Taken (2002)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Very Cool!!!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I have seen this series in one breath.But with every single compliment there is a 'but..' too. Fenning gives a performance that is outstanding given her age but... not all actors give their best unfortunately. The script is intelligent, exiting and it never fails to hold back when things are getting too spooky, fantastic or tempt to ask for too much technical blabla that you usually get in SF. So the events and characters always stay in a realistic decorum that is needed to accept the 'fantastic' without making it ridiculous.But.... the story lacks something. it lacks a planet. or to be more precise, it's premise seems to be that we are more alike then we might think - humans and aliens - but where is 'we'??? Where are the aliens and were is the population of planet Earth? I need them to relate to this great premise. I receive information on aliens but i don't see them act, feel, speak as a group to fulfill this premise. I see three families running through fields, villages.... i see a bunch of soldiers appearing everywhere without any constitutional back power. i hear about cover-ups but i don't see media that is covering or uncovering (just some blabla we usually see in movies), i hear about great theories on the very state of consciousness in both humans and aliens but again... where are they to show it to me?!!!... OK, a few representatives of both groups make this story. but they are tormented, hunted and are not common enough to make me be able to relate to the world they come from. characters chasing each other, mostly out of side of any population or media.... i miss the species of planet earth and beyond.one last thing. And i cannot explain it: i miss a heart. i miss a heart in this series. i miss goosebumps... and i am a sentimental guy. i would get them instantly. i was hooked up. but with the head. It's a Spielberg thing probably (?) and i don't even mean this negative because this great man delivers so many stories to think about. But i miss something that makes me choke..so, again, i would recommend this series. i saw it in one heartbeat, don't get me wrong. but with every SF-movie where i'm so relieved we are not drawn into the ship and are kept in our own imagination, here, in this one.... i needed the alien. clear, visual, acting, relating, talking. everything; so we are more alike then we might think? please show me next time! we are ready to enter the ship!

...it's small wonder that Steven "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" Spielberg was the guy riding shotgun on this production, not to mention the wide range of acting, directing, and production talent who collaborated to bring this baby to fruition. Just to mention a few: exacting art direction by Chris "Minority Report" Gorak; stellar DP work from Joel "The X-Files" Ransom and Jonathan "Possible Worlds" Freeman; tight direction from the likes of Tobe "Invaders From Mars" Hooper, Jeremy "Roswell" Kagan, and numerous others with shows like "The X-Files," "Dark Angel," and "The Outer Limits" under their belts; effective special effects and make-up from the Dreamworks team; last but not least, some prime performances from a generation-spanning cast, capped off by an exquisite turn from rising star (pun fully intended), Dakota "I Am Sam" Fanning. All of these efforts build on the foundation of a well-structured script from Leslie Bohem, a writer who unfortunately has yet to be attached to a successful film beyond "A Nightmare on Elm Stree: Dream Warriors." I won't belabor the plot, other than to mention that it covers most all the bases in modern UFO mythology. The core of the tale is the various human (and alien) relationships that form over the course of the half century or so in which it unfolds, and for the most part these are handled very well indeed. Characterizations are consistent and believable within the context of the fantastical content, with only occasional lapses in logic beyond the obvious ones that afflict the genre (like, just how does the government keep a tight lid on a cover-up that involves hundreds if not thousands of personnel, but never mind, that takes the fun out of the telling of it). I watched it twice on DVD with a number of years between viewings, and liked it both times, particularly enjoying the precocious talents of Ms. Fanning.Probably the only real complaint I'd lodge would be against the typically Spielbergian, highly manipulative score by Laura Karpman. I think the show might have been all the more impressive without such overt plucking of heartstrings and sluicing of tear ducts.Regardless, "Taken" is a fine piece of work, very engaging, and if nothing else, helped propel Ms. Fanning into the ranks of acting stardom. Recommended to all fans of the genre.

I really don't understand how this show has such a high overall rating or where the people are coming from who gave it positive reviews.I gave up halfway through the second episode as it was so boring it hurt! I am amazed that Spielberg was involved in this, what was he thinking?! The acting is dire, the effects look like something from 1971, the plot is vague and the script is like something written by a retired maths teacher who has never married.Maybe it improved as the series went on? I don't know as I would rather gouge out my right eye with a spoon than continue watching to find out!I just wish there was a way I could get back the time of my life that I wasted attempting to watch this rubbish!

It was not just 10 episodes, but was 10 days of my life that went in love, wonder, enthusiasm, excitement and thinking about it and its subject. Technically, it was close to perfect. Good direction, nice acting, speedy and lovable script and very nice cinematography. But not just technically, the movie also wins heavy points in everything it was. Let's start with the story first. It is about three generations of three families entangled in some secret mission of aliens and a quest to find what that mission was. They were Crawford's, Keys and Clarke's. Clarke's were associated with aliens. They were the breed of it. Keys were 'Taken' by the aliens. And, Crawford's wanted to solve the mystery. They wanted the answers. But, answers are never simple; neither is the way of finding them. Answers are not always good too. Many of the times when we get them, we regret the moment we asked the question. But, nevertheless, we ask them, because, and so was said by Allie in the movie too, questions drive us. They make us go forward, and they make us move on. But, even though these questions are so much important to us, getting the final truth not just destroy us, but also ruin many thing around us. Some answers are not possible to get, some answers cannot be comprehended. And, so, we should know when to let it go. One more thing, which is very important, is to understand that in our quest of knowing the truth, we should not forget the difference between right and wrong. Because, that's what make us different, and that is what makes us special. Movies have always been a source of knowledge to me. I have learned and have been inspired from a lot of movie. The same is the case with this Mini TV series. It made me learn things, and understand them. The best part, after its story, was the cast. It's not natural for me to love almost all the casts and characters of a movie. But, it's the case with Taken. Everyone was brilliant in their role. I especially very much liked whole of the 'Keys' family, and John, and Own Crawford, and Doctor Chet, and finally, our sweetest Allie. Dakota Fanning, who played the part of Allie, was not just cute and charming, but also brave, and real in that role. It wouldn't be wrong to say that I was waiting for her from the very first episode. The characters that I didn't like were that of Lisa Crawford and The General. I hated that Bastard when he tried to show off his morality in the end, after obviously ruining himself. Lisa was a bitch. I wanted her to die, but, well, she too lived. I didn't like the end of the movie. I wanted it to end on a happy note. Yeah, it made logic and sense, but still, I expected something else. Again, if that were to happen, then what was the point to wait for so long? It could have occurred a long time before. All the hard work that Lisa, Charlie and Tom did somehow went into Futile.But, apart from that, I loved it all along. And, this one, I will add into the list of my All Time favorite TV series.