Let’s just get to the point: The A-Team was a great summer action film- it was hilarious and action packed. I haven’t watched the original television series, so I wasn’t sitting there comparing it to the original characters and storyline. I went in with an open mind and loved the film. It is a far superior version of The Losers. These two films have quite a lot of similarities in terms of story, but The A-Team was able to pull it off much better than the other.
The A-team’s cast was simply outstanding. There was a real sense of camaraderie between the four fellas, and each of them brought a unique element to the film. Who doesn’t love Liam Neeson? He’s a Grade A ass kicker and he was no different as John “Hannibal” Smith. Bradley Cooper (Templeton “Faceman” Peck) did a great job as the snarky one and added a nicely sculpted body on top of it. Side note: Templeton? I don’t know about you, but I think I would be changing my name so that every time people heard my name they wouldn’t think of a gluttonous rat who helped save a pig only when offered food. Sharlto Copley (“Howling Mad” Murdock) was fantastic at portraying a pilot out of tune with reality. I guess that sort of thing just comes naturally to some people. Man, this guy has a wide range of characters he can play. Finally Quinton “Rampage” Jackson did a fine job as B.A. Baracus, which is good given Mr. T’s hefty legacy in his portrayal of such an iconic character. His performance is doubly impressive when you consider the fact that he is, first and foremost, a UFC fighter. There wasn’t a single point in the film where I looked at Jackson and thought, “You know what, it’s obvious that he’s an athlete and not an actor.” Their four performances and interpersonal interactions made for a highly enjoyable film.
There were a lot of high quality explosions and unique and crazy plans being executed. Who cares about the logistics of whether you can actually keep a huge shipping container afloat with air bags, or the logistics of actually flying a tank? And I, as well, love it when a plan comes together. It was a marvelous way to spend a couple of hours.
Beware Spoilers Below!
Time Until Action Starts: ~ 3 minutes
Baddies: Black Forest
Best Line: The greatest reason to over prepare? “Because overkill is underrated, my friend.”
Best Kill: B. A picks up a baddie and body slams him so hard he breaks his neck and kills him. Way to man-handle that dude!
Best Explosion: A baddie comes across a rocket launcher just lying around and blows a hole in a huge boat carrying hundreds of shipping containers. One explosion leads to another and the boat spills the shipping containers all over the place as the boat collapses and sinks.
Action Rating: 5 A-Teams, out of 5.
Illustration by Nick Langley. Rocket Llama World Headquarters.
This is the Action Flick Chick, and you’ve just been kicked in the ass!
Related post:
* The Action Chick vs. the A-Team
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Hey Kat, you can Netflix the whole first season of the A-Team right now on insta-play.
My only real beef with the film was how the CIA, yet again, were the bad guys. If I ever get off my ass and get that script going, the CIA are going to look like Snow White! Uhm, that and making my favorite bad ass growing up a pacifist. NO NO NO! Yea, it made for some interesting moments on screen, but dear, there are some things you just don’t fuck with. Making BA a pansy, even for a short time, was not cool.
Still, this was the second most fun I have had at a theater this year, Kick Ass being numero uno.
http://bit.ly/bI4sNM
I grew up with and loved the original series so I was doubtful that I was gonna lkie this. Dirk Benedict as was smooth as Face. Mr. T was Bad Ass as B.A. Baracus, Dwight Schultz was funny as Howling Mad Murdock and then there was Hannibal bringing all the plans together played by George Peppard….who I actually got to see get his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Even got to lift one side of Mr. T’s van up for a picture at Universal Studios. Love the original alot…..and I loved the movie. Sharlto Copley stole every scene he was in as Murdock!
I’ve heard a lot of great things about this film. When I first saw the trailer, it looked like it definitely had entertainment value. Nice review, thanks for sharing!
I also caught some of the original series when I was young. I can see @Rick Swift has already noted that you can stream the entire original series to you computer via NetFlix which is what I started doing after I got home. They kept the characters true to the original characters which was wonderful. Hillarious fun & ACTION from this movie. I think this one is definately a future purchase. Yeah, that domnino effect on the cargo ship was spectacular!
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I haven’t seen it, yet. However, I grew up with the TV series so I’ll definitely check it out at some point. After seeing the tank flying through the air in the trailer, I have to admit I’m preparing for the worst. It better be wall-to-wall fun to pull off a stunt like that.
Great review. I’ve seen a fair amount of negative reviews for this movie. Those reviewers pretty much don’t get it. This movie captured the spirit of the original show to a T (no pun intended). Sadly, the original show is often maligned or laughed off. I got very verbose about it in my review of the movie: http://bit.ly/duxHyg
Overkill is underrated. That’s a perfect line.
I saw The Losers and liked that but I was never in a rush to see the A-Team. I’ll give it a try at some point, especially because you liked it so much.
OK, I’m only responding now because the movie was only released in South Africa three days ago. And I loved (almost) every minute of it! The bits I didn’t like? That stupid scene in Lynch’s office, as misogynistic as all get out and also? Totally lame.
I loved Sharlto Copley. He stole every scene he was in, and his interactions with Rampage Jackson were the highlight of the movie for me. No wonder those two became fast friends in real life!
Also, did anyone else notice that the bad-guy assassin squad (Black Forest) was named after a CAKE? Ooh, I’d be shaking in my boots!
Loved, LOVED this movie! It’s one of the better buddy movies I’ve watched in recent memory.