Taken (film)/YMMV

Movie


 * Acceptable Targets: Apparently the French, who produced this film, still don't like Albanian immigrants. They also take shots at the French law enforcement, Possibly also the Swiss and Muslims, referring to Patrice St. Clair and the sheik in the final showdown, as well as sex traders/human traffickers, but it'd take an especially oozy bleeding-heart to feel sorry for them over the poor women they abduct.
 * Luc Besson has a similar attitude to the French justice system as American 80s action films have to the US justice system: the "establishment" (judges, prosecutors and police chiefs) are impotent or corrupt, but one or two Cowboy Cops can strike a telling blow for justice.
 * Adult Fear: On top of losing one's daughter metaphorically, she goes to a foreign country, is kidnapped by sex slavers and nearly vanishes forever.
 * Complete Monster: The Albanian sex-slave traders have zero redeeming features whatsoever.
 * Critical Dissonance: Although Taken got generally lukewarm reactions from critics, it was very popular with moviegoers and grossed over $200 million worldwide.
 * Crowning Moment of Awesome: "You don't remember me, do you? We spoke on the phone two days ago. I told you I'd find you."
 * Crowning Moment of Funny: When Bryan is bluffing the Albanians, he says a satellite is watching them 24/7. One of them discreetly looks outside and up at the sky.
 * The part where Peter gets run over when he thinks he is safe is pretty funny.
 * See Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
 * Family-Unfriendly Aesop: Liam Neeson has stated that since the film came out, people have come up to him and said they will never send their kids to Europe and thanked him for making this movie to warn them. He's not too thrilled about that.
 * God Mode Sue: This movie is pretty much about how awesome Liam Neeson is. Although it's (arguably) well done. Who doesn't want to punch sex slavers in the face?
 * Idiot Ball: It's a wonder social services didn't come around to take Kim away from Lenore. It takes a particular kind of parental incompetance to encourage your (recently turned) 16 year old daughter to travel overseas across another continent with only one person she knows along with others she's not even the slightest bit familiar with and call out on her overprotective father for even mentioning how this could go wrong.
 * Memetic Mutation: The website True LAD (think stereotypical "lads" story in the style of FML or IMMD) will occasionally see a story about Taken or at least referencing it, presumably due to Liam Neeson's sheer being Badass. These story's range from just quoting the "I will find you..." line, saying how even though they have it on DVD, will be watching it on the TV later, or claiming how if they'd saved Holly Valance from being stabbed they'd ask for more than free singing lessons for their daughter... All these "stories" invariably have high numbers of votes up.
 * Moral Event Horizon: The part where Bryan . Maybe the WMG of Bryan being a villain of another story isn't too far off...
 * Nightmare Fuel: See Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique.
 * Not to mention Bryan's cold speech about how outsourcing torture to Third World nations was ineffecient because of unreliable power grids, forcing torturers to use even more extreme methods. However, in an industrial nation like France, he can just leave the power on "until it's disconnected for lack of payment on the bills"...
 * Bryan searching through an impromptu brothel, coming upon several young women who are all sickly, sweaty and have their arms covered in needle marks. Brrr.
 * The whole friggin' movie. Or to phrase it another way: for the love of all that's holy, DO NOT show this movie to a parent whose teenage child is planning on going overseas soon.
 * So Cool Its Awesome: The whole Goddamn movie!
 * Tear Jerker: Several points when the action slows down and you see how afraid Bryan is that he'll never see his baby girl again. Particularly the scene where she's taken and you can see Bryan's eyes welling up with tears as he hears her being carried away by the sex traffickers.
 * WTH Casting Agency: "Liam Neeson as an action hero? Pull the other one." It's worth noting that people said the same thing about Matt Damon just before The Bourne Identity came out. Just before.

Miniseries

"Dr. Wakemen: I've wanted this since you were 13.
 * Cliché Storm: Largely the point.
 * Complete Monster: Owen Crawford.
 * Seems to run in the family. Eric taunts and Hannibal Lectures a dying Owen, and his daughter Mary, among other things, has him killed. The only reason you may have sympathy for them is because you actually see what drives them to become a Complete Monster.
 * Large Ham: Dr Wakeman steals every scene he's in.
 * Squick: The relationship between Mary and Dr. Wakeman, even if it's for this line alone after they have sex:

Mary: Me too."


 * True Neutral: Dr Wakeman is a 'don't care' variant. He just wants to see what the aliens can do..