Thoughts On: Taken T.V. Series (2017) - Pilot

Television producers are currently experiencing a dry spell like no other in that they are turning to recognizable cinematic properties for their television series. While this is not strange, as television series have been based around film properties before, lately there have been a string of dry adaptations and blatant rip-offs to superior cinematic properties, most notably the failed Rush Hour series, the currently on air Lethal Weapon, and the brand new Training Day series. What's sad is that none of these series add to their franchises or successfully duplicate what made the originals so great. Instead, they blatantly rip-off what was done so much better before, but now done far worse. Television producers think they can simply replace said stars with other actors and duplicate the formula again and call it a day, but that doesn't equal quality.

The latest entry in this series of unnecessary television adaptations of superior action films is Taken, a prequel series that no one asked for. I'm embarrassed to even be writing about this new series, but I have been morbidly curious to check it out due to my love for the original film and because this show seems so unnecessary. There's no denying that the Taken series has been one of dwindling creative returns. Each successive film in the series has been drastically worse than the previous (click here, here, and here, for my detailed reviews of each film). However, each sequel has been more successful than the previous, which means that the Taken brand is a viable and marketable one that people will seemingly turn out for no matter what. The abuse of that brand name is now put to the test with the Taken television series, the second series to be adapted from a string of EuropaCorp action films, the first being the Transporter series, which sucked the big one.

Although completely unnecessary, the Taken series acts as a prequel to the first film, finding a young Bryan Mills (now played by Clive Standen) aboard a train with his sister. When Mills notices some suspicious characters on the train, he alerts his sister to cause a distraction so that he can take out the armed gunmen. After dispatching the men in quick Mills fashion, including one of Mills trademark punches from the first film, his poor sister dies in the ensuing confusion. Later, Mills is recruited to join the CIA and help them due to this exemplary skills that day, which will lead him on the path to discover those trusty skills of his that he puts to use over the course of the films.

I have to be honest, I did not watch the entire episode, simply because it got so bad at one point that I had to start fast forwarding to what looked like the most exciting or interesting parts. Besides a promising start, and I say that with the utmost kindness, the show quickly devolves into your typical network action thriller with copious amounts of boring exposition and dull dialog. The most obvious issue is that the series features no real similarities to the Taken films, besides the fact that it is a show about a CIA agent who kicks ass. 

Will the real Bryan Mills please stand up?

The plot is obviously different, but instantly less gripping, as a story about a protective father on a time crunch is far more exciting than an origin story about that father before he became a father. Also, when you take away Bryan's status as a father, which includes his protective nature towards his daughter, he immediately becomes a far less interesting character, as he is simply your average action hero. Although the show's writers and producers think they are paying tribute to the first film, it's honestly more in line with Taken 2 and Taken 3, as it's nothing more than your average action film with the Taken brand name. 

The show is also in line with the sequels in that its action is rather disappointing, with there being hardly any in the entire pilot. The only action scene that I would deem memorable is the opening train assault, specifically because it felt creative in its construction. It also reminded me of one of my favorite action films from the 90s, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, which you should watch instead of this garbage television show. A shootout later on has some solid action shots, including a part where Bryan rolls around whilst firing two pistols, but beyond that, none of the action is well shot, falling very much in line with Olivier Megaton's nauseating queasy cam post-action. Also, firing two guns at once doesn't seem very Bryan Mills if you ask me. After all, Bryan is supposed to be a well trained and skilled CIA agent who always uses one hand gun at a time and aims all of his shots. I know that this is supposed to be an origin story to Bryan's bad ass skills, but I highly doubt that the writers thought about Bryan's shooting tactics, which proves how much they respect the character.

There's not much to say about this one folks. The Taken television series is so bad, that it actually makes Taken 3 (alternately titled Tak3n for those who didn't know what film I was referring too) look good, darn near competent even. A bad action film can always be redeemed by some half decent action and the star power of its notable actors, such as with Neeson in Taken 3 or even Jason Statham in another Megaton directed action film, Transporter 3. But the Taken television series not only has the dull as hell plotting and weak character work of those films, but barely any action to write home about, let alone a star to remember. Therefore, and I say this with all honesty, there is nothing to recommend in this show. Now that we live in a day and age of incredible television that usurps the work on the big screen, we don't have time for this kind of I.P. driven crap. Unless you are willing to create the next Jack Bauer or Bryan Mills for television, don't fall back onto a previously developed character and think that you are doing anything fresh or exciting. I fully expect Taken to be cancelled by the end of its first season, as absolutely nobody is talking about it, let alone watching it. 

