“That thing you thought was disposable cultural grist is actually Great” is an easy pitch to make, because it melds “tfw too smart to enjoy popcorn cinema” and “I enjoy bad movies ironically” into the self-actualizing synthesis of “aktschually, Liam Neeson jumping over a fence at two cuts per second is a masterpiece of impressionist filmmaking”. Nevertheless! Just because it’s easy doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Popular things are popular for a reason – it might be because it’s the cultural equivalent of stepped-on tourist coke that’s merely as close as you can get to an authentic 1970s masterpiece, but usually there’s at least a nugget of meaning.
“Taken” is written really, really straightforwardly on an objective basis, with absolutely nothing slowly becoming apparent. Within 30 seconds of a character being introduced, you know everything you need to know about them. The ex wife Lenore is a CUNT. Their daughter…
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Calculus of Decay 