I was quite a fan of the A-Team when I was a wee lad, thanks mostly to cable TV reruns, and I was eagerly anticipating this movie from the moment I saw the first episode. At no time did I think it wouldn't happen.
Of course, as the years passed, and I grew older and wiser, I came to realise that an A-Team movie might just be a really bad idea. I mean, c'mon, an ex-Army unit that never kills ANYONE? That uses ridiculous plans that frequently broke the laws of logic and physics? Yeah, right.
Fortunately, when this film WAS announced, I couldn't help but feel a little excited. Especially when that cast came forward. And the first trailer had me revved up... and nervous. Could so easily be trash.
Well, it is trash. Trash of the most glorious, overblown, wonderfully-fun kind. Tongue planted firmly in cheek, and with utter acknowledgement of the fact that the most it can aspire to is "A Fun Night Out". The cinematic equivalent to a Big Mac: ridiculously bad for you, and part of you wishes you hadn't, but you still enjoyed the hell out of it anyway.
The cast work well together, and have a pretty good team dynamic. Liam Neeson brings the right combo of gruffness and cool to Hannibal (though a little more humourless than George Peppard), and Bradley Cooper is, well, Bradley Cooper, wise-cracking and entertaining as con-man Face. Though many have spoken ill of Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson as B.A., I thought he was capable enough in a role that required little more of him than snarling watered-down catch-phrases. Of the foursome, the easy stand-out is Sharlto Copley's jittery, crazy-eyed Murdock, who manages to steal the scene whenever the camera lingers on him for more than three seconds. If District 9 marked him as a bright new talent, hopefully this film should make him a star.
Jessica Biel as conflicted agent (and Face's ex) Charisa Sosa, and Patrick Wilson as smug CIA man Lynch, offer some fine support, but really, this film's all about the action. And the action. And the action. Which is served up with a trowel. Most of it's wonderfully-overblown, but in that great "Aw, that was cool" way that was prevalent in the Eighties (though the level of exaggeration which the climax reaches does start to stretch even the most resilient switch-off action fan).
All in all, my best advice is sit back, switch off, and enjoy the ride. It may not be the A-Team you remember, but it's a hell of a lot of brainless fun nonetheless. And we really haven't had that for a while.
Of course, as the years passed, and I grew older and wiser, I came to realise that an A-Team movie might just be a really bad idea. I mean, c'mon, an ex-Army unit that never kills ANYONE? That uses ridiculous plans that frequently broke the laws of logic and physics? Yeah, right.
Fortunately, when this film WAS announced, I couldn't help but feel a little excited. Especially when that cast came forward. And the first trailer had me revved up... and nervous. Could so easily be trash.
Well, it is trash. Trash of the most glorious, overblown, wonderfully-fun kind. Tongue planted firmly in cheek, and with utter acknowledgement of the fact that the most it can aspire to is "A Fun Night Out". The cinematic equivalent to a Big Mac: ridiculously bad for you, and part of you wishes you hadn't, but you still enjoyed the hell out of it anyway.
The cast work well together, and have a pretty good team dynamic. Liam Neeson brings the right combo of gruffness and cool to Hannibal (though a little more humourless than George Peppard), and Bradley Cooper is, well, Bradley Cooper, wise-cracking and entertaining as con-man Face. Though many have spoken ill of Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson as B.A., I thought he was capable enough in a role that required little more of him than snarling watered-down catch-phrases. Of the foursome, the easy stand-out is Sharlto Copley's jittery, crazy-eyed Murdock, who manages to steal the scene whenever the camera lingers on him for more than three seconds. If District 9 marked him as a bright new talent, hopefully this film should make him a star.
Jessica Biel as conflicted agent (and Face's ex) Charisa Sosa, and Patrick Wilson as smug CIA man Lynch, offer some fine support, but really, this film's all about the action. And the action. And the action. Which is served up with a trowel. Most of it's wonderfully-overblown, but in that great "Aw, that was cool" way that was prevalent in the Eighties (though the level of exaggeration which the climax reaches does start to stretch even the most resilient switch-off action fan).
All in all, my best advice is sit back, switch off, and enjoy the ride. It may not be the A-Team you remember, but it's a hell of a lot of brainless fun nonetheless. And we really haven't had that for a while.