Customer Reviews

Steven Spielberg Presents Taken

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Steven Spielberg, best known for movies like E.T. and Jaws, delivers a tour-de-force epic on a scale few "made-for-T.V." movies have ever reached. Taken, a mini-series originally developed for Sci-Fi, is a multi-generation story of three families, and their experiences with other-worldly beings. The story begins during World War II and continues up to present day, elaborately exploring the lives of people who have been abducted and others who would cover up such knowledge.

The story is broken up into 10 episodes:

1.) "Beyond the Sky", set in 1947, the first episode introduces the audience to three families whose lives will be forever changed by alien abduction, goverment cover-ups, and a series of events is put into motion that will effect future generations of these families for years to come.

2.) "Jacob and Jesse", set in the early 50's, these two boys are introduced to the series. Jacob, a boy who is half alien/half human, is sought out by the military for his unique abilities. Jesse, the son of an abductee is taken for the first time.

3.) "High Hopes", set in the late 50's, the story continues with Owen Crawford, top officer behind the military's investigation into the U.F.O phenomenon, attempts to capture Jacob, and fails. Later, he is approached by Jesse Keys and discovers that both Jesse and his father have an alien implant in their brain.

4.) "Acid Test" Owen's sons learn of their father's involvement with the military cover up of extra-terrestrial contact when they discover the remains of the crashed ship in a safe within the father's office.

5.) "Maintenance" Eric Crawford takes over his father's work when Owen dies suddenly of a heart attack. He continues his father's search for Jacob Clarke and Jesse Keys, the latter of whom disappeared from inside a military bunker during one of his abduction incidents.

6.) "Charlie and Lisa" Charlie, the son of Jesse, and Lisa, daughter of Jacob, are brought together by their alien abductors, and Lisa conceives a child, a little girl with extraordinary powers.

7.) "God's Equation" Charlie and Lisa learn about their daughter Allie's powers while trapped in a dangerous situation. Mary Crawford, grand-daughter of Owen Crawford, learns of the little girl and begins to make plans to take her.

8.) "Dropping the Dishes" General Bears kidnaps Allie in an attempt to lure the aliens to him. Realizing that Allie is an alien/human hybrid, and knowing that the aliens protect their own, he beleives they will come for her.

9.) "John" Charlie and Lisa conspire to save Allie from the military, and in so-doing, they learn of their daughter's immense and amazing powers.

10.) "Taken" Allie learns who she really is-an alien/human hybrid, and she is forced to make the most difficult decision of her life, a choice that will forever change her life and that of her family.

The series combines state-of-the-art special effects with a story that is both compelling, entertaining, and high spirited. Such a major undertaking might not have worked even 10 years ago, but with the use of computer animation, the fantastic world of "Taken" is brought beautifully to life.

The story plays a little like an elaborate X-Files Episode, and not without good cause....the material is certainly similar. However, it is treated with a level of intelligence that really captures the imagination of the audience. Taken won the 2003 Emmy for best mini-series, an accomplishment well earned by the cast and crew of this enjoyable and massive film.

...flipping the channels something caught my eye and I stopped and not realizing what I was watching found myself mesmerized and enchanted by the quality of story, writing, acting, cinematagraphy--everything! I was hooked. I had avoided Taken because I have no interest yet another story about alien abductions, it's been so over done that it's a cliche, so when I realized what I was watching (surprise, surprise) I promptly called my friends and told them to watch it if they could. It was great; I was wrong to have avoided it!

It captured my imagination from the first episode to the last (though it did start to drag a bit in the middle). Still, I'm here looking to see if it's on DVD so I can order it. I don't love a show enough to want to buy it very often! This is one.

When I later realized that it was Spielberg, everything fell into place. It explained why Taken was top quality, working beautifully even with a cliche for a starting premise. What a glorious mini-series. Buy it, if that's what you have to do to see it!

I hardly ever watch commercial television due to those long delays between scenes. One day flipping through the channels I came across "Taken". It was close to the end of the episode. I was completely absorbed by the few minutes I had seen. Naturally a commercial came on promoting the Steven Spielberg presents taken marathon that weekend. Amazed by the story line and the cast I was propelled to spend the entire weekend watching this series on sci-fi. After two twelve hour days I wanted more, I didn't want the story to end. Now I have been "Taken" by a story of past and present events about UFO's and a cast of outstanding magnitude.
In the last episode I noticed the promo for the release of Taken on DVD in 2003 more importantly the first part which stated
"More secrets will be revealed" I will certainly be one of the first of many to be online to purchase Taken on DVD. I also hope this will not be the last of Taken I believe the story has the potential to be more then a miniseries. I believe the return of Allie and all that she has learned of things to come would make for a great movie and the start of another great series and if anyone can pull it off, it's Steven Spielberg. And if any actress can mesmerize us to continue to follow the story, Dakota Fanning can.

