Megaton’s choppy editing barely disguises his star’s hatred of running, while a brutal 12A neutering lessens what limited fun remains in seeing Oscar Schindler creakily throw a Russian bad ‘un into some supermarket shelves.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
New York Magazine (Vulture) by Bilge Ebiri
Taken 3 is bad enough that it may just end it.
The Hollywood Reporter by Clarence Tsui
Replacing the first two films' simplistic, man-on-the-run premise with a stuttering plot comparatively light on action and stuffed with red herrings and inconsequential characters... Besson's team has signed off the trilogy with a whimper rather than the kind of unfettered bang delivered by the first two films.
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
Taken 3 is exactly what one might anticipate from an unnecessary sequel in a mediocre franchise.
A mind-numbing, crash-bang misfire that abandons chic European capitals for the character’s own backyard.
Liam Neeson cuts a rather sorry figure in what’s less a final flourish for the series than a prolonged death rattle.
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
It’s difficult to know what subtitle to give this. Taken 3: Not Again, or Taken 3: Seriously? or Taken 3: This Is Getting a Bit Much Frankly.
The Telegraph by Robbie Collin
Each individual moment in the film barely seems to be on speaking terms with the rest.
RogerEbert.com by Sheila O'Malley
It's just a frantic, flash-cutting frenzy. Even the slower, more intimate family scenes feature so many swooping-up-from-below shots and so many sudden inserts that moments (emotional or physical) are never given a chance to land.
Time Out London by Tom Huddleston
Taken 3 scores over its predecessor on almost every level: the stakes are higher, the LA locations are nicely photographed and, best of all, there’s an actual plot, with twists and everything.