Lifetime Review: 'Kidnapped in Paradise'

With her work having been keeping her away from her family so often, Savannah Duke-Morgan (Claire van der Boom) is looking forward to their upcoming family vacation. The destination? Koala Bay Nature Resort, an idyllic vacation spot on the Gold Coast of Australia where she was born. Surrounded by natural beauty and staying in a luxurious villa, Savannah hopes the trip will allow her to reconnect with her husband Brad (Todd Lasance) and daughter Aria (Molly Wright).

But just as Savannah and Brad are beginning to enjoy themselves, their relaxing beachside vacay is interrupted by the unthinkable: Aria goes missing at the resort's Kidz Club. Horrified and frustrated by the police's slow investigation, Savannah and Brad take matters into their own hands to find their daughter before it's too late. A few friends they've made on the island join the search, but as hours become days, Savannah begins to wonder if she and Brad can really trust the people who claim to be helping them. As soon becomes clear, there's more to Aria's abduction than meets the eye--and Savannah will have to piece together the kidnapper's motive if she wants to rescue her daughter in time.

Something I've learned over my years of watching and reviewing Lifetime movies: a great majority of them come from either the U.S. or our upstairs neighbor Canada. But in the case of Kidnapped in Paradise, it comes to us from the same country where its story is set: Australia. Produced by Australian film company The Steve Jaggi Company, the movie was shot on location in Australia and stars many Aussie actors. In addition to its cast filled with new-to-Lifetime faces, Kidnapped in Paradise can also boast of its beautiful scenery. Cinematographer Simon Harding is able to capture the natural beauty of Port Douglas through his vivid camerawork. And like the similarly well-shot Stolen in Plain Sight, there's the occasional use of the shaky camera technique to illustrate Savannah's increasing worry and desperation to find Aria. If nothing else, Kidnapped in Paradise has more breathtaking imagery to take in than the average Lifetime movie.

Kidnapped in Paradise is also similar to Stolen in Plain Sight on a story front. Both are Lifetime dramas focusing on a mother searching for her kidnapped child, with the investigation exposing a shocking secret. The revelation behind Aria's abduction is comparatively less complex than the mystery from Stolen in Plain Sight, with Lifetime's online synopsis of the movie straight-up revealing what the movie builds up to as a twist. Though keen-eared Lifetime viewers might be able to deduce in advance who the culprit is without that spoiler, it's still a baffling move on Lifetime's part. But spoilery synopses aside, Kidnapped in Paradise's simplistic and potentially predictable storyline is made entertaining by the even pacing and quality acting.

Admittedly, there were moments at the beginning of the film that had me a bit wary. The Duke-Morgan family's giddy interactions (particularly the ones between Savannah and Aria) began to wear thin on the barrier between cute and saccharine, and Claire van der Boom's performance had its rigid moments. Other members of the cast suffer from that same rigidness, with the occasional bouts of awkward dialogue not helping them. But in Boom's case, once Aria goes missing and Savannah begins her investigation, her stiffness dissipates and she's able to throw herself into her character's maternal desperation.

The same can be said for Todd Lasance as equally concerned father Brad, with Brad's opening interactions with Aria being memorably adorable (and unlike Savannah's, don't risk getting annoying). Together, Savannah and Brad make for a strong pair of sympathetic protagonists, with their brief fight in the immediate aftermath of Aria's disappearance being some of Boom and Lasance's best acting of the film. Even as they're fighting and throwing harsh accusations at each other, you can feel that both Savannah and Brad's anger is a result of the fear coursing through them for their daughter's safety. And afterward, they both quickly cool down and refocus on their efforts to find Aria. To finish off the Duke-Morgan trio is Molly Wright's Aria. According to IMDB, Kidnapped in Paradise is Wright's debut role as both an actor and a scenic assistant. While her performance during Aria's emotionally charged moments in the third act is wobbly, Wright otherwise makes Aria an effectively lovable character whose pure-hearted nature proves instrumental in the film's climax.

WARNING: Spoilers Below

Even before Jane's true nature is revealed, Melina Vidler is the highlight of the cast. With her easygoing vibe and sparkling personality, you can see why the Duke-Morgans are all so charmed by Jane. Even if you're like me and quickly deduce she's the secret half-sister mentioned in Lifetime's ill-conceived synopsis, Vidler plays Jane's genial mask with a sincerity that makes you understand how she avoids raising suspicions. Once her wrathful colors come out, Vidler throws herself into Jane's villainous spiral, playing her with a mix of cold malice and crazed determination to have her revenge. But in a move that brings to mind Lauren Swickward's performance from Twisted Twin, Vidler and Shanrah Wakefield's script give Jane's villainy a tragic angle. In the end, you might just find yourself empathizing with Jane as much as Savannah does after learning how their father's callousness set Jane on her dark path.

Spoilers Over

While the supporting cast has their weaker moments, they all give overall solid performances. Jason Wilder and Lynn Gilmartin are charming enough as Savannah and Brad's Aussie friends Gabby and Nick, though the reason behind their tense marriage fails to align with the level of intrigue the movie builds for it. Sami Afuni has that same charm as suspicious resort employee Pete, with the reveal that SPOILER ALERT he's Jane's lover/cohort being a rather nice twist. Spoilers Over And as a pair of fairly competent detectives, Marshall Betzel and Ngoc Phan give strong side performances as Sergeant Rhodes and Constable Lewis. Phan memorably gives a surprise standout performance when Lewis opens up to Savannah about her troubled backstory involving her own daughter and how it connects to her resolve to find Aria safe and sound.

Plot-wise, Kidnapped in Paradise is a fairly standard Lifetime missing child thriller, with the motivation behind the titular kidnapping being something especially familiar to the channel. But between its more coherently unraveled mystery and villain motivation and more action-oriented pace, there was enough here for the film to edge its way slightly above Stolen in Plain Sight for me. Having some beautiful scenery to its name as well as a strong antagonist helps too. It's far from perfect and doesn't have many surprises for the viewer, but Kidnapped in Paradise remains an entertaining and well-acted drama with an eye-catching locale.

Score: 7 out of 10 singing unicorns.