused me to lose interest. The disjointed viewpoints started to cause pain as the film continued and I was subjected to more of them. There isn’t much chance of me watching this one more than once or twice, so it only scores a 2 on the rewatchability index.
Most Memorable Quote
Unfortunately, in a film like this, most of the one-liners don’t work without the visuals, but there are always some comments that stick with you, in this case, the job requirements for being an evil henchman. you can just see this being under desirable qualities on the job application for assistants to the evil genius. “Wit is not a requirement of the job. Brutality yes, an ability to inflict pain, absolutely, a certain moronic psychotic mentality, blind obedience, all required, but not wit.”
Final Thoughts
If you enjoyed Transporter, you’ll probably enjoy Transporter 2. If you thought Transporter was alright and had no intention of watching the sequel, you may just be pleasantly surprised.