Review: Taken 3

Review: Taken 3
*Mild Spoilers Alert
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Official 'Taken 3' Poster.

      A disappointing ending to a promising franchise, 'Taken 3' failed to improve upon the first two, but still has its moments of satisfaction to the hardcore fans.

"Liam Neeson".

"Liam Neeson" and "Maggie Grace".

      After the events of 'Taken 2' "Bryan Mills'(Liam Neeson) has stabilized his life to be there for his family and friends. But suddenly, after his ex-wife 'Lenore Mills-St. John'(Famke Janssen) is murdered, 'Bryan' finds himself framed for her murder, especially since it happened in his house. With the safety of his daughter 'Kim Mills'(Maggie Grace) his only concern and knowing what will happen should he be caught, he decides to run from the authority and take matters into his own hands, trying to find who killed his wife, the reasons behind killing her and framing him at the same time. But this will not be an easy task. Following him is LAPD Inspector 'Franck Dotzler'(Forest Whitaker), who starts to learn the way 'Bryan' works and trying to arrest him, even if he has his doubts and suspicions regarding 'Bryan''s innocence. Also on his tail is the Russian mob who is also trying to eliminate him from the equation. Other major characters include 'Stuart St. John'(Dougray Scott) 'Lenore''s husband, 'Oleg Malankov'(Sam Spurell) Russian assassin and leader of the Russian mob, 'Jimmy'(Jonny Weston) 'Kim''s boyfriend' and 'Bryan''s friends and ex-operatives: 'Sam Gilroy'(Leland Orser), 'Mark Casey'(Jon Gries) and 'Bernie Harris'(David Warshofsky).

"Famke Janssen".

"Forest Whitaker".

      When the first 'Taken' movie was released, it quickly spiraled where every single audience who watched was interested in a new and fresh take on the action genre, wrapped up in a clever setting where an ex-special agent running to save his daughter from sex-traffickers. After its success, it was obvious that 'Taken 2''s release was a matter of time. And with its release, the movie took the same direction that the first one, while expanding upon its action and stakes. Still people expected more from the sequel. With this third and maybe the last installment of the franchise, many were waiting for the change they expected from the second movie, unfortunately this did not happen. And while the third 'Taken' movie did change the formula of the franchise (kidnapping), the movie disregarded the importance of a solid story with an emotional hook. Instead the story builds the entire movie upon the action sequences rather than the other way around. These scenes were enjoyable (to a certain extent), but still it made the franchise loose the fresh-aspect of its success and move toward tediousness. This lost the movie's sense of excitement and adventure.

"Liam Neeson".

"Maggie Grace" and "Forest Whitaker".

      French director "Olivier Megaton", who directed 'Taken 2' and 'Columbiana', technically does deliver a visually enjoyable film, where many of the shaky camera and angle positioning did play a positive impact on the action in the movie. But as much as "Olivier"'s direction style suits this genre; it still could not save the movie. "Luc Besson"('Taken 2' and 'Lucy') and "Robert Mark Kamen"('The Karate Kid(1984)' and 'Taken'), were able to maintain the father-daughter bond that both 'Bryan' and 'Kim' had in the previous two movies. However, the stakes of the movie felt really flat and small in comparison to the previous movies. Also many of the stuff and events that occurred felt a bit over-the-top, which is unlike the grounded aspect that the fans are used to in this franchise. The concept different from the previous movie was understandable, alas what was made was not achieved. Composer "Nathaniel Mechaly", who has previously worked on all of "Olivier"'s movies, contributed with a husky score that complemented the action.

"Dougary Scott".

"Jonny Weston" and "Maggie Grace".

      The starting point of the picture was as what we would expect; introducing to newcomers the characters, while allowing established fans to get to know the current status quo. Still the quiet first half of the movie felt a bit rushed, which was surprising knowing that this is the longest running movie in all the franchises. Though killing of 'Lenore' was the motivation of the entire movie's existence, still as many fans have shared other reasons could have been found to re-purpose 'Bryan''s reactivation of his set of skills. Maybe something that pertained to elements of the previous movies, which would have both maintained the franchise's continuity and see all the 'Mills' family gather up. Continuing with what actually happen, the rushing of the first half was in favor to start-up the action of the movie. To be honest, some of these scenes do have the fun action that many expected to be, regardless of being scattered. From the running from the cops, to the university sequence and even the grocery fight, all of these settings had their shining moments. The ending of the movie, as per usual, felt rushed but it left an opportunity for a sequel, should the studio green light one.

"Maggie Grace" and "Leland Orser".

"Liam Neeson".

      One of the positive elements of the movie is "Liam Neeson". From the moment he decided to play 'Bryan Mills', many of his fans and regular audiences started to associate the character with him and ultimately the franchise. In this movie, "Liam Neeson" is able to perform again what he was able to achieve before. Moreover, acknowledging that his character was ageing was also a nice addition. "Maggie Grace"'s character development was a nice touch, though seeing the potential its character achieved in 'Taken 2', her arc in this movie was a disappointment. Nevertheless, "Liam" and "Maggie"'s father-daughter chemistry was once again recaptured providing a positive element for the movie. "Forest Whitaker" was one of the interesting character additions, making him an intriguing foe for 'Bryan''s character, making their limited interactions feel valuable yet a shame. "Famke Janssen"'s limited inclusion was also a shame. "Dougary Scott" replaced "Xander Berkeley" due to the latter being unable to fill the role. And in foresight, it was a good decision seeing the need the character required. "Sam Spurell" was an undeveloped villain, "Jonny Weston"'s inclusion was also wasted, while the inclusion of "Leland Orser", "David Warshofsky" and "Jon Gries" as 'Bryan''s friends on a larger scope was much appreciated.

      The supposedly final chapter of the franchise did not live up to the expectations of the critics and fans, which was a shame seeing the potential it could have had.

Official 'Taken 3' Poster.

-'Taken 3' Info:
-Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Forest Whitaker, Dougary Scott, Sam Spurell, Jonny Weston, Leland Orser, David Warshofsky and Jon Gries.
-Studio(s): EuropaCorp, Canal+, M6 Films and 20th Century Fox.
-Directed by: Olivier Megaton.
-Written by: Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen.
-Music by: Nathaniel Mechaly.
-Running Time: 109  minutes.
-Budget: $ 48,000,000.
-Box Office: -Domestic(US): $ 86,850,000.**
                -Foreign: $ 190,400,000.**
-Ratings: -IMdb: 6.2/10.
            -Rotten Tomatoes: 10%.
            -Metacritic: 26%.

            -PERSONAL RATING: 6.4/10.

**Still Showing in Theaters Across the World.

-'Taken 3' Trailer: