MrGKB ...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.

thu-4 I've been a SciFi fan all my life. Nevertheless I watched many of the effect driven shows, in the end its always the story that is important to me. Good if the effects are credible, but too many shows or movies have nothing really interesting besides the effects. I watch Taken for about the third time now. I really like that it is not just about good guys killing bad aliens. There are not effects all over the place, just where they are needed. The story is kind of like a theory that tries to make a probable explanation for all the abduction and flying saucer stories, crop circles or ancient astronauts we often hear about, a very entertaining way how all the mystery could be connected. And its told by using the history of several generations of three families and the consequences the aliens have on them. Some reviewers wrote to find Taken boring, and I can understand that from the view of someone looking just for action and effects. Taken is so much more then that.

Jeff Wayne I just finished watching this entire series and wanted to share some thoughts.The good:Much of the acting seems very natural and heartfelt.Dakota's narration really helps reinforce all the heartfelt acting including her own. Films that have also used narration well in the past really benefit from it. The Shawshank Redemption is a perfect example. I can't escape mentioning again just how heartfelt the acting is. There are many scenes where it doesn't even seem like acting and that it's a real person in that character just telling you how they feel or speaking of their trauma. I truly cherished all those great scenes where every word was spoke in earnest. If you enjoy really connecting emotionally with the characters in what you watch then I highly recommend this series. The bad:I found some of the non-verbal acting very unnatural. A prime example of this is early in episode 7 when it shows the one character playing drums. She looks so awkward and unnatural that I simply can't even pretend her character really is a drummer. Those types of non- dialogue scenes need to reinforce the character. Not devolve your belief in them.Some of the wigs and makeup is very bad and look extremely fake. I would expect more from something Spielberg was heavily involved with. I found the story was too scattered which weakened everything overall a little.

illegal_alien51 This is quite a good series if you have 10h of hoovering to do while watching it. Other than that I'm not sure.The more Spielberg I watch the more do I start to wonder if he's skipped school a lot or if it is his expectations of the viewers low intelligence that have him make such near tripe. As typical in Hollywood nowadays, the series has to rely heavily on both the viewer's and the character's lack of said intelligence, in order to make ends meet. Add that the only type of suspense you'll find is the typical sudden shock scare that at times is repeated over and over.Things that destroy the magic, like ferns growing in a dark cave, or the occasional other mistake, like a clearly visible ambiance spotlight and its beam lighting up the dark woods, make for just another point of annoyance.The characters are textbook stereotypes, including the narrator (trying to avoid any spoilers here) which at the time of acting is the six year old Dakota Fanning. That her lines contain wisdom of life that would even baffle Gandalf seems to have escaped the realism department.OK, this isn't supposed to be 100% realistic, it's Sci-Fi. But at least I think they should have tried to keep the illusion up a little harder rather than working like everybody was expecting to go on holiday in 6 hours.Sadly my place is very small. Hoovering took me only 30 minutes.