‘Protector’ Debuts to Brutal Score on Rotten Tomatoes

As a huge action movie fan, I was really excited to hear about Milla Jovovich taking on a role that feels a lot like Liam Neeson in Taken. She plays a former soldier whose daughter is kidnapped, and let me tell you, she’s incredible! It’s a relentless, brutal chase as she uses all her training to find her child, taking down waves of criminals. The early reviews and scores are starting to come in, and I’m curious to see if this one lives up to the standard set by the original Taken.

Milla Jovovich leads the cast of this action thriller, alongside D.B. Sweeney, Don Harvey, Arica Himmel, and Michael Stahl-David. The film is directed by Adrian Grünberg and written by Bong-Seob Mun. Since the release of Taken in 2008, that movie has heavily influenced the action thriller genre, inspiring many stories about parents rescuing their children and popularizing the ‘tough, older hero’ trope. While this film doesn’t fully fit into that ‘older hero’ category (though Milla Jovovich is approaching the age Liam Neeson was in the first Taken), it definitely follows the tradition of parents taking action to protect their kids, and Jovovich is a strong contender for the title of ‘best action hero parent’.

Despite positive reviews for Milla Jovovich’s action performance, the movie itself hasn’t lived up to the standards set by the Taken franchise. With a score of 15% on Rotten Tomatoes – only slightly better than Taken 3‘s 13% – Protector is receiving largely negative reviews. ScreenRant gave it a 4/10, noting it feels too familiar and doesn’t stand out. Collider was even more critical, awarding it 3/10 and suggesting the plot features a bizarre twist.

For much of the movie, ‘Protector’ feels predictable and unremarkable. Then, in its final scenes, it tries to surprise the audience with twists that feel confusing rather than clever.

The reviews from Mark Reviews Movies and Aisle Seat were particularly harsh. Mark Reviews Movies said Protector felt unfinished, and Aisle Seat went even further, suggesting the movie was so bad it made them want to destroy the theater.

Thankfully, the movie wasn’t universally panned. While the New York Times noted it wasn’t as polished as a Liam Neeson action film, they highlighted Milla Jovovich’s performance, saying she brought energy to the dark and somewhat rigid revenge story. Flickering Myth had significant problems with the movie as a whole, but still praised Jovovich’s powerful and brutal performance. And Punch Drunk Critics wrapped up their review…

Protector is a decent action movie, and Milla Jovovich gives a strong emotional performance. It’s worth watching if you’re a fan of her work or enjoy action films.

I’m really excited about Protector, which came out on March 6, 2026, here in the US, courtesy of Magenta Light Studios. Here’s what the movie is about, according to the official description…

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