It’s always a challenge taking a classic and making it into a movie. Some turn out great (“Batman Begins”), some don’t (“Bewitched”) and some land, well, right in the middle. “The A-Team” proudly straddles that line.
For those of you not familiar with the show, which aired for five seasons in the mid-80s, it follows a group of four shamed army rangers in their adventures while on the run.
The film, however, is not just for those who were fans of the original series. It’s more of an origin story, and spends the first sequence of the film introducing you to not just the characters, but how they interact as well.
Speaking of sequences, one thing this movie does is live up to its action genre classification. Unlike some summer flicks that promised great fight sequences and only had one (“Iron Man” anybody?), this movie provides a healthy dose of adrenaline every few minutes with the rowdy and almost outlandish action scenes.
When there aren’t fantastic chases or combats on screen, the film concentrates on the group trying to steal back a set of plates used to print the American dollar and with the plates, their innocence. Every plan to get the coveted plates back into the hands of the good guys usually results in something insane and complex.
The film remained true to its predecessor by following the original format of keeping some essentials of an inane scheme under wraps, but revealing just enough to keep you interested.
There are, of course, some things were changed to make the jump from small to large screen. The war the group fought in is now the Iraq war, a three-decade update from the original Vietnam.
Another major difference was an update in realism. In the 80s TV version, The A-Team would shoot at their enemies’ feet until they surrendered, which realistically, wouldn’t have worked out in the heroes’ favor too long. In the film version, there is more realistic gun usage. People die. People get shot. People get blown up and thrown from the tops of trucks, but all with really snappy dialogue.
One thing the film did hold true to was the main idea for each and every character, regardless of any stigma that may have developed since the mid-80s. Hannibal smokes like a chimney, Murdock is certifiably insane, Face is overly pretty (and uses it), and B.A. is still the muscle.
And the actors chosen to take on each of these iconic roles pulled it off. Liam Neeson is no surprise, it’s hard to name a bad performance by him, and Hannibal is no exception. Bradley Cooper further solidifies his comedic chops as the devilishly handsome Face. “Rampage” Jackson pulls in the classic B.A. character traits and even pulls off a fantastically deep moment of inner discovery.
The real star, though, is Sharlto Copely. If anyone remembers his breakout performance from last year’s “District 9,” prepare to be further impressed. Copely shows off his comedic skills as the crazy Murdock. Not only does he take already pretty decent writing and layer it with endearing insanity and humor, but he also shows off his uncanny ability to imitate almost any accent ever heard by mankind. While he’s originally from South Africa, he sports an American for most of the film, as well as throwing in his native sound and even speaking Swahili.
All in all, “The A-Team” falls together to be a fun summer flick. It’s no Oscar contender, but it’s an adrenaline-filled ride that will make you laugh and will keep you quoting it with your friends for days. Take it at face value, and you’ll have fun. It is what it is.
Three out of five stars.
