To conclude my tribute to Liam Neeson’s action career following his announcement of his retirement from the genre is the last in the Taken trilogy. There is no doubting the Taken series of films has given Neeson further creditability as an actor. His ability to put in outstanding performances across so many different genres is highly impressive and there is no doubting he has a lot more fans following his foray into the action hero genre.
There will be no Taken 4 or other Bryan Mills style roles for him but what a great run of action packed films he had in such a short space of time. So without further ado here’s my Taken 3 Blu-ray Review.
- Taken 3 (2015)
- UK Rating 15
- Discs: 1
- Released By 20th Century Fox
- Blu-ray Released: 15 June 2015
Plot
This time out Bryan Mills finds himself framed for a crime that will turn his world upside-down yet again. However Mills as you will know from the two previous films has unique set skills which just happens to be perfect for tracking down the real perpetrators of the crime.
The story is written by Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen.
Taken 3 has a different feel than the previous two films most notably in the way the action sequences of shot. However this is actually Taken 3’s main problem, the car chases are terribly shot with the action sequences having the camera too tight and cutting away too quickly from one to another. It’s as if it was edited together to hide what a bad job they did. Really it is a shame as it does ruin what otherwise is a good film. This style creeps into some of the early fight scenes although thankfully the later ones aren’t too bad.
The blame for this change has to lie squarely at director Olivier Megaton door. He claims to be making it bigger and better upping the ante so to speak but completely misses the strength of the previous two Taken films.
Cinematography on Taken 3 is handled by Eric Kress.
Music / Audio Effects
Again nothing particularly amazing but more than suits the film, the music is provided by Nathaniel Méchaly.
Acting / Characters
Liam Neeson on his third outing as Bryan Mills continues to impress and drive the film forward. Maggie Grace as Bryan Mill’s daughter also puts in another good performance.
Bryan’s expert friend Sam has a welcome expanded role this time out which adds a bit more to the story.
Conclusion: Taken 3 (2015) Film Review
Taken 3 has a decent story which works well for the action genre. Neeson again impresses as Bryan Mills the guy you really don’t want to take on one on one.
However if there is a problem with the third film it’s with the direction and more specifically the action sequences. The car chases are some of the worst I have seen in a long time. The close-up shots simply cut away too quickly making it incredible difficult to see anything other than a blur of images. This may well be intended to generate energy to proceedings but it simply results in a poorly constructed sequence.
Despite the atrocious action scenes Taken 3 still produces enough good action from the fight sequences. That is where the film still does a pretty good job for the most part.
Taken 3 then is the worst of the trilogy and I put that down to poor directing more than anything else
If you like my Taken 3 blu-ray review you may want to check out these films:
Conclusion: Taken 3 Blu-ray Review
Clearly the picture quality is not an issue being a 2015 released film so I’ll move on to the extras. There’s a pretty standard set of extras and to be honest the film doesn’t really require anything more substantial.
Extras
- Deleted Scenes
- Sam’s Bunker AKA The Rabbit Hole
- Taken to LA
- A Taken Legacy
- Stills Gallery
- Trailer
Popcorn Cinema Rating: Taken 3 (2015)
MOVIE RATING: WELL WORTH WATCHING
BLU-RAY RATING: EXCELLENT
EXTRAS RATING: OK
POPCORN CINEMA: RECOMMENDED
Purchase Taken 3 (2015) On Blu-ray
Taken 3 (2015) is available now on blu-ray.
The Amazon links on this page are affiliate / associate links. By buying through the links we may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price you pay.
Taken 3 (2015) Trailer
For those of you yet to see the film I’ll leave you with a little taster…
Clip may not be representative of the Blu-ray version
That’s Taken 3 blu-ray review, if you have any thoughts on this film you can leave a comment on our Facebook page.
Summary: Taken 3 (2015) Blu-ray Review
Movie title: Taken 3 (2015)
Duration: 110 mins
Director(s): Olivier Megaton
Actor(s): Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Dougray Scott, Sam Spruell, Leland Orser
Genre: Action, Thriller
- Movie Rating
- Blu-ray Picture Rating
- Extras
Summary
The worst of the Taken trilogy but still manages to impress with some quality Liam Neeson scenes.
