Taken 3 appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This was a mostly appealing presentation.
Sharpness became the only inconsistent element, as a handful of shots came across as a bit soft. These remained in the minority, though, so the majority of the flick displayed concise, distinctive elements. I saw no jaggies or shimmering, and edge haloes failed to mar the image. Print flaws also didn’t appear.
Here’s a shocker: Taken 3 opted for a palette with an obvious teal and orange push! Especially teal, as it happened, along with some yellow as well. I’m tired of these stylistic choices, but within the image’s parameters, they looked solid. Blacks showed good depth and darkness, while low-light shots appeared smooth and clear. The occasional soft moment made this a “B”, but the picture worked well most of the time.
I also felt happy with the solid DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Taken 3. Despite the movie’s billing as an action movie, it didn’t come with a ton of auditory theatrics.
A few violent scenes kicked into higher gear, too, but much of the film stayed fairly atmospheric. That was fine, as we got good stereo music and a nice sense of place. The various elements combined in a compelling manner to form a strong soundscape.
Audio quality was also positive. Music sounded lively and full, while effects delivered accurate material. Those elements showed nice clarity and kick, with tight low-end. Speech was always distinctive and concise, too. This mix worked well for the film.
A few extras fill out the set, and we find two separate editions of Taken 3. The disc includes the film’s theatrical version (1:48:57) as well as an unrated cut (1:55:18). Because the Blu-ray represented my initial viewing of the film, I can’t cite the differences, but I wanted to mention the presence of the two cuts.
Called “Flashback Malankov”, one deleted scene lasts seven minutes, 16 seconds. It shows us more of the movie’s main villain, It seems moderately interesting, though it’s not clear how the sequence would’ve fit the final product; it doesn’t feel like it’d mesh with the rest of the movie.
For a look at the film’s gadgets, we go to a collection of snippets under Sam’s Bunker AKA ‘The Rabbit Hole’. In this three-minute, one-second reel, we learn about the technology used by Mills. It’s mildly informative at best.
Two featurettes follow. Taken to LA lasts four minutes, 16 seconds and involves director Olivier Megaton and actors Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace. The show looks at locations and related production issues. A few decent notes emerge but the program lacks much depth.
A Taken Legacy takes up four minutes, 54 seconds with Neeson, Megaton, Grace, and actors Forest Whitaker and Leland Orser. This piece discusses the various films in the franchise as well as aspects of Taken 3. It’s another minor featurette without a lot of merit.
Next we get a Gallery. Ir shows 12 shots from the production and offers little of interest.
The disc opens with ads for Spy, The Marine 4: Moving Target and Kingsman: The Secret Service. Sneak Peek adds promos for the Taken franchise, Sons of Anarchy Season 7, Unfinished Business and Homeland Season 4. We also find the trailer for Taken 3.
Saddled by a rehashed plot and a lack of inspiration, Taken 3 never manages to involve the viewer. It feels like product that exists to propagate the franchise more than something that exists because it has a good tale to tell. The Blu-ray provides mostly positive picture and audio along with some minor supplements. The longer the series goes, the worse it gets, and Taken 3 becomes the weakest release yet.