On the downside, it was pretty formulaic. If you saw the trailer, nothing will surprise you. Also, a sub-plot involving a Beyonce/Christina Aguilera knock-off... seriously? Finally, former Bond-girl Famke settles in as Liam Neeson's ex- in a role termed "thankless" by no fewer than 4 reviews I've read. That's what she gets for atomizing her boyfriend and turning evil mutant!
On the upside, Liam Neeson makes the movie respectable. He does a good job portraying a spy-slash-angry-daddy, and is old enough to explain his treasure trove of spy know-how. (Did you ever wonder how Jason Bourne spoke 10 languages, was trained in 5 martial arts, and knew every back-allley in Paris by the time he was twenty-three? Me too.) When he runs into evil Albanians in Paris, Neeson has to pick up a store-bought Albanian dictionary to figure out what's going on. Loved it!
This is not an A movie, but it's decent fun, and wins three bonus awards:
The ECONOMY award: Tons of commercials these days start off something like, "In these tough times, you need a hamburger that will ... " Taken is economic. Why does a B-movie have to be two and a half hours long? Answer: It shouldn't! Taken has a basic plot, but it respects the viewer by finishing the basic plot in a reasonable 90 minutes. Thank God I didn't see Watchmen, I'd have been there half my day off.
The INSPIRATION award: My friend Blake and I left the theater determined to learn Neeson's one-hit carotid-chop ninja technique. Good times.
The SURPISE ENDING award: What? Liam Neeson didn't die? Liam Neeson dies in most of his movies! Not this one. This isn't shot or delivered in a surprising way, I just expect him to die when I get to the theater.
