I recently caught a showing of Abduction staring the movie-making machine Scott Adkins (Undisputed) and Andy On (True Legend). It’s kind of a martial arts, science fiction fantasy flick with interdimensional beings, what looks like magic and a few gunfights. Sci-fi movies never seemed to be Adkins thing unless it’s a big budget cinema release. Although he has done some terrible ones, I’m looking at you Incoming which Adkins actually apologised for on Facebook. So, with that in mind I never really had high hopes for this one as I’ve never heard of it but it’s got Adkins and Andy Oh starring so there must be some great fights, right? Well.
The movie starts with main character Quinn (Adkins) laying face down on a slab with a bunch of other people. There’s a guy going across removing a strange device from the backs of their necks. Quinn wakes up and quickly sneaks off. He comes to a room with a big device in the middle and a bunch of people in cages around it. One of the people being his young daughter who looks to be in some kind of trance. Quinn tries to wake her when the main antagonist enters simply known as The Visitor, dressed in a hooded robe. Some other people enter with him all with devices on the back of their necks. The devices are metal spiders with a green gem which basically turns people into drones. It also makes them a lot stronger and seemingly impervious to pain. Also they can’t be killed. A fight ensues. Quinn coming out the victor by ripping the devices off their necks. He then attacks The Visitor who punches Quinn so hard he knocks him through a brick wall. He falls out of a giant temple place on a cliff which looks to be on another planet. He falls into the water and upon swimming to the surface. He’s now in a fountain in Vietnam. Quinn was hit so hard it’s caused him to lose his memory and acquire quite a comical stutter. He’s now basically wondering the streets of Vietnam trying to communicate with people who don’t speak a word of English and with a stutter to make matters worse.
Cut to Connor (Andy On) who seems to be the local mod contractor/assassin type. He’s in the process of taking out some Russians who are trying to move in on his boss’s territory. This is his last job as he wants to move away with his wife. He gets home and has a dream the interdimensional beings take his wife which turns out to be true to he goes on a mission to find her. By this time Quinn is sleeping rough, two cops try to move him on, he gets into a fight and gets arrested. Anna a therapist decides to try and help him.
Connor finds out one of his bosses’ men was behind his wife disappearance so follows him as he’s about to meet the Visitor. Connor confronts the Visitor tries to fight him but gets his arse well and truly kicked as The Visitor seems to be unbeatable in hand to hand combat.
Eventually, Connor and Quinn cross paths and they team up to find Quinn’s daughter and Connors wife with the help of Anna. It basically feels like your typical low budget sci-fi channel movie although not quite as cheaply made and terrible looking as them. The plot is basically ridiculous and I didn’t really find any need for the sci-fi element. A cliché evil cult kidnapping the wife and daughter would have been better. The movie wasn’t terrible by any means but my main gripe is there was no end fight. I thought for sure there would be a final epic battle with Quinn and Connors taking on the seemingly unbeatable The Visitor. Both getting beaten in a desperate attempt to win before one sacrifice himself for victory but nope. No fight, nada. The best fight probably being when Quinn gets a spider device planted on his neck so he and Connors go at it. The end kind of leaves it open for a sequel.
It’s good to see Andy On again and can honestly seem him in roles such as the Upcoming Shang-Chi movie. This is obviously just one of Adkins many movies coming out this year. I counted 4 last I looked; the man is a machine. Abduction is only really worth a watch if you’re a fan of Scott Adkins which I am.
Rating: 2.5/5 belts
