Can the A-Team Earn an A-Grade at the Box Office?

The A-team is yet another remake or re-imagining of an 80's television show, and yet another opportunity to destroy the few remaining memories of my childhood. When I first heard the news blurbs about this one a long while back, I was, let's say, less than enthused. Then I heard the UFC's Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was the lead candidate for Mr. T's part of B.A. Baracus. Don't get me wrong, although I try my best to dislike his personality, I enjoy him as a fighter. But an athlete playing the main character? There was going to be no way this would be good.

They then add Bradley Cooper, fresh off The Hangover. This disgustingly handsome guy, who can only promote feelings of inferiority in the common man (read: ME), somehow manages to exude that cliche "every-man" charm and is pretty funny to boot (check his segment on Between Two Ferns: with Zach Galifinakis). Next I hear about Liam Neeson as Hannibal, the man who "loves it when a plan come together", and I start to feel better about things. I mean, this is the guy who not only taught Batman everything he knows, but trained Obi-Wan Kenobi as well. And now, he's going to lead the A-Team? Things again, are sounding better. The final straw in breaking the this-is-going-to-be-terrible camel's back was the Sharlto Copley addition as "Howling Mad" Murdoc. I love this guy. District 9 was something really well done to me, and watching the plethora of extras on the Blu-Ray you see the depth of this man's comedy and improvisational skills.

So despite my many initial fears, and the deep-ceded hatred for things that mess with my childhood nostalgia, like a new marriage I was go into the viewing of the A-Team movie with a positive outlook and expecting everything to be great! So, was my movie marriage met with a 50-year anniversary of silver screen success or a cinematic divorce of epic proportions? I can happily say that the A-Team movie and I are going steady, and while I don't know if our relationship will stand the test of time, things are just swell right now. This was a fun action flick stew with some strong comedic seasonings for good measure. Even the bad guys have some really funny lines in this one.

Liam Neeson is, if nothing else, solid in his role and adds legitimacy to the cast and the movie overall. Bradley Cooper, well, it's hard not to like this guy. He does have some of the lamer bits of dialogue, in a script that that is surprisingly strong in the witty dialogue category, yet he takes on the "Faceman" role with a particular zeal that is hard not to get caught up in. Sharlto Copley's "Howling Mad" Murdoch is perfect as both an homage to the original character and one that is his own as well. I would say he steals the majority of the scenes he is a part of. Finally we come to the wildest of the wild-cards. Quinton Jackson in his first movie role is easily spotted as a rookie. Overall the quality of his performance is not consistent, but it is passable, and he definitely has some moments where he does well, particularly in the comedic-sense. He did a good enough job that I did not find him particularly distracting to any large degree.

The film is paced well, with good breaks between the major action scenes. From a technical standpoint the effects are pretty good apart from the final big CG sequence which had a "this is way to obviously CG" feel to them. I found the Alan Silvestri score to be a little uneven as well, but there are few good cues from the old television music, including an orchestrated version that plays near the end of the credits (which you will want to stick around for to see some nice cameos.) Overall this is a fun movie, and I'm fairly confident it's going to do well. Despite the protests of Mr. T, who I love dearly, the violence is not over-bearing. Yes people die here, unlike the television show. However nothing is overtly graphic. So, check some of your expectations at the door if you're a fan of the original, and view this as an homage that works on the action and comedy levels. It's good to finally see the summer movie season have something to be proud of.

A-Team Film, Wikipedia 2010

Mr. T Blasts 'The A-Team Movie', WENN, June 7 2010