Taken was one of the greatest TV events ever. It not only had stunning visual effects and good actors, IT HAD A GOOD STORY LINE TO IT. The series did not need to have 40 minute shows that allude to pop culture. It was beautiful. The series had a great plot line that carried the stories of the three major families together in order to create the spectacular finale. The mini series was fantastic and gave me some hope the tv shows can have good acting, great visual effects, and a plot at the same time. Tell Lucas to take a hike: he had a bunch of good actors for his star wars junk but he didn't let them act. Taken does not overwhelm you with special effects. The special effects were used to enhance the tension and suspense that came from the plot. Please put the series out on DVD!!!

Hi everybody 'out there',

I hardly watch series on television. Still, for a period of ten weeks the Steven Spielberg-event 'Taken' -broadcasted on BBC 2- got me hooked! The topic of 'alien abduction' might be a very tricky one, but fact and fiction were handled satisfactory. The idea to depart from a well known historical event -the Roswell case in 1947- and to relate this to the story of three families, spanning more than three generations and more than 50 years of American history, is simply great. As I watched the series I saw the unfolding of a fascinating beautiful story (with several milestones of history looming in the background) while at the same time I could easily relate to the three portrayed families, as if I was watching my favourite soap opera. It was good drama, offering not only fascinating weird stuff and people (alien abductions, spacecrafts, genetic engineering, mad scientists, the obsessive nature of the Crawford family), but also the joy and the burden that goes well with relationships: love, friendship, romance, betrayal and adultery.

The characters were a real treat. Very entertaining! And who could expect otherwise? A plot dealing with alien abduction will always invite some weirdo's to arrive on the scene sooner or later.

Script-writer Leslie Bohem did a great job. I think we owe it much to Bohem's contribution that 'Taken' is a compelling, fascinating, coherent and consistent fifteen hour television show. An immense effort! Also much praise for Dakota Fanning's fantastic and sometimes deeply moving performance. In the last four episodes she plays the bright, intelligent 9 year old girl Allie Keys. She was absolutely brilliant!

Throughout the story Allie also appears in a 'narrative role', reading her thoughts from her diary, pondering on the "how's" and "why's" of daily behaviours and human fate. I liked her comments on 'human endeavours'. This 'narrative element' -handled with care by Leslie Bohem- worked really fine for me.

As her name 'Allie Keys' already suggests, Allie is the strange key figure of the drama. Although Allie looks and acts 'human' in every way, she has a unique genetic makeup: she's a mixture of human and alien DNA. This mix of DNA makes her more than the sum of its parts: it endows her with superhuman powers. She can manipulate time and she can manifest thought, among other things. For the aliens she becomes 'an unqualified success', representing the next step in their evolution. In order to create someone like Allie, abducting and researching people was necessary. Achieving this goal seems to be their number one priority and they don't seem to care much about the 'collateral damage' they inflict on their human victims for many decades. Three successive generations of the Crawford family -in charge of a secret USA-government/army-project concerning alien abductions- are unceasingly trying to understand the aliens' intentions.

In the end the aliens' experiment turns out to be very meaningful for humankind as well. Allie's innate goodness as well as the use of her powers for the benefit of people around her transforms those people's lifes. In this regard Allie shows characteristics of a messianic figure. Like almost all messianic figures Allie passes through a severe crisis, a period of retreat -in this case a coma that blocks her off from normal human conditions and surroundings- before she can face up her new mission and destiny. People that have been 'touched' by her 'good works' will eventually gather and become her followers/admirers before she 'takes off'. The last two episodes manifest strong religious elements. A lot of events seem to refer to the biblical New Testament. Let me name a few:
*the 'supernatural' way -via alien, non-human intervention- in which Allie is conceived, resembling the 'divine intervention' prior to the birth of Christ
*the alien John -Allie's great-grandfather- comes as a 'messenger', reminding Allie of her destiny, as -likewise- John the Baptist did for Christ
*Allie's uncle Tom Clarke becomes a 'believer' after years of disbelief and scepticism towards alien abduction. In a way Tom resembles the apostle Thomas who eventually becomes a believer in the message of Christ
*before she leaves, Allie frees her followers-admirers of tracking devices put in their heads by aliens, devices that have ruined most of their lives. In this scene Allie's admirers bleed out of their noses, as if they all in fact spill their blood for Allie... a variation on Jesus' Last Supper with his Apostles?
*there's the betrayal-denial of Allie after she has left with the aliens: when interrogated by a soldier, one of Allie's most fervent admirers -a man whose life was transformed by her- denies that he knew her, just like the apostle Peter denied Christ in a very similar situation
*after Allie has left with the aliens her mother Lisa is convinced that her daughter will return to Earth again, just like Christ is believed to do so (or do Lisa's words here only refer to the possibility of a sequel of 'Taken'?)
*the close of the last episode shows 'believer' Tom Clarke handing over Allie's diary to her mother Lisa, the book with Allie's thoughts on humanity. To me this seemed like referring to 'the Gospel of Allie' that's left behind for the benefit of mankind

I don't have a clear opinion about alien abductions (How could I? So far, I've never been abducted), but I do believe there's more out there beyond the sky. The universe with its billions of stars is simply too big to have only room for us. But we'll probably never find out about this. What really matters is to keep in mind Allie's 'last thoughts' at the close of the final episode: it's more important to keep asking questions than knowing all the answers. While I am writing this, the dvd-box has not been released yet, but I already look forward to give 'Taken' a re-run on my dvd-player.

Some have likened the nearly 15-hour miniseries "Taken" to "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind" meets "The X-Files." That's not far off the mark. In fact, it is what this reviewer thought even before reading similar sentiments elsewhere.

Featuring solid television production, good scripts, passable special effects and fantastic performances by a huge cast, "Taken" is a strong series chronicling 50 years of alien abduction and government conspiracies, all circling around three families. Fans of Spielberg's view on aliens and the X-Files' view on government secrecy and paranoia will likely enjoy this (though Spielberg's sweetness and light trumps the Files' jaded cynicism in the end).

All ten episodes, each 90 minutes long, tie together to form one long narrative, though many of the episodes can serve well as standalone entertainment, too. It is the characters that keep the whole affair afloat, with family being the tie that binds three generations together. Some of the middle episodes are a bit slow, and the later installments rely too heavily on cliffhangers, but all in all viewers will want to keep watching well past bedtime. I was so pulled in, I watched the whole series in just three days.

Most impressive is the cast, who turn in great performances throughout. Great makeup work ages the characters as the series moves forward, allowing us to see people live out 30-plus years of their life in a convincing fashion. Very engaging. Most impressive is the young Dakota Fanning. Pay attention to this one. She turns in a startling, deep, engaging, endearing performance.

Take note, this is not Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking. What this is, is classic TV miniseries material. The production values are not nearly on par with those of Band of Brothers. The pacing is television pacing, not movie pacing (deliberate, not action-oriented). And little is shown that could not be shown on network television. None of this works against the series, either. Rarely in these 15 hours does it fail to compel.

So do we get a dark view or light view of aliens? A bit of both, actually. We have dread and we have wonder. They are scary and they are wonderful. Questions of the aliens' intent always linger. Yes, questions are answered for those who watch all 15 hours, but other questions are left open, which is a must for a tale like this. I never felt gypped at being left with too many questions, nor did I ever feel too much was explained.

The DVD set features nice packaging and good disc quality. The last disc of extras is sparse, with a glossy bit of hype disguised as a documentary, but it's better than nothing.

So is "Taken" worth the steep price tag? That's a tough question to answer. For lovers of the aforementioned works, probably. You'll love the first viewing, and you'll watch it more than once. Not as dark as X-Files, nor as light as Close Encounters. For casual fans of the genre, well, a rental might be a good idea before taking the big plunge. Those looking for pure sci-fi, too, should proceed with caution; a special effects extravaganza this isn't.

I thought it would be just another story, full of special affects, hardly any plot and playing on the same old tired story lines other movies have used, but was I surprised. This is the first movie my wife wasn't able to pry me away from, and I know it's the first one she canceled all of her evening activities so she could watch too. I ordered the DVD's as soon as I saw the were for sale, and anxiously look forward to seeing them in their entirety without the commercial interruptions. I just hope my wife doesn't invite her noisey girl friends to watch it with us.

The Sci Fi Channel did us all a great service by airing this ad nauseum for the next two or three weeks, for, though its beginnings were slow, I can now see where the show is going ... and I'm addicted.

The actors, most of them from the indie film circuit or relative unknowns, are impressive, as are the effects. But the story, my God, is the most compelling thing I've seen on television in years.

The series is 20 hours long, covers about 60 years of U.S. history and "alien encounter" history and, like a grand old soap opera, follows four generations of three families - all of whom are having encounters with aliens that seem to link them for some, so far unrevealed, purpose.

The purpose, I'm learning, is the creation of the story's narrator, the great-granddaughter of an alien abductee from the first episode and also the granddaughter of the alien hybrid baby conceived in the first episode. (The narrator, Dakota Fanning, is the best part about the series' final ten hours, by the way.)

But what do the aliens want with her? And what is she capable of? And why exactly is she, in some way, being planned by the aliens from the very first episode?

It falters a bit, but not much, around the third generation's stories, which took up the last week of the series when it first aired. But the point was driven home in what was, all points considered, a fulfilling finale.

That's what's kept me watching. This was great TV.

Taken is a mammoth undertaking, a ten-part miniseries (if it can still be called mini) that spans three generations and six decades, focusing on three families and their encounters with extraterrestrials. What's most remarkable is that, in spite of such a long length (15 hours without commercial) and each segment being helmed by a different director, the miniseries never flags when it comes to pacing. Credit Leslie Bohem for a tightly written and consistently engrossing script.

The cast of Taken is superb, so much so that I would hate to leave anyone out. But I will mention the standouts. Dakota Fanning is marvelous as Allie Keys, a bright and intelligent little girl with an ambiguous future. Joel Gretsch is riveting as Owen Crawford, one of the "villains" of the piece, his performance is so hypnotic his successors (son and granddaughter) are rather disappointing in comparison. The film's weakest performances definitely belong to Heather Donahue and Matt Frewer, the former of who is just awful and the latter is actually quite amusing, but doesn't feel like he belongs in this epic tale.

The special effects are excellent and the story twists and turns with remarkably coherent and extremely enjoyable results. The last half-hour or so does make for a slightly disappointing conclusion, but by then, I'd been completely won over (you might even say, taken)(yeah, that was bad). Enthusiastically recommended, this is one of the best TV-based works I've ever seen.

What a great idea - present all the UFOlogy in a quasi-documentary epic tale of three generations of families that have encounters with aliens. As a fan of both relationship dramas and sci-fi, I was excited by the meeting of these two genres. It's astounding that the combination of this great starting point and Spielberg's influence produced such mediocre material. Overall, if the show is watched in moderation, you may be entertained - a decent story with many plots, lots of aliens and UFOs, good acting (with a few exceptions), and just enough soap-opera drama to keep you coming back. However, most of the series is surprisingly not engaging and represents everything I abhor about typical TV miniseries - way too much ambition with such low quality writing and directing, slow pacing compensating for a lack of interesting dialogue and plot development, very standard visual style and music (I thought the selection of pop songs in a few of the eps was very poor and misplaced), overuse of narration, and a high dull-to-interesting character ratio. Much of the dialogue is stilted, there is no comic relief, and anytime the show attempts to be `gritty' with a scene of violence, it is over-the-top and out of place.

Each episode in the first half (the best half) of the series typically cuts quickly between 3 or 4 stories, which helps to keep the pace of a such a long episode moving, and each episode focuses on new stories and characters. Few of the characters/actors are interesting enough to want to watch them for more that a couple of episodes, so the short screen time for each generation's story serves to compensate for average writing. And when an episode does stumble onto a great character, they are often not given enough screen time and I found myself bored by the other subplots. Sally Clarke, the young Jacob Clarke, and the older Jesse Keys were easily some of the best characters and performances, but their stories were only given treatment in at most two episodes.

In contrast to the first 6 eps, the last four episodes focus on the same generation of characters and the same story line. The average writing, one-dimensional characters, and occasionally sub-par acting is very obvious when so much time (6 hours!) is spent on one story. Also, within each episode the writers chose to focus on just a few events, which means that in order for the story to be engaging the dialogue and character development should be top-notch. However, these episodes are very plodding, especially the hostage scene and much of the North Dakota story. The series would be much better if every ep was trimmed to an hour or less.

This is a series that was trying to work on many levels - there's the alien and conspiracy story, the relationships of people and generations, the themes of fear, denial, balance of emotion and reason, importance of family and home, etc. It would have worked so much better if subtlety was used, but instead the little girl Allie is always narrating and explaining the themes and telling us what a character is feeling. This narration is very intrusive; it might have been okay if it were only bookending each episode, but it is used at the most awkward times. There is no allowance for ambiguity of interpretation, all motivations are explained; do the writers think we are stupid? Most of the fun of watching a story is from trying to understand why characters do what they do.

I applaud the creators for the great idea - the results had the framework for a truly amazing series. It's very disappointing that it did not work better.