Thursday, August 4, 2011

The A-Team (2010)

Introduction:

Why does Hollywood keep taking old television series and turning them into feature films? Did they learn nothing from The Beverly Hillbillies debacle? So when I heard that the ‘80s cheesefest The A-team was getting a big screen treatment I waved it off as stupid. But then I read a few negative reviews and was surprised. People didn’t like it, but not because it was a goofy idea, but because it wasn’t serious enough… um, did they watch the original show? So I figured I’d check the movie out and see what went wrong.

Summary:

The story begins when Hannibal (Liam Neeson) is on a mission to save his pal Face (Bradley Cooper) from the clutches of a Mexican drug lord. Along the way he teams up with B.A. Baracus (Quinton “Rampage” Jackson) and Murdock (Sharlto Copley). They form a great team that quickly becomes the best of the best in U.S. Military.

But things take a turn for the nasty after the group is accused of killing a General during the Iraq war. Not about to take this lying down the group escapes from their prisons and goes on a mission to prove their innocence. Along the way they have to navigate their way past a mysterious CIA agent Lynch (Patrick Wilson) and the determined intelligence officer Sosa (Jessica Biel). Is there any way for the A-Team to get out of this one?

Good Points:

  • Captures the fun spirit of the show
  • Our leading men do a good job with the parts
  • Has some solid action set pieces

Bad Points:

  • The plot is a little too convoluted
  • The origin story structure slows the film down
  • Needed a few more action scenes

Overall:

This was a fun action movie, just like the show was. It’s got a good mix of humor and thrills to make it the perfect weekend rental. The cast is having a blast and brings a lot of energy to a script that gets a little too complicated for its own good. The use of CG to add scope was a bit disappointing, I would have like to see more stunt driving (a staple of the show), but all in all, worth checking out for action fans looking for a nostalgic blast.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 5

Acting: 3

Script: 3

Music: 3

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 3

Total: 3

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.

2 comments:

  1. For the reasons you state at the start, this was a brave choice. Glad it worked out. I avoided it for much the same reasons, but I'll keep it in mind.

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  2. Works great as a rental. Not sure if there is much material there to make a sequel from, but what I do I know. How many "Ernest" movies did they make again. ;)

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