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A view on Blu-ray by Gary W. Tooze

Taken 3 [Blu-ray]

 

(Olivier Megaton, 2014)

 

             

 

 

           

 

Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: EuropaCorp

Video: Twentieth Century Fox

 

Disc:

Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player)

Unrated Runtime: 1:55:14.365 / Theatrical Runtime: 1:48:57.381

Disc Size: 42,483,085,209 bytes

Unrated Feature Size: 30,182,031,360 bytes

Video Bitrate: 27.99 Mbps

Chapters: 32

Case: Standard Blu-ray case inside cardboard keepcase

Release date: April 21st, 2015

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 3647 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3647 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
* Dolby Digital Audio English 448 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 448 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio French 448 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps

 

Subtitles:

English (SDH), Spanish, none

 

Extras:

• Theatrical Cut - 1:48:57 and Unrated Cut 1:55:18
Deleted Scene – “Flashback Malankov” (7:16)
Sam’s Bunker A.K.A. The Rabbit Hole (3:01)
Taken to L.A. (4:16)
A Taken Legacy (4:54)
Gallery (auto advance)

Trailer (1:33)

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: The hunter becomes the hunted when Liam Neeson returns as former CIA operative Bryan Mills, who finds himself framed for the brutal murder of his ex-wife (Famke Janssen). Consumed with rage, and pursued by a savvy police inspector (Forest Whitaker), Mills must rely on his “particular set of skills” one last time to find the real killers, clear his name, and protect the only thing that matters to him now — his daughter (Maggie Grace).

 

 

The Film:

Former covert operative Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) must race to protect his daughter while tracking down the criminals who framed him for killing his wife in the adrenaline -fueled third chapter of the Taken saga. Bryan and his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) are taking their first tentative steps toward reconciliation when she is viciously murdered, and he is targeted as the prime suspect. Now, with the CIA, FBI, and every cop in the country hot on his trail, Bryan realizes that it's only a matter of time before his enemies get to his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace), too. Determined to keep her alive at any cost, he realizes that his only hope for saving her is to clear his name before he is captured. But while Bryan does possess the "particular set of skills" to stay one step ahead of the men who want his entire family dead, proving that he's innocent of murder and seeing that the real killers face justice might be the last thing he ever does.

Excerpt from MRQE located HERE

Instead, returning director Olivier Megaton, writer/producer Luc Besson and co-writer Robert Mark Kamen go in for the framed-man plot, and a whole lot of other hoary clichés to boot. No frequent-flyer miles were wasted making this film, but a lot of brain cells certainly were.

Mills is back home in Los Angeles, still trying to be a good dad to his feisty daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) and a decent co-parent with his jittery ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen), who has yet another new husband, a slithery businessman named Stuart (Dougray Scott).

Excerpt from The Star located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Taken 3 arrives on Blu-ray losing fanfare from the previous two releases. Like Taken 2 from 20th Century Fox, this Blu-ray offers both the Theatrical and 'Unrated' versions in 1080P - seamlessly branched.  The HD image is quite rich and thick with a golden leaning.  Detail is quite strong with a decent bitrate. The camera is very kinetic with many fast-cuts in the many action sequences. Contrast exhibits healthy, deep black levels. This Blu-ray gives a solid presentation - most will be suitably impressed with the visuals.

 

NOTE: The captures below are courtesy of our friend Erik Hundland on his site HERE (Thanks Erik!)

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

The DTS-HD Master 5.1 at 3647 kbps is robust enough to take advantage of the film's generous aggressive sequences in the form of gunfire and intense explosives. Effects snap to the rear speakers and there is also some appreciated subtlety. The original score by Nathaniel Méchaly (The Grandmaster, Taken, Taken 2, Columbiana) carries some bass that the uncompressed rendering benefits the films soundtrack. There are optional English or Spanish subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked although also available in Region 'B'.

 

Extras :

Supplements include a 7-minute deleted scene entitled “Flashback Malankov”, an interactive game entitled Sam’s Bunker A.K.A. The Rabbit Hole and a couple of standard promo videos; Taken to L.A. (4:16) and A Taken Legacy (4:54) with sound bytes from the principals plus a gallery and a trailer.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Like most - my hopes were high to repeat the vengeful carnage of Taken. But, like most, I felt unsatisfied and wanting more... or a different adventure. Neeson is great - the high-point of the film but it lacks in many areas. The Blu-ray is fine - a little light in the extras but it has the limited cache of the two versions. Trouble is that neither carry enough value, IMO. 

Gary Tooze

April 14th, 2015

             

 

 

           

 

About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 5000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.

Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction.

Gary's Home Theatre:

60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD

Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD Player
Momitsu - BDP-899 Region FREE Blu-ray player
Marantz SA8001 Super Audio CD Player
Marantz SR7002 THX Select2 Surround Receiver
Tannoy DC6-T (fronts) + Energy (centre, rear, subwoofer) speakers (5.1)

APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V

Gary W. Tooze

 

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