This isn’t a bad start at all, suggesting a Hitchcockian suspense thriller for the teen set. I specify “teen” because despite the presence of a rather formidable supporting cast, the main attraction here is Lautner. The movie clearly hopes to interest members of Team Jacob above all else. Lautner isn’t likely to gain any new fans with his workmanlike performance in Abduction. But the strategy is obvious: Lautner is meant to rope in the teens and preteens, while the heavier-hitting mature supporting cast will pique mom and dad’s interest.
The plot quickly becomes unbelievable as Nathan’s mysterious past unravels. No fair going into details, because even though it is hard to swallow, the reasons why the Serbians want Nathan dead are the only reason to keep watching Abduction. For awhile, Shawn Christensen’s screenplay maintains a balancing act even with the mounting absurdities. But I found myself baffled by the convoluted motivations of both Kozlow and Burton.
Suffice it to say, though, Nathan eventually discovers the truth about who his parents are. And his longtime platonic relationship with Karen has blossomed into much more. But by the end of the film, I found myself having great difficulty making sense of the whole thing. Abduction is an intriguing premise that was poorly executed.
Like so many lackluster movies of the Blu-ray era, Abduction is a very well-polished turd. There’s nothing worth complaining about when it comes to the 1080p AVC encoded transfer. In fact, the movie looks outstanding in every way. Abduction is boasts an unusually varied color palette for a dark, moody thriller. As well-worn a cliché as it is, the colors do seem to pop from the screen, especially the rich, complex greens of the foliage as Lautner works his way through the forest. Sharpness is remarkable, as is fine detail, though in a way they are somewhat wasted on such a stilted movie. After all, what good is the ability to discern even the subtlest of nuance in expression when the actors’ faces fail to register a significant range of emotions? Still, the high level of technical quality provides at least something of interest for viewers to focus on long after they’ve tuned out of the silly plot.
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