Taken is dramatically and technically well made, and the plot was historically already written out. Trying to create an interesting and semi-realistic drama series about alien abduction without making a sci-fi parody is quite a challenge, even with Steven Spielberg giving his artistical production guidance in the bottom. Those who expected a creepy monster feeling might be disappointed. The drama is well worked out and some of the acting performances are occasionally brilliant, with child actor Dakota Fanning stunning both viewer and obviously also fellow performers one the one hand, but sadly some poor performances on the other, with an over acting Heather Donahue destroying a generally good impression. Also, there is a lack of balance in the development of the story, with the fundemental idea of not wanting to take it all too far outer space but keeping a down to earth mood throughout, and let the human perspective dominate, ultimately making one feel that there really should be more of the alien element. Moreover, when the series feels too long it might be due to mangeling of the basic perspective written in the title. Finally, when we see the aliens appear, there's a reason to question if the digital animations are made unrealistic on purpose, to make it work on a broad family level, or if the standard on such a production is expected to be this low technically. With nearly a decade since the technical realistic wonder Jurassic Park, it must legal to expect something more both thrilling and stunning from a show with Spielberg written all over it.
Review of Taken
