I finally got to go see Taken last weekend. It’s hard for me to think of a good way to start this review. All I can think of is, “It’s Awesome!!”

If you weren’t positive that Liem Neeson is a bad ass, this is pretty good affirmation. It didn’t take me long to get sucked into his character and the story he was portraying. But, then again, I buy into movies fairly easily.

It’s a short movie, at least by today’s standards, coming in at around an hour and a half. It’s the perfect length for a movie like this. It opens, they set it up, start the plot, Neeson kicks ass for about 45 minutes, and then it resolves nicely. It’s just enough to get the story across, but leave you wanting more.

It’s rated PG-13, so it’s not all that graphic. That’s not to say that the images don’t stay with you. I feel that this movie does a good job of expressing the dangers that one could be in if they aren’t careful while traveling. It wasn’t that long ago that something like this happened in real life in Aruba, and I’m sure it happens more than we are told. If I had a teenager going on a trip, I would consider making them watch this before they go.

Though the material may be disturbing or unsettling, this movie isn’t a downer. The action kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I even found myself letting out an excited “YES” to myself during some fight scenes. The audience even applauded at the end.

This is a MUST SEE, no question. I may also be buying it when the Blu-ray comes out.

Mitch