The A-team

I would not have cared for this movie if it had not been for the TV show's place in pop culture. Pop culture always portrayed “The A-team” in a cool light and thanks to their theme song, they became cool to me as a result. I must confess that I have not seen an episode of the TV show and that is probably why I always have a really good time seeing this movie. The movie is fun and funny. The action is another great quality of the film. I am glad that it continues to entertain me over time. However, there wasn’t a perfect balance between fun and storytelling

I like how the origin of the team is told and how their introductions are handled. It is pretty cool and fun. Also, for those like me who did not see the TV show, the opening scene in Mexico establishes the characters pretty well. We have the leader with the plan, the ladies man, the brawn and the crazy guy. The movie does a good job of exciting us “when a plan comes together”. There is a lot of fun action all over the movie. I also like the scenes when the team breaks out of jail, especially when Murdock is picked up. The use of the 3D movie gets funnier each time I see it. Other funny moments come as the team tries to get to LA. There is the mix up of passports, which is very funny. I like how B.A. says “shalom”. In that scene, Hannibal looks like Liam Neeson does in real life. I find that funny too. Then, just as B.A. is happy that they are taking a boat, it is revealed to be a seaplane. This results in more gags that have to do with drugging him. It is a very funny sequence. Use of the A-team theme song throughout the film was very fun also. In my opinion, a great movie always has a great story that is given a lot of attention. It must be entertaining every time people watch it. While this remains a fun show, I feel that more attention in this film was unfortunately given to the cast, characters, action and fun nature of the film instead of the story. I will admit that the story twist was clever.

The most important element that this film needed was chemistry between the new cast members playing the A-team. This was achieved thankfully. I understand that Liam Neeson is not American enough to truly portray Col. Hannibal Smith but he portrays a sense of style and humor that is very entertaining. He can carry the picture. It is a good thing that I have not seen the original TV show because I might not have excepted Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as B.A. No one can replace Mr. T but I still enjoyed Jackson’s work on this movie. Bradley Cooper’s “Hangover” persona made him ideal to play Face and I wonder if this movie prepared him to be the voice for a character in another famous team later in his career. I first saw Sharlto Copley on “District 9” but I did not recognize him in “The A-team” portraying Murdock. I am impressed as a result by his acting ability. He is very funny in this show. I first saw Patrick Wilson in “The Phantom of the Opera” and so I am not used to him playing a villainous role. Personally, I feel that the characters of Pike and Lynch should have been portrayed differently because they seemed too similar. I enjoy the post credits scenes staring Dirk Benedict and Dwight Schultz.

When I first saw “The A-team”, I had a good time. The same can be said for every viewing after it. The movie has a lot of fun and action. The characters are well portrayed but the story lacked a little. At least if I have a problem in my life with nothing seeming to help and if I can find it, I can always watch "The A-team" to lift my spirits.

4 Stars