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SCI FI'S recently completed miniseries, "Steven Spielberg Presents TAKEN," at 20 hours, was about twice as long as it needed to be.
At times, the story wandered, the pacing faltered and cuts between characters became confusing and confounding.
But for those who stuck it out, the miniseries packed an emotional punch and, especially in its last 10 hours, became addictive and fun "must-see" programming, especially for those who'd already invested 10 hours.
And young Dakota Fanning, who was flat-out captivating as the eerily all-knowing human/alien hybrid child Allie Keys, is destined for many more important roles in her career.
But beyond its eventual success at storytelling, the ratings success of "Taken" on SCI FI may well leave a legacy that goes beyond itself.
The Steven Spielberg production:
May well have breathed life back into a story form that networks and producers had been shying away from.
Though the ratings numbers earned on the special-interest network wouldn't cut it for the broadcast channels, the series was huge for SCI FI and helped put the cable channel on the map.
This lesson won't be lost on other cable channels who'd love to bring in millions of new viewers for a week or more.
Reminded us how well a miniseries is suited to tackling events that unfold over long periods of time.
How else could stories like "Roots" or "Centennial" have been told but in miniseries that helped define their time?
I think this miniseries, which followed two families involved in alien abductions across several generations, will go a long way to reminding viewers and those who make TV programs that this is the best use of the miniseries form, not the special effects-laden series that had taken it over.
A name like Steven Spielberg certainly doesn't hurt.
Viewers who were sci-fi lovers tuned in as well as SCI FI's regular audience, taking the network to new ratings heights.
But more importantly, Spielberg's name and clout in the industry helped get this thing made in the first place.
That won't be lost on the networks or on other big names in the programming business.
If it brings good, creative people into the programming end of television, that's a good thing.
Even though it was too long, something with the length and breadth of this miniseries makes for something special, and gives viewers a reason to tune in.
In a television landscape dominated by people eating bugs and trying to row faster than five others in a lagoon on some island somewhere, a miniseries with a creative spark becomes a huge draw.
The critical thing: There must be a story worth telling.
In the final result, that's why "Taken" worked.
Its premise--People are taken by aliens for decades, why?--was one that connected with viewers.
The Spielberg touch was present in the storytelling approach. It followed two families--one who was taken, another that set out to investigate the phenomenon--from the start until the conclusion.
Along the way, many of these folks became rich, fully explored characters that viewers could care about.
Cute, doe-eyed Fanning was the best, completely convincing viewers that as a hybrid of parents with both alien and human genes, she was special.
When she calmly spoke and foretold the future of others, you just knew she had the whole thing figured out.
And her vulnerability as a young, small child was key to making it all work.
Also strong in the series was Eric Close as an alien in human form, along with Joel Gretsch as a creepily mean Army investigator and Heather Donahue as the granddaughter who did him one better in the mean department.
All in all, "Taken" was a shot in the arm for both the mini-series form and as a special presentation on SCI FI.
The hope is that other good ones like it follow.
The sooner the better.
ROB HEDELT can be reached at The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401; by fax at 373-8455; by phone at 374-5415; or by e-mail at rhedelt@freelancestar.com.