Review of Taken 3 (2014) by Thequietgamer — 01 Jun 2015

Another unnecessary Taken sequel. In an effort to keep things fresh changes were made to the formula. As a result though a lot of what made the first Taken such an enjoyable hit is missing here. The action is more based on big spectacle as opposed to the more believability of the first film. The excellent hand-to-hand fights that were so enjoyable are barely here at all. Instead the majority of the action is composed of a lot of chase scenes (particularly car chases) and shootouts. Explosions are thrown in for good measure. Add in a plot that tries way too hard to be complex and you have a movie that fails to live up to it's predecessors.

However I would be lying if I said that this third movie isn't still an enjoyable action-thriller. Most of that is due to Neeson. He's still an enjoyable action hero, even if this is the first movie where it looks like his age is getting to him. He doesn't get up quite as fast anymore and takes more hits than we are used to seeing. He's still the guy you don't want to mess with though, and he still sounds great when he's saying intimidating stuff.

For a while the movie lacks progress in moving it's story forward. It tries to set up some sort of mystery. However it seems the writer(s) knew they didn't really have one here so they decided to keep audiences in the dark for as long as possible by having Neeson just run from cops for a significant portion of the movie rather than going after the bad guys. Neeson's character never even really pieces things together. The whole big picture just sort of falls in his lap and he goes on taking down the bad guys while trying to keep his daughter safe. Not exactly satisfying writing, but it gives us an excuse to watch Neeson go.

It's nice to see Neeson's old allies get in on some of the action this time. This isn't the Expendables though so don't expect them to go in guns blazing with him, but they play an actual role in helping him as opposed to just being there like in the previous films. However the real ingenuity still comes from Neeson. It's a blast to watch him stay one step ahead of his pursuers the entire time. The actual action isn't anything special, but still manages to entertain.

All in all this third sequel is a case of good, not great. Well, maybe more like decent. It can be a perfectly entertaining ride for those who come in not expecting too much and wanting to see more Neeson. This biggest issue is basically that this doesn't feel like a "Taken" movie at all. The characters are here, but the magic of that first film isn't. Instead what we get is a solid, but not terribly remarkable action-thriller. One that would make for a pretty nice rental, but won't standout among the other action movies you've seen. It's not one I regret watching and I did enjoy it, but I would've appreciated a whole lot more. Thankfully Neeson keeps things going.