A Major Disappointment

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

This spy series has some things going for it: good cast (Ashley Judd is equally adept at action and drama), European locations (much of it is actually shot on those locations), some shocking plot twists (though the fact that Paul is alive is not one of them; you don't hire Sean Bean to have him killed five minutes into the pilot episode) and well-hidden villains. On the other hand, it's a very clichéd show; there is very little here that hasn't already been done before, and better. "Alias" came out a decade earlier, and although it "faked" its locations unlike "Missing", its action scenes were more exciting. Also, 10 episodes may be too many for a show that is based on a single, simple premise (son goes missing; mom tries to find him), without any significant subplots except for her back-from-the-dead husband. It's a take-it-or-leave-it show; it's watchable, but not terribly compelling. **1/2 out of 4.

Ashley Judd plays an ex CIA agent who goes to Europe to find her son who has been kidnapped. It's Taken for the small screen. Every week you get another stunning European location with the still lovely Ashley Judd - what's not to like? Especially liked Croatia and Turkey.It isn't perfect. Some of the plot twists are a little irritating in an attempt to drag things out and there is a bit too much double crossing. The son's girlfriend is a bit annoying. But in the end these faults are small because it's so fun to see the stunning locations.I hope ABC or another network can somehow bring it back. What's wrong with 7 million viewers? In any case since it was cancelled you can watch it as a miniseries that more or less concludes if you disregard the last minute or so which was trying to lead into a new season.

There are a lot of good ingredients in this series. Good concept, writing, acting and direction. For such a high-paced drama, it's not too difficult to learn and follow the characters, yet there is plenty of development to keep things really interesting. I really didn't know what to expect and was hooked from the first episode.After the first couple of episodes, I felt like I had been watching a very good spy movie, not a TV series. There is a fair amount of action and the story line is far from predictable (but not confusing).And, to boot, the sets and locations shot in high quality are something you would want a great spy movie to have in this day and age. Watching these episodes, I felt more like I was in some of these Europena and eastern European countries than if I had been watching a HD travel channel. Hopefully, in the next season, there will be more of the world traveled by the cast and us, the viewers.A great cast - Judd, Carradine, Curtis, Bean - even the younger actors - very good. This is the only TV drama that I stayed with all season and it was well worth it.

Skip to the last few paragraphs if you want my latest take without all the tedious nit-picking that came before.........................................................Not a fan of Ashley Judd. Never have been, likely never will be (though I'll grudgingly confess to liking "Kiss the Girls," but only because of Morgan Freeman and Cary Elwes). I started watching because I heard Sean Bean was attached to it. The first episode was horrible. Jarring, nausea-inducing shots, really far-fetched action scenes where a flower shop owner kicks every butt in sight, and some pretty bad lines. The other two episodes I've seen haven't been much better, and if it wasn't for the fact that Bean's character is supposed to resurface, I wouldn't have bothered watching past the first.The show is insipid, vapid, contrived, and kind of ridiculous. It's also in the same time slot as 'Big Bang Theory' and '30 Rock.' Hmm. Its producers must have a death wish.Pretty locations? Sure, but I can go stare at a tree if that's all I care about. At the time I'm writing this, IMDb actor info has Bean in 5 episodes (in flashbacks), but the only way I see them making sense is if the husband isn't dead after all. Hurry up and bring him back already. There's only so much of this offal I'm willing to watch before I look elsewhere for satisfaction. Game of Thrones, anyone?4 stars only out of hope that Sean Bean will return as a soft-spoken super villain (which he does REALLY well). 2 stars as is.4/5/12 addendum WITH MORE SPOILERS: The husband has resurfaced. Though there are still some pretty dumb things (the CIA folks check only 1 room of a mansion, and announce that it's 'clear?!?') and the dialogue in Judd's scenes is so predictable I can almost always guess what will be said before it is, the story in general has just become much more interesting. I now care about seeing where it's going. Increasing rating from 4 to 5 stars.4/20/12 addendum 2 WITH MORE SPOILERS: Still trying to decide whether to forgive the rotten dialogue that heartily embraces every tired stereotype, but the action is definitely moving along at a better pace. Definitely not HBO, but hey it's network TV so there only so much you can get away with. That said, I'm now hooked (Thank you, Sean Bean), and committed to seeing it through to the end. Not upping the rating because I don't like Ashley Judd's character, and I'm starting to think Cliff Curtis' character is a complete idiot. As well, I still maintain the first few episodes were simply painful to watch. If you like seeing Bean play action hero baddies, this is a good series to do it. Definitely not Game of Thrones (and I'm just not a fan of Bean's 'American' accent), but it's highly preferable to afternoon soaps.Cautiously feeling optimistic that this is actually worth seeing to conclusion. 4 episodes left this season. They have a lot to tie up. I'll be watching...................Latest Rant Starts Here..................4/27/12 update (WITH SPOILERS): I'm recanting the 'hooked' statement. I think it's now more accurate to say I'm staying in a bad relationship merely because I've invested too much to just walk away. Sigh.Hopes dashed. Most recent episode was a train wreck. Where are the writers getting their dialogue? It's AWFUL. And a kid whose parents had the forethought to train him in hand to hand combat being overwrought about taking a life to save his own? And Ashley Judd just keeps kicking a** after a** after a** (sometimes big beefy Russian bodyguards 3 times her size!)?!? This just isn't a believable show.So why do I keep watching? Good bloody question. I tell myself it's because I keep hoping Bean will be given a chance to really sink his teeth into a role that seems to have a great deal of potential, but who am I kidding? This is uptight American network television, which I generally don't watch, and - oh yeah - now I remember why.I say get rid of Ashley Judd, Cliff Curtis and the really uppity woman playing his supervisor, throw a cliffhanger at the end of this season where Sean Bean is revealed to be an Interpol or British secret service agent (so he can PLEASE ditch the sad attempt at an American accent), and move him and the Italian guy into the lead roles. And for god's sake somebody give Michael some backbone, or put him and insipid Russian girl out of my misery. Reducing rating from 5 stars 3.***********************5/13/12 - with spoilersJust saw the official news that ABC is canceling the show. With such predictable plot 'twists' and dreadful dialogue, I'm not surprised. It didn't help that it was up against The Big Bang Theory and 30 Rock.I have to admit I'm a little disappointed. I think the show had potential - especially now that Dax has shown some backbone, and Paul has enough screen time for second billing. The last 2 episodes had me rolling my eyes in many spots, but they were better than some of the previous ones. Too little too late, but I'm upping my rating to a 5. Still not a big fan, but it's the first time in years I've made time to watch every episode of a series on regular network television, so it must be better than most. Or else it was Sean Bean. Probably the latter.Sad to see it getting the axe, in spite of my ranting. Bean is a marvelous actor in the right part, and his part in Missing could have been one of them. There are also much worse programs on TV that have been wasting air time for YEARS. Oh well. I guess it's back to the movie channels for me.