The Great Wall (2017) - Theatrical Review

Director: Zhang Yimou

Cast: Matt Damon, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau, Pedro Pascal

Country: China / United States

Rating: PG-13

Run Time: 120 min

The Great Wall is the latest film from Chinese director Zhang Yimou, whose acclaimed dramas and martial arts epics include Hero, House of Flying Daggers, and The Curse of the Golden Flower. However, what separates his latest historical epic from his previous efforts is that it is a Chinese/American co-production starring Matt Damon (The Bourne Ultimatum), mostly in the English language, and with lots of computer generated monster effects. Therefore, it straddles the line between Chinese costume epic and American effects blockbuster for an awesome blend of genres and cultures primed to please multiple audiences alike.

Let's get this out of the way, The Great Wall is not a 'great' movie. It moves at a rushed pace, features lots of underdeveloped characters, and hardly invests the viewer in its story. However, it's also a gung-ho and no nonsense epic that wears its crazy monster mayhem and colorful battle armor on its sleeve. It's a visual feast for the eyes that taps into that same purely cinematic splendor that made Mad Max: Fury Road so memorable. Unfortunately, it's lack of a compelling narrative holds it back from the greatness of Fury Road and places it more so into the camp of Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim, another flawed but hugely creative and passionate affair.

Jason Bourne goes into battle.

Yimou's feature carries a simple plot and message with it that makes it out to be very much like a classical Chinese legend. William (Matt Damon) and his friend Tovar (Pedro Pascal) are in search of black powder in China during the Song dynasty (which according to Wikipedia occurred during the years 960 to 1279). After an encounter with an unidentifiable monster, the duo are captured by The Nameless Order, a specific division of the Imperial Army meant to dispatch China of the Tao Tei, ravenous monsters bent on death and devastation. While the two locate the black powder that they have been in search of, William finds himself struggling with his own greed for escape and the powder and the moralistic inclination to stay and fight against the Tao Tei lest they breach the Great Wall and make their way to the rest of the world.

The first thing that I have to address is the controversy surrounding this film, which is completely uninformed and ignorant. Before The Great Wall's release in America, audiences immediately began declaring it a "white savior" tale where a white male helps out a group of uninformed and disadvantaged Chinese soldiers. They also didn't like that a white male actor was placed front and center to a Chinese historical epic. However, all of those decriers are likely to never see the film, and therefore likely to never realize their rushed judgements, because the film is not white washing history or promoting white males as the saviors of these people.

First off, Damon's inclusion in the film is a business move, plain and simple. Foreign countries co-produce films with America in order to fuel their film with the stars and budget necessary to please both countries and to maximize box office receipts. Therefore, by making The Great Wall with Universal and Legendary Pictures, The Great Wall is as much an American film as it is a Chinese film. Second, Damon's character is not a white savior to the Nameless Order. He is not the hero that they have been waiting for, as he is also a flawed man who learns about greed and self-betterment from the Chinese. His skills come in handy and make him a great ally for the Nameless Order, but their sense of team work and resources are also essential in the fight against the Tao Tei. If anything, Damon's character was a lesser man before he met the Chinese, and through his time with them, makes him a better one in the end.

World War Z, much?

Yimou promotes a very positive and universal message through the meeting of a white mercenary and a Chinese army. And yet, the ignorant critics who decry the film as racist and backwards who desire a more equal and racially diverse world, can't quite see the racial equality and progressiveness within the film. The main Commander of the army is even played by a Chinese woman for goodness sakes, and yet people can only latch onto the fact that a white male is the lead of the picture. It seems that The Great Wall's critics need to learn the same lesson that Damon's character does, as they are just as ignorant as he was.

From a blockbuster entertainment stand point, The Great Wall hugely delivers. Yimou crafts some jaw dropping battle sequences thanks to some impeccable cinematography and first rate special effects that thankfully avoid ever looking artificial. The battle sequences also operate on more than just an entertainment level, but also on a storytelling level, as he showcases a sense of honor, dedication, and team work within the Chinese army that speaks volumes about their race and battle sensibilities. The incredible array of colorful battle armors and gorgeous sets gives the film that distinct Yimou flavor that separates it from other indistinguishable historical epics. One look at a shot of several soldiers standing next to one another might remind the viewer of the Power Rangers thanks to their rainbow like colors.

The varied selection of battle tactics also makes the action sequences that much more enjoyable, as the Nameless Order uses not only arrows and flaming balls of fire, but even whistling arrows, paint drenched hooks, and scissor blades that protrude from the wall. If I had to decry the action sequences for anything, it would be that there is not only not enough of them, but also a bizarre reversal on the typical expectation of a historical epic in that the fights play in reverse order, with the largest upfront and the smallest last. Nevertheless, I was in pure cinematic bliss when a giant monster battle landed a mere fifteen minutes into the movie.

"Power Rangers, unite!"

Unfortunately, the biggest flaw of the picture is its pacing, which results in a non-engaging story and some poorly developed characters. Yimou presents a canvas of characters who are all especially one-noted, which thereby robs the film of any rewarding character arcs beyond Damon's lead. He also spends no time introducing said characters, as Damon's mercenaries are introduced mid-chase scene and the Nameless Order essentially introduced through the film's first battle. I was at least happy to see Andy Lau (God of Gamblers, Infernal Affairs) appear within the film and to have such as significant part as well, as he is one of my favorite Chinese actors. If anyone comes out the worst, it's none other than Damon, as his line delivery is especially bad, whether it be his inabilities as an actor or Yimou's direction of him, which results in an odd accent choice that sounds somewhat Irish.

Overall, I wouldn't say that I didn't feel somewhat invested with the characters by the film's end, but the rushed pace of the picture definitely hindered me from being as invested as I could have been. It's worth noting that both Edward Zwick (Jack Reacher: Never Go Back) and Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, The Bourne Legacy) worked on the script in some capacity, with Zwick's name being especially notable, since he previously directed the "East meets West" historical epic, The Last Samurai in 2003, which also featured a white male lead. All in all, do not come expecting a cavalcade of memorable and diverse characters along the lines of the Lord of the Rings pictures, as every one comes as simple as can be.

As I stated before, I would rank The Great Wall right alongside Pacific Rim, as both pictures carry the exact same pros and cons. Each has a fairly simplistic story that doesn't engage the viewer very much. They both have a large selection of characters too, who are all very one noted and simplistic as well. However, both films feature fully realized worlds and incredible action sequences thanks to their incredible art design and creature effects. At the end of the day, one could describe both international blockbusters as live action animes thanks to their non-existent subtlety but visually lush worlds.

This image is my attack on the film's ignorant decriers.

Whenever big budget fantasy epics like The Great Wall are released in America to IMAX screens, they rarely do business, as American audiences are less likely to turn out for films of said nature because they are too wild and creative for their tastes. American audiences simply don't turn out for Chinese co-productions or Chinese productions in general anymore. Therefore, whenever ambitious effects blockbusters like these come out, I make it an effort to see them in the theater, or at least upon an IMAX screen as I did this past week. I can definitely confirm that the IMAX 3D experience amplifies one's enjoyment of a film of this nature, as the colorful visuals and lush environments pop off of the screen in a way that home entertainment can't replicate. I'm not vouching for 3D here, but The Great Wall translated to 3D quite well, as I never felt like I was getting a headache.

It's an unfortunate truth that The Great Wall will probably be forgotten by the end of the year, let alone by next month, but I for one recommend it. Visually ambitious feasts like these don't come along very often, and I think that films of said nature fuel the mind more so than your dime a dozen American blockbuster. If you ask me, a flawed one of these is infinitely more entertaining and creative than a bland by the numbers production. The feature's character work and story telling leaves much to be desired, but the lush world building and unforgettable visuals make it a memorable experience in the end. If anything, this international co-production deserves Oscar nominations come next year, as its costuming, production design, and visual effects can't be ignored.

Rating: 6.5/10 - 'The Good Wall' would be a more apt title. Not one of Yimou's most valiant efforts, but a commendable one at best.