Review: ‘Taken 3’ offers nothing new

Posted on January 16, 2015

By MARK VIOLA

“Taken,” released in 2008, was a solid action film which helped actor Liam Neeson reinvent his career and made parents everywhere scared to let their daughters out of their sight. Using his particular set of skills, Bryan Mills (Neeson) slaughters scores of human traffickers on his way to rescue his kidnapped daughter Kim (Maggie Grace).

And now we have “Taken 3,” which is being called the final film in the Bryan Mills trilogy, although based on the solid box office returns so far, a fourth outing is not entirely out of the question. Hopefully they let Bryan settle into retirement with what’s left of his family, because even before this installment, there is very little on the “Taken” bone.

“Taken 3” gets credit for trying to do something different, but it settles on a plot device nearly as worn out as another kidnapping. At least the word “taken” wasn’t used as far as I remember, not that I’m going to be remembering much from the movie for long.

The movie is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and for brief strong language.

(This is a shortened version of the full review available in our printed or e-edition papers.)

Subscribe to our e-Edition and read the rest of the story. Already a subscriber? Click here to sign in.