SoftInloveRox Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Ferris Vueller The show is loosely based alien abduction and UFO sightings. But it's more like a drama with magic and fantasy. There's no sci-fi component to it, the aliens do everything by magic, not science. You rarely get the chance to wonder "how does that work?", because it's all magic. Definitely nothing to do with science.And the aliens can do everything from teleportation to time dilation and faster than light travel, yet they can't figure out emotion? We can genetically engineer animals better today than those stupid aliens ever could. It's comical, NOT SCI FI.

zkonedog As a huge fan of "The X-Files" and related fare, one would think I would have viewed Steven Spielberg's "Taken" earlier than its ten-year anniversary. However, I was a bit skeptical of the entire concept (thinking of it as "just another alien show") and only began viewing when it was purchased by another family member. Boy, was I ever wrong about the course of this delightfully nuanced miniseries.For a basic plot summary, "Taken" focuses on three families: the Clarkes, the Crawfords, & and the Keys. From the Roswell "crash" of the late 1940s until the "present day" (2002), this series tells the story of how the three families are intertwined both with each other and a mysterious alien presence stemming from that Roswell incident.The thing to be aware of regarding this miniseries is that it is MUCH more about characters & family relationships than it is about aliens. Kind of like how "Band of Brothers" is as much about friendship and brotherhood as it is about war. While the "alien" angle is deeply embedded in the overall narrative, the extremely rich characters are easily what will make you keep watching for all ten episodes. From generation to generation, Spielberg weaves a compelling dramatic tale that always keeps you wondering what will happen next.One word of warning: Do not be discouraged after the first 1-2 episodes, as this show takes a little bit of time to lay its own groundwork. Once you get to about the third episode, it starts really taking off to the point where you may finding yourself in "marathon mode" very quickly.Overall, "Taken" can appeal to three primary audiences: those who just love a good science fiction yarn, those who prefer character dramas of the highest order, and those who can appreciate the generational aspect of the whole experience. In other words, Steven Spielberg does it again.

Mike Boyd Did they change script writers or director after episode 3? Because episode 4 was the biggest load of irritating rubbish I've watched. I had hoped that it was just a one-off: that episode 5 would recover from this temporary lapse. But no, episode 5 was also bad - not so much because of the script (although that wasn't too brilliant), but because of the introduction of one of the most irritating actors I know, Mr Matt Frewer.I see he is now listed as no. 2 in the series cast list, so I may well not bother with the rest of this series. Why do I hate him so much? Because he can only play one type of character - the stupid, crazy, grinning-like-a-madman type that simply doesn't exist. An unbelievable character. Why did they ruin this passably believable series by having this nut-case of an actor? I hate to think. But this is probably my way out of bothering to watch the rest of this. It's a great pity - the series had potential.

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.