Movie Review: More like a reboot, 'The A-Team' offers little for the nostalgic.

The A-Team (PG-13) Dir: Joe Carnahan

In this film adaptation of the TV show, a group of four Iraq War veterans are convicted by the U.S. Military of a crime they didn’t commit. They escape, and try to clear their name by finding stolen counterfeit U.S. treasury plates in a deal they make with the C.I.A. Department of Defence Captain Charisa Sosa (Jessica Biel) meanwhile is hot on their tail.

When one watches a film based on a well-known TV show, there are certain expectations one has for the film, particularly if one happens to be a fan of the show. Some would argue that every film (that happens to be adapted from another source) should be judged on its own merits. I tend to agree with that if the source and the product are completely different mediums (movies adapted from books), but not with live action mediums like TV and film. And, if they use the same name, they are just asking for it to be compared. With that said, I found this film to resemble very little of the TV show—it’s more like a reboot, and not much to offer to the nostalgic.

I suