loufalce

(2012-04-25 13:21:03)

The F Minus Team

Trashy TV show gets made into a trashy mind numbing "film". This timethey are Gulf War veterans rather than Viet Nam vets, but everythingelse is the same. Amazing how a fine actor like Neeson can get dupedinto appearing in such drivel. He plays the George Peppard role, whilethe other team members are fleshed out-if I can use that term by otherno-name actors. Since this is a movie, all the foul language thatcoudn't be used on TV is there. This migraine and, if your'e luckysleep inducing scenario is so inconsequential that its not even worthdescribing. Just think TV show overkill stretched into a feature lenghtmovie and you'll get the idea. Everything you have seen a million timesbefore. Explosions, car crashes, helicopter crashes, foul language andgraphic violence for the sake of graphic violence. Its enough to makeeven a director like Michael Bay say "enough already!" I'm sure it willplease die hard fans of the TV show, but it will die the death itdeserves at the box office in about 2 weeks after it opens big and makethe trip to Blockbuster in record time.And, lets remember one thing. Intodays Hollywood there are no such things as good movies anymore. UntilI see evidence of the contrary, all I have to say is that all moviesare made as bad movies. Its just their degree of rottenness that raisesthem from abysmal, to barely watchable to mediocre with the very rareexception of one or two rising above mediocre. I really don't want toget off on a rant here, but , dear reader,this one falls somewherebetween abysmal to barely watchable. At least I got to see it for freeat a preview. Are YOU willing to pay good money (especially in theObama economy} to find out how bad this one is? Thank me. I just savedyou 10 bucks- not to mention a trip to the multiplex.And Hollywood-forthe love of God, stop making movies that are based on TV shows. Whatsnext-Gilligan's Island- the movie or the movie version of Knightrideror F Troop?

(2012-04-24 19:56:32)

If you liked the original A-Team, you will LOVE this one

Given that Hollywood has taken to raping my fondest childhood memories, my favorite TV shows and movies, I was definitely hesitant when I heard of an A-Team remake. After finally deciding to give it a chance, I felt like a fool in search of pity for being so ignorant. Simply put, it's AWESOME. Liam Neeson is an impeccable replacement for George Peppard (slight edge to Peppard) as Hannibal Smith, with the same charismatic leadership ability and unwaivering confidence that a plan will come together. Bradley Cooper is an improvement over Dirk Benedict, creating a Face that is not just good with the ladies, but also capable of carrying an action movie. The reincarnation of B.A. Baracus is undoubtedly better, as Quinton "Rampage" Jackson provides more size, strength, and, dare I say it, acting ability than Mr. T. Obviously, Jackson loses the gold chain contest. Last but not least is Murdock, played by Sharlto Copley. There is no doubt whatsoever that he dominates time on screen, and Dwight Schulz, who has all but become an afterthought. The amazing part about all this is not only are the actors/characters adequate replacements of the originals, but their storylines also get expanded upon and further explained. The one major flaw to this film is Jessica Biel's character. As a Captain who gets demoted to Lieutenant, no matter what agency or military she's in, her character is given far too much leeway and power; it's a flaw that a former member of the military can't possibly overlook without it lessening the movie's plot somewhat. After the foursome is introduced, flash-forward eight years to when they become engaged in a convoluted scheme battling the CIA, a Blackwater facsimile, and mysterious foreigners over some $100 U.S. currency engraving plates, the theft for which the A-Team has been framed. From there it is nothing but explosions, guns, chases, airplanes, tanks, fights, and everything you expect in an action movie. The camera work is overall above average, but there is a bit of shaky-cam during some of the action scenes.Highly recommended for a great, reminiscent time.Jason Elin

RandySpice

(2012-04-12 11:19:41)

The A-Team exceeds expectations

When I first heard about this movie my first thought was: "why?" Itseemed fairly obvious to me that an A-Team movie would either behorribly dated or so different from the old TV-series that the heartand soul of it would be gone and the fans would be disappointed.When the trailer hit the screens I was firmly in the camp of theskeptics. Apparently they had gone for the latter option. The tone wasoff when Liam Neeson uttered Hannibal's trademark line, B.A. wassuddenly throwing words like "homie" around and Face and Murdock lookedalike to me.I went to see this movie with virtually zero expectations and came outwith a big grin on my face. The A-Team delivers. It by and largemanages to walk the fine line of changing what would no longer workfrom the series without losing the heart and soul."In 1972 a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military courtfor a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from amaximum security stockade..." Remember these lines? Change the year andyou have the synopsis of this movie. This is the origin story for theA-Team, updated to today's war and today's standards and that is allyou need to know.The cast is great. All my concerns about the trailer flew right out thewindow after I had seen the introductions for the main characters.Neeson surprisingly nails it as Hannibal. Cooper is a very good Face,except for stubble Dirk Benedict would not be caught dead with. Thefinds of this movie are Jackson and Copley. They are very well cast andthey're very funny. Jackson doesn't glower enough to my taste, but thatis really the only gripe I have. The rest of the cast does a good jobwith limited screen time, especially the villains.The action is outstanding and outrageous at times, just like it'ssupposed to be. The flying tank scene is especially hilarious and thefinale especially spectacular. Very well done. One pet peeve: why cannobody in Hollywood keep those cameras steady anymore? Unfortunatelythis movie, like so many others these days, suffers from shaky camerasyndrome. Rampage Jackson is a top level fighter. It would be awesometo actually see more of his moves in stead of an indistinguishable messof limbs.Overall I would recommend this movie to those who loved the series andto everybody who wants to see a good summer action movie. It's funny,it's exciting to watch and it has the heart and soul that so many TVremakes seem to miss.

(2012-04-12 00:37:14)

I loved this movie!

This movie was made for me: A guy who used to watch the show when he was a kid, that can still indulge his inner child with stuff like this. This movie is 40% A-Team related stuff (The characters, their style, the way a situation is resolved) and 60% typical action movie stuff from the mid '00s (odd dialogue, unique action stuff you haven't seen yet in the myriad of other action films out there). But it's a wonderful mix. Everyone is EXCELLENT in their roles, especially the guy playing Murdock. I saw him in District 9 and he's incredible! His range is just awesome. I can't wait to see him in more movies. This DVD is great - I thought the quality was just fine, and I'm a blu-ray fanatic myself. This DVD does include the 2 short sequences after the end credits, showing the "real" Face and Murdock in cameo roles. Pretty funny stuff if you're a fan of the real show. Anyhow- great action movie with a nice mix of memories from my childhood!!!

(2012-04-04 21:01:53)

The A-Team

The `A-Team' film is a very different beast to the TV series, but it is no less entertaining.This is a film that you need to suspend disbelief for to fully enjoy as it has the most ridiculous and outlandish plots, scenes and stunts that you could quite easily ruin this for yourself by being too incredulous. Most of the action in this film is pure fantasy, but the explosions, stunts, one liners and execution more than makes up for this.Following the gulf war the A-Team have to recover some stolen money minting plates and clear their name after they are framed for a murder and the original theft of said plates. You see how they track down their enemy and how they are double crossed and betrayed by those they have had to trust. Pretty much your standard action film fare.Liam Neeson has the most ridiculous accent going, but if you can not let this annoy you too much you should be ok. Bradley Cooper is a credible Face and manages to be reminiscent of the TV series character whilst bringing his own style to the role. This also applies to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson who plays BA Baracus. The gold jewellery is missing, but the same attitude is there. My favourite has to be Murdoch who manages to come out with some hilarious lines and stops the film from taking itself too seriously. His impression of Mel Gibson in Braveheart had me howling!This film also offers plenty of their trademark DIY adaptations and gadgets, as well as a brief appearance from the black and red GMC.This is a perfectly enjoyable action film and as long as you don't compare it to the original TV series, or take the stunts or credibility of the action too seriously, you can enjoy this for it's duration. It's a good, but not great film, but still worth a watch.Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.

emv1031

(2012-04-04 04:14:38)

How on earth does this have 7 points?

I really really don't understand how does this movie has such arating... some of the best movies out there are in the 7-7.5 range andthis one deserves to be nowhere near them. Yes, the original TV showitself was pretty far-fetched and exaggerated.... that does not meanthat the movie was entitled to being 20 times more far-fetched than theshow. I can buy the A-team going into a shed filled with nothing butgarbage and coming out with a PVC pipes machine gun (like the originalB.A., Hanibal Smith, Murdock and Face did), however "flying a tank"that dropped from an airplane just seems to yell "hey all you idiot andignorant movie goers, check this out, it could really happen". Theytook out the very enjoyable TV show and replaced it with nonsensespecial effects.And the part that hurt the most: the A-Team was aaaaaall about thatsexy black van with the red stripe... I mean that was the main reason Ituned in on the show back then, how can you make an A-Team movie andwreck the black van 10 minutes into it???!!!! They should also make aMacGyver movie and make him lose his knife at the beginning, or anAirwolf movie and crash the helicopter. 4 points from me only because Ireally enjoy Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper as actors, other wise it'dbe a solid 1

samvanraalte

(2012-03-27 18:42:40)

The A-Team: a very good B-movie

If you are looking for a light, funny and action packed movie, itdoesn't get much better than this. The A-Team is very, very easy tootake in, but never boring, has action-scenes that will blow you out ofyour seat and is stuffed with plenty of damn funny moments.Also very nice for a change: this action/comedy film doesn't takeitself too seriously. Which is quite refreshing if you take a look atall the 'comedy with a message' crap Hollywood produces these days.The new B.A. (Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson), Murdock (Sharlto Copley),Hannibal (Liam Neeson) and Face (Bradley Cooper) are all great at theirroles. Props for Patrick Wilson as the slick C.I.A. agent Lynch andJessica Biel is lovely as always. Joe Carnahan, who wrote and directedthis movie, simply did a great job and gives the audience exactly whatit needs.I'd say it was definitely worth my money.

dbborroughs

(2012-03-27 05:20:28)

Perfect Summer fare is mindless action with great characters and funny lines. I hate to say it but its one of the most enjoyable films of 2010

My vote for the biggest guilty pleasure of Summer 2010.Big screen restart of the TV show has Hannibal Smith and company comingtogether and then getting set up by some bad guys for nastiness inIraq. Going to prison they are given a chance at redemption...and Iwish this did better because damn I want a sequel.Mindless brainless and as joyous as a brain filled with popcorn andsoda this is everything you want to do when you take a mindless TVseries and go big screen. Great actors, funny lines, characters thatstretch the TV counterparts and set pieces that are just a blast.Wow Wow and Wow.There is no message no meaning nothing to get in the way of snideremarks and big explosions.I'm a six year old again.Intellectually this film is utter trash but damn if I didn't enjoy thehell out of it like a spin around the test track in a race car.I can't wait to see if I can convince myself not to put this on thebest of year list come January.

(2012-03-20 03:24:08)

Great Movie!

This review is from: The A-Team (DVD) I think this is a great movie. I never saw much of the original TV Show but the acting is great and Liam Neeson is awesome. Definitely worth owning!

Ced Yuen

(2012-03-19 13:38:00)

Good, silly fun

Entertainment has changed a lot since the 1980s. Updating a culturalicon is a gamble, because what people loved back then is notnecessarily the same sort of thing that people love now. Show yourfriends some classic episodes of The A-Team and they will most likelyfind it dated and boring. Therein lies the dilemma: modernise it toomuch and it disappoints the fans. Make it a strictly fan-service affairand newcomers don't like it. The solution: make a film that would fitwith today's standards, with enough links to key elements of theoriginal material. Did they get the balance right? Yes, sort of.On paper, The A-Team (2010) is a pretty good adaptation, with plenty ofsimilarities to the TV series. There is enough here to satisfy anyreasonable fan of the original: the four guys; the cigar; the Mohawk;the explosions; silly stunts; that van. The main characters arere-interpretations, but they remain mostly intact. Liam Neeson'sHannibal is still cool and calculating, but now he's all gruff insteadof laid-back. Bradley Cooper's Face is still a cocky womaniser, but nowhe's smarmy instead of charming. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson's B.A. (adecent acting debut) still hates planes and pities fools, but the blingis gone. Sharlto Copley, building on his success from District 9,steals the scene by playing Murdock with more nuts and less cheese. Thefamous theme tune and catchphrases are still there, but effectivelyunderused. It's still knowingly silly, still all about bullets-sprayingmayhem, and still about having fun. The fan in me was smiling all theway.Only a small percentage of the audience will expect a step-by-stepreproduction, and the filmmakers get that. This is not a slavish traceof the original blueprint. A-Team newcomers (such as mygirlfriend/movie guinea-pig) will find a standard action flick that'sperfectly accessible. As the movie is meant to be a prequel-update (inthe vein of Casino Royale and Star Trek), no prior knowledge of thesource material is required. There is enough exposition to show who thecharacters are. Attempts are made to flesh out certain back storiesthat the original series never even bothered with. The visual style hasbeen adjusted for inflation with the sort of budget, CGI andcinematography that modern audiences have come to expect. The colourand campiness is gone, replaced with a gritty realism. The dated,people-flying- through-windows kind of fighting has been replaced byflashy martial arts. In fact, director Joe Carnahan makes such a pointof making The A-Team his own that there aren't any traces of the 1980s.Updating The A-Team does have its drawbacks, and this is where Carnahanfails to keep things balanced. By making these guys realistic, it takesaway the childish spirit that came with the original. The occasionalbit of bad CGI tests your ability to suspend disbelief. Upping thenumber of characters, Carnahan confuses 'complex' with 'convoluted',resulting in a weaker finale than what could have been. The 'MichaelBay Effect' – the shaky camera, too- close-up shots and rapid-cutediting – is kept to a minimum, but when it does appear, it grates.The A-Team was always about risks, but improvising weapons from junkfound in a skip wasn't anywhere as risky as adapting the series for thebig screen. Some things worked, some things didn't. A-Team fans willfind plenty to like as long as they don't expect a carbon copy of theoriginal. For everyone else, the end product is a pretty standardaction film, no more, no less – just A-Team flavoured.

sddavis63

(2012-03-12 13:55:23)

Doesn't Capture Whatever It Was That Made The TV Series Work

Almost 30 years have passed since "The A-Team" debuted on television.Something has happened in those thirty years. I liked the TV show. Itwas a good cast, and usually a lot of fun. I approached the movie bothhopefully and hesitantly, wondering if it could measure up. Either I'vejust grown out of this type of movie, or the TV series doesn'ttranslate easily on to the large screen, or this just wasn't a verygood movie. I didn't really find myself getting into the spirit anyway.This traces the origins of the Team, as they first get booted out ofthe army and imprisoned, and then as they escape and set out to cleartheir names. In a nod to modern viewers, the Team are veterans of Iraqand not Vietnam. There's pretty standard actions scenes scatteredthroughout, but to me the cast disappointed. They weren't bad, but itwas as if they were trying too hard to be their TV counterparts ratherthan putting their own spin on the familiar (to old geezers like me,anyway) characters. Liam Neeson tried hard enough to be Col. HannibalSmith and Bradley Cooper and Sharlto Copley were fine as Face andMurdock. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was given the daunting task oftaking over Mr. T's role as B.A. Baracus and I didn't think he reallycaptured the part - but perhaps that's forgivable, since Mr. T'sBaracus was really the headline character of the series.The movie didn't seem to flow well to me. It loosely revolved aroundthe Team's attempt to recover stolen currency plates that they wereaccused of stealing themselves, but the story seemed secondary anduseful mostly as an excuse for action. It's more violent than the TVseries - to be expected - but not really as enjoyable. I think of thethree options I mentioned for why this may not have hit home for me,the second is probably closest to the truth: "The A-Team" worked wellas a hour long TV series but perhaps doesn't have enough content tohold together a big screen movie. (3/10)

(2012-03-12 09:40:44)

good fun movie

This review is from: The A-Team (Amazon Instant Video) I like movies like this, serious enough to have a story, yet enough fun to keep it from being to heavy :)I liked this movie way better than the original TV show I watched as a kid. I think Rampage made an awesome Mr.T. I liked all the characters better than the original TV show except for Mr.T which I would give a tie to. (gotta love the old Mr. T also)I also like how this movie put together pieces of the original TV series to explain things. For example why Mr. T is afraid of flying lol.Fun movie for sure, yet serious enough to have meaning.

gokuslight

(2012-03-08 11:29:53)

Better than expected!

I know this movie was not well reviewed by critics and due to variousscheduling conflicts I was unable to catch it at the theaters. Onenight at home, looking for something to watch, nothing on TV, we wentto the store and I purchased this on Blu-Ray as I am a huge fan ofeverything Liam Neeson does. From beginning to end, this show kept uson the edge of our seats, cheering, laughing, and just anticipatingmore. It was a very fun movie with insane stunts and great creativity.Overall, it was by far one of the most enjoyable movies I have seen ina long time. By the end of the show, I was just hoping that there willbe a sequel. I think if anyone goes into watching this show with anopen mind, they will find it better than expected.

(2012-03-08 05:27:52)

just okay...

As a stand alone movie, it's great. You will not find in this movie what you enjoyed most from the series.

witster18

(2012-03-06 01:23:07)

A for very, very Average.

The A-Team is an average action yarn that isn't nearly as funny or asentertaining as some have made out. The story and situations start outinteresting and exciting, but soon fizzle into a big pile of dull.The script is just flat-out awful.Bradley Cooper and Neeson are average-at-best, and the only characterthat is in any way interesting is Sharlto Copley, and even then, we'releft to draw on his interaction with 'Rampage' Jackson, who makes BrianBosworth and Scott Speedman look like Oscar winners.LIsten, as a fan of the original series AND of action movies - I reallywanted to like this! Half-way through I was engaged and the film waswell on it's way to a 7 or 8.Unfortunately, the last half of the film takes the ridiculous to theway-too-ridiculous, and the film just sits there literally hypnotizingthe audience with it's meaningless, dull, and utterly forgettablestoryline and too-hollywooded-up action sequences. The tank scene isjust one of many that made me shake my head and ask,'why?'. Films likethis remind me of why movies like Raider's and Road Warrior are thereal action works of art.3, maybe 4 laughs the whole movie(if you're lying in wait), and perhapsthe most forgettable film of the year.A Touch, and I mean a touch better than Knight & Day, and on the samelines as far as meaningless action sequence after action sequence thatseriously lacked chemistry between the cast - which is, ironically, theopposite of what made the original series so entertaining.Right up my alley...... ....in the dumpster. The good news is that itwas just bad enough that we shouldn't expect a sequel.You MIGHT like it if you liked: Armageddon, The Expendables, MissionImpossible 2, and Eraser.

moselekm

(2012-03-05 10:20:57)

Not for the Jaded. A great summer flick.

I have only seen a few episodes of the original show, so I can't say Iam at all biased; other than the fact that I absolutely love everyperson cast for this action/comedy.There are films who like to ride that grainy fine line of realistic andgo-for-broke-unrealism. Where other films, like Shoot'em Up justcompletely ignore it. A-Team walks the line and teeters perfectly alongit. Yes, many of the scenes are over-the-top and they don't try andsell it as anything other than entertaining and a huge laugh. If you'resomeone who has to identify every impossible feat, than this nor moviesare for you.It has been a long time since an action film has been able to keep meinterested. So many films try and mix drama, comedy, effects, andwhatever artsy fascination a director may have that many films havedry, long, and unneeded parts. In fact the last Action film I saw intheaters that really kept me interested and away from my phone fromsending texts or checking the time was Smoking Aces, an earlier filmdone by Carnahan.A-Team doesn't try to be anything it isn't. It's a fun, entertaining,and grasping when it needs to be. Like Peppard said about his time onthe set of A-Team: This is a Man's show. And the only time the movieloses pace is when they enter in one dramatic/romantic scene, butthankfully that has a reason to, so we can all take a sigh of relief.So again, A-Team won't blow your mind with any effects, plot, oranything like that. But it will entertain you like an action filmshould. And if you find yourself without an action movie that couldkeep you hooked on the screen for a while, then I believe this to bethe remedy.

Gordon-11

(2012-03-05 05:54:19)

A mess

This film is about four disgraced soldiers fighting to clear their namefrom being national fugitives."The A-Team" has high profile stars and seemingly unlimited budget, yetit is a mess. The story telling is so poor that I simply have no ideawhat is going on. Often times, two unrelated events are told togetherby cutting back and forth, making the story so hard to understand. Itis also not helped by the attention-deficit-like shots, which paces thefilm so fast that the plot becomes unintelligible. All the action,though very spectacular, becomes chaos. The final result is that I haveto read the synopsis online to understand what the film is about. I hadhigh hopes for "The A-Team" but I am utterly disappointed.

jejohnson2244

(2012-03-04 20:24:38)

Wow

When I saw this movie, I didn't know what to expect because at the timeI was not really an avid fan of the TV series because I've never seenit. So I when in expecting a sleuth military film and what I got wasexplosions and more explosions from everything little to big that couldblow up. So I walked out the theater dazed and confused but actuallydeep down enjoyed the film. While walking out the theater I thought tomyself " I wonder how the TV series was" and went home. One night justrandomly searching the Over the air networks late at night, a channelwas showing the TV show and I watched it. Man was it the mostentertaining corniest thing I've ever seen, but the movie was the sameif you strip out the corniness and amp up the explosions. All in all Icome to say that the movie was pretty close to the series and all inall give it a try.. (just make sure you go to a movie theater withgreat surround sound and give the DVD release a DTS soundtrack FOX.

(2012-03-04 13:31:17)

Another worthless Hollywood remake

Again and again, Hollywood tries to duplicate an original theme only to put out garbage. This movie is trash. The "A-Team" are nothing but wannabees who think their academy award type actors. This is why movies these days are just not worth watching. If you think this movie was "cool", than you probably was born post-1987. I'd rather see the original cast on those retro channels. Save your money. If you want to watch the real A-Team, just purchase the series episodes edition from the 80s.

(2012-03-04 01:24:22)

Fun movie!

I really enjoyed this movie! Very entertaining with lots of action and humor.I viewed it using direct streaming. This was my first experience with direct streaming of a rented movie, and I have to say I was impressed. The quality was better than I expected!I do wish that the rental came with DVD-style bonus features like deleted scenes or "making of" featurettes. This is just the movie.