Rating: Summary: Absolutely incredible Review: This is not only the best miniseries I have ever seen, it also outdoes many of my favorite regular TV shows in story, acting, directing, and effects quality. Spielberg weaves together actual stories of UFO encounters and his own stories, dealing with each one perfectly and merging them expertly. The writing is incredible and there won't be a moment when the foremost thing in your mind is not a question. Taken is slower than most series and more demanding of thought, but that makes it immensly enjoyable to the kind of person who enjoys watching something more than mindless action.
Rating: Summary: taken Review: I am a long time fan of Steven and was so pleased that he took on this monumental miniseries. I am a health professional and I am also 57 years old. Not a likely fan of such a miniseries, but with all the books that I have read I could not take my eyes off the TV and never missed a night that it was on. I have plans to order the DVD set and want my oldest daughter to see it. I applaud Steven and the network that had the guts to deliver this to the public. Yes, there is an audience. We are not a vocal group but we are here quietly waiting for expression. I also applaud the wonderful actors and would have given each an Emmy. I look forward to more works like this.
Rating: Summary: Flawed, but worth a look Review: As a science fiction fan for more decades than I care to admit, I've been pleased by the increasing sophistication of both the content and the production quality of the genre in recent years, and I looked forward eagerly to this miniseries. Half-way through the first episode I walked away, bored by the story line, which seemed to me a cliché of every UFO/alien-abduction story ever written. A few nights later, I stumbled on one of the later episodes and something very interesting was going on, so I waited until the marathon re-broadcast and watched from beginning to end. Is it worth seeing? Absolutely, especially if you're a fan of UFO/abduction stories, because you'll recognize elements of all the classics here. It is both a strength and a weakness of the series that it is almost entirely derivative. It is a strength because of the clever way in which the themes of many different versions of the UFO story are woven together into a single narrative. It is a weakness because, well, we've seen this all before. The fact that we've seen the plot lines before takes nothing away from the remarkable production, which manages to capture beautifully the feel of the various decades through which the story moves. Some of the acting and directing is just so-so, but none of it is bad and much of it is truly excellent. Until the very end, the whole package managed to make me willing to suspend disbelief and go along for the very interesting ride. I won't say anything about the content of the ending, for the sake of those who haven't yet seen it. Suffice it to say that the ending is a ridiculous pastiche of mystical nonsense and incomprehensible divergences from the rest of the story arc, and it's probably bad enough to keep me from spending the big bucks for the DVD. If you find it infuriating or even just annoying when endings to science fiction stories violate the premises of the major story arc, then I guarantee that is how you'll respond to this one. If that sort of thing doesn't bother you much, then you'll like the overall effect more than I did. All in all I'm glad I saw it, but I don't think I'd spend the precious hours to view it second time.
Rating: Summary: Way better than most of the rest of television usually is. Review: Even though one national reviewer chided Spielberg's choice of less than superb actors for this mini-series, the performance by Dakota Fanning as Ali is enough to make the viewer forget any of the other actors' deficiencies. And despite the fact that this was a sci-fi conglomeration of "Close Encounters", XFiles, and the truth according to David Jacobs, the script was historically correct - from the WWII "Foo Fighters" to the "glow in the dark" corn field, and the "Area 51" scene. Although - yes, it was fiction - not real - never happened - never will happen - only an urban legend run amok - the story was intriguing enough that perhaps even a few skeptics might speculate about the discrepancies between what we are taught,what we believe we know, and what the truth may really be. The only thing that bothered me was the way it ended. It wasn't a bad ending. It was the appropriate ending. It was just very - unsettling.As it should be.
Rating: Summary: Best Mini-series since "Lonesome Dove"! Review: Of course they are both two diffrent series,but it has been that long since I have been so invested in a tv mini-series.You can't go wrong with anything that Steven Spielberg does. I was sucked into the plot from the very begining.Loved how the story surrounds three families and follows into the present. The most fun I had was catching familer faces from "X-Files" episodes,quizzing myself from which episode and character name from the XF! Great "new" talent! Totally loved the little girl Allie(Dakota Fanning) such an amazing young Talent! A Must have for any sci-fi fan or UFO believer!
Rating: Summary: I had NO interest in a show about Alien Abduction, but then- Review: ...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!
Rating: Summary: Steven Spielberg presents Taken (SciFi TV miniseries) Review: Phenomenal, magnificent, and engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed the series and I am eagerly awaiting the release to DVD. The story is amazingly accurate in much of it's historical background and the cast performed a wonderful portrayal of life across the generation spectrum. Although the above description of the movie lists the grandson's name as "Danny", the grandson's name is actually "Charlie" in the series. Since this character plays a very large part and is integral to the storyline, I wish to clear this up. If you enjoy the wonder of the unknown and have a soft spot for life's quirky sense of irony, then check out this epic story.
Rating: Summary: Something that restored my faith in TV series Review: 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!!!
Rating: Summary: Not so Taken Review: I tried to watch this series, but I found it to be long, slow, heavy-handed and lacking in any climax. The characters were not well developed, and continued to remain two-dimensional throughout. I finally gave up caring about any of the heroes in this story. Although it is a fantasy, it was so heavily played, that it was unrealistic, and my imagination never was peaked by the saga of this incredibly stupid family. I truly did not like this mini series and would never waste my time on it again.
Rating: Summary: You have to be kidding! Review: ...I watched it twice, hoping the second time around all of it would make more sense, but all the whiskey in the world couldn't make it much more enjoyable. AI was the same way, at first, sure it was enjoyable, but as it all progressed, it seemed like Spielberg was just trying to cram in every old scifi cliche into the ending. You want quality science fiction? Save your money, don't buy this DVD and invest in getting the entire Farscape Series...
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