MOVIE REVIEW - Abduction

Taylor Lautner has put away his wolf fangs for an hour and a half, and stars in the new thriller, Abduction. Yes, the Twilight co-star has his own gig till the big cash starts rolling in from the next Twilight flick in November.

Abduction is the story of a high school senior named Nathan (Lautner). He is a typical kid or so it seems. He is on the wrestling team, he drinks himself silly and stays out all night on weekends, and has a crush on the girl across he street. But the one thing he doesn't have in common with all the other kids is his Hollywood good looks, and he is being chased by the CIA for some reason.

Nathan's parents are murdered in a home invasion, and before they die, they urge him to run and save himself. Along with the girl across the street who witnesses the whole thing. They soon find out that the CIA is in pursuit, but and so are the bad guys. But why? Why is this high school kid so important? Well, that's why you have to go see Abduction. Or maybe not.

I can see the eye rolling already. "I, as a grown adult am NOT going to see a Taylor Lautner flick!" I get it. But a few minutes into this movie that starts off halfway decent, you realize that
grownups are not supposed to be there. In its defense, this is a grown up movie for very young adults, and I'm good with that. Finally, a movie that targets a young audience that doesn't sell out to horrible language, rampant drug use, graphic violence, and over all tastelessness.

And I say, good for them. Up front for me, this is not a great movie. But it's not for me. It is full of predictable, cliche' and obligatory scenes, that a young audience will eat up with a gigantic spoon. The storyline is simple, but not babyish. It has some action, but overall it's not silly. Oh, granted there is a shade of "yeah right" to it, but it's not a deal breaker. This movie is only about 85 minutes, so it doesn't wear out it's welcome either.

Lautner has been convinced he is a hunk, and acts every bit of it here. It is hard not to see Jacob from Twilight here, but I think that's by design. He over acts and reacts at times. The surrounding cast is above average, and as a whole, good decisions are made here basically from start to finish. Am I going back to see this movie? No. But I do respect a movie that knows its audience, and serves it well without being a total sellout to the lowest common denominator.

Abduction. For who its for, good movie. For many others? Go see Moneyball.