ROTTEN TOMATOES: Critics Consensus: Taken Is A Near Miss Comments

Critics Consensus: Taken Is A Near Miss

by Tim Ryan | January 29, 2009

Summary

This week at the movies, we've got a kidnapping plot (Taken, starring Liam Neeson and Famke Janssen); haunted teens (The Uninvited, starring Emily Browning and Elizabeth Banks); and cold comfort (New in Town, starring Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr.). What do the critics have to say? Back to Article

(1-32 of 32 posts) | Reply

jokerboy1991 writes:
on Jan 29 2009 05:09 PM

I think I am going to see Taken tomorrow. I am sure it will be illogical, but it looks like it will be bad @ss and I like Liam Neeson. I am also going to try to see Waltz With Bashir. I am looking forward to Coraline next week, and I am actually starting to find my self interested in seeing Friday the 13th.

(Reply to this)

the_don_of_yreka writes:
on Jan 29 2009 06:34 PM

It sucks that a good film like Medicine for Melancholy, is not in wide release. Anyways, nothing really good for this week. Can March get here sooner?

(Reply to this)

ledawg1138 writes:
on Jan 29 2009 06:48 PM

My computer didn't work most of today, I get bavk on and get a pleasent remiander about "New in Town". "Taken" looks like an all time low for Neeson, but it looks like "Citizen Kane" in comparrison to "New in Town". One of the worst months for movies ends with the worst of em all. And now we have to contend with Febuary. Eeeshh. I really don't like Renee Zellweger as an actress, she kind of annoys me. But she's attractive. Attractive and annoying. She's like Sarah Palin.

(Reply to this)

Goatmeal writes:
on Jan 29 2009 07:46 PM

In reply to this comment (#2289894)
Good looking on supporting Fox (Taken).

(Reply to this)

Ace69 writes:
on Jan 29 2009 09:08 PM

Taken has been on the internet for a while i saw it. But im still going to see it just to see it on the big screen

(Reply to this)

Xx MooSE xX writes:
on Jan 29 2009 09:20 PM

What action film wouldn't take a leap in logic? Taken will be good, good enough to kill Paul Blart! Hopefully

(Reply to this)

jokerboy1991 writes:
on Jan 29 2009 09:36 PM

In reply to this comment (#2290143)
Ah *****, Taken is a FOX movie?!? Maybe I'll give it a pass because I like Liam Neeson, or maybe I'll buy a ticket for something else and see it.

(Reply to this)

ZiGyStRdUsT writes:
on Jan 29 2009 10:11 PM

PIRCAY IS THE ANSWER HERE

(Reply to this)

Solonik -. writes:
on Jan 29 2009 10:33 PM

Saw Taken, not bad if you can forgive the ludicrous plot since the action is pretty intense.

(Reply to this)

Brittany M. writes:
on Jan 29 2009 11:09 PM

I can't believe The Uninvited is tracking so high. I saw a screening of it about a year ago, and it was by far the worst movie I've ever seen. They might have recut it to improve it, but I rather doubt it.

(Reply to this)

Gilles F. writes:
on Jan 29 2009 11:43 PM

Taken is really, really lame. I saw it last year in France, I'm french and even if it is made by a frenchman and shooted in Paris, this movie is ****.

It is a complete nonsense, and the actions scenes are stupid, and not that original at all. And if like me you are a fan of Liam Neeson, help him : don't go and watch this movie.

(Reply to this)

Gilles F. writes:
on Jan 29 2009 11:54 PM

Taken is really, really lame. I saw it last year in France, I'm french and even if it is made by a frenchman and shooted in Paris, this movie is ****.

It is a complete nonsense, and the actions scenes are stupid, and not that original at all. And if like me you are a fan of Liam Neeson, help him : don't go and watch this movie.

(Reply to this)

HyperionChild writes:
on Jan 30 2009 02:45 AM

Taken is just distributed by FOX in the US. It was produced by CANAL

(Reply to this)

Funkmaster Flex writes:
on Jan 30 2009 06:20 AM

Emily Browning? I haven't heard her name since A Series of Unfortunate Events. I'll think I'll just see Underworld since I didn't last week. Or maybe I'll just play COD instead. I would only want to see Taken if the criminal mastermind were Darth Maul and Liam had to fight him again.

(Reply to this)

MizzleBrizzle writes:
on Jan 30 2009 06:21 AM

I think I'll go see Frost/Nixon today. XP I doubt I would have been interested in Taken even if it was 95%. I'm tired of movies about how terrible it is when white women get abducted. I like Zellweger, but I wish she would do something that wasn't sheer pabulum so I could go see it.

(Reply to this)

Funkmaster Flex writes:
on Jan 30 2009 06:37 AM

MB, it's only when ATTRACTIVE white women are abducted. Liam wouldn't give a crap if it was Rosie O'Donnell.

(Reply to this)

Elixor writes:
on Jan 30 2009 06:45 AM

I'm going to go see this to go see Liam's performance. I'm tempted to go along with Jokerboy and buy a ticket to something else, but if it's a good movie, I'd want to reward the other people involved outside of FOX.

(Reply to this)

Hans M. writes:
on Jan 30 2009 08:54 AM

First off, as a copy editor at another website-- WTF?! Did you see the typos in the Taken blurb and the lifeless writing since the fun captions went away from here? RT, contact me, if you're looking for some help.

On to this week's movies, nothing I'm too excited about, but I could have told you Uninvited and especially New in Town were going to be weak. Hollywood needs to stop bastardizing J-Horror, and those slapstick commercials for New in Town never boded well for any seeking substance in that movie. As for Taken, there's something seductive about the testosterone that fuels the plot that piques my interest.

(Reply to this)

Solonik -. writes:
on Jan 30 2009 11:22 AM

In reply to this comment (#2290748)
Who would??

(Reply to this)

knowingtoast85 writes:
on Jan 30 2009 01:20 PM

I want to mail my $8 directly to Pierre Morel, because he deserves it - the internet-leaked version of Taken completely rocked my socks. Too bad Fox cut a lot of the violence to get to a PG-13, thereby neutering all of the fun antihero subtext in it. I want to show my friends how wild, scuzzy and awesome this movie is on the big screen, and thanks to Fox, I can't.

(Reply to this)

love_flag writes:
on Jan 30 2009 01:45 PM

What a shocker The Uninvited actually managed to score more than a few decent reviews!

(Reply to this)

Humbaba_O'Reilly writes:
on Jan 30 2009 02:21 PM

"Serbis" is not "a documentary that examines at the root causes of the long-running gang war," it's about a Filipino family and suffering in a sex theater with a goat. Maybe that description was intended for "Crips and Bloods: Made in America."

(Reply to this)

jokerboy1991 writes:
on Jan 30 2009 03:24 PM

In reply to this comment (#2291399)
Was it originally R?

(Reply to this)

collex writes:
on Jan 30 2009 03:56 PM

This week I'm gonna see The Wrestler. Next week: Either Slumdog Millionaire or Milk.

(Reply to this)

Patrick C. writes:
on Jan 30 2009 04:57 PM

To All:
Hey! It's January. Always has been the month to dump stuff before the Oscars.
There is another movie out this week that was finished in 05'. Sam's Lake. Slasher/Cabin in the Woods. Do I have to say more! Enjoy.

(Reply to this)

ColinTheCimmerian writes:
on Jan 30 2009 07:37 PM

In reply to this comment (#2290039)
All time low for Neeson? What makes you say that? The man adds so much to a movie just as a supporting player; it's seldom he gets to play the lead (though when he does he's very good at it), and I think this will be another good role for him. I'm looking forward to seeing him in a more action-oriented scenario than his typical stuff.

(Reply to this)

knowingtoast85 writes:
on Jan 30 2009 08:02 PM

In reply to this comment (#2291558)
Not that I have any real clue as to whether the leaked version is in fact an R, but I do know of many instances where Fox has trimmed the violence, made it happen offscreen or suggested through new edits that the violence is happening to other parts of the human anatomy...as opposed to the tender parts.

Seriously, the lengths to which Neeson's character goes NEED to be shocking in order for this movie to work, and Fox doesn't see that. They're in a position where they seemingly have to be concerned about every dollar they can get, and are looking to trim their movies to be more commercial. It's really easy to find the leaked version, just saying.

(Reply to this)

Pleasuretown writes:
on Jan 31 2009 05:00 AM

Taken was rather decent. Sure there are some highly unbelievable points in the film, but what action film isn't a little absurd? The action is almost non-stop, The acting is spot on, and Neeson is bad ***. I would have loved a more compelling character, but you get what you get, and it's not a waste of and hour and a half. Also, Coraline looks great, i'll be seeing that next weekend.

(Reply to this)

sportzboy698 writes:
on Jan 31 2009 09:36 AM

ok this isnt the first time Fox aimed for a PG-13. Look at Max Payne only three months ago.

(Reply to this)

coolio d. writes:
on Feb 01 2009 08:19 AM

When taken came out in britain in september I tell you it didn't look like a PG-13 cut BTW liam neeson is one tough bastard with him kicking the asses of evil arabs (are there any other kind of arab in american movies?)

(Reply to this)

gm1200 writes:
on Feb 01 2009 01:11 PM

Wow...you Watchmen fanatics really need to take it down a notch...

You're willing to pass up a movie just because it was done by Fox...or worse...STEAL it?

Whats even sadder is you're blaming Fox for something that ANYONE...yourself included...would have done...amazing.

I can't wait for Watchmen to come out so it can bomb...not even the writer of the comic wants to watch that pile of tripe...you guys are really giving credence to the image of dumb fanboys...thanks a lot.

Back on topic...Taken is pretty good, the other two suck...and as for Neeson only wanting to rescue pretty white women...well, its his daughter, so the character probably doesn't care how attractive she is...oh yeah...and since when did prositute slavers abduct ugly women? Probably not much money in that...

(Reply to this)

gm1200 writes:
on Feb 01 2009 01:18 PM

As for the rating...Taken did not need an R cut. The off screen stuff is just fine...and what is shown is plenty shocking enough.

In fact, this is exactly the kind of movie people need. Proof that an effective shooting does NOT require ridiculous amounts of blood to work. A great and believeable action scene does not need to draw an R rating...in fact it probably isn't very realisitc if it does.

(Reply to this)

Related Links

Taken

Related Articles

Most Discussed

Latest News

Latest Interviews

Latest Features

Sponsored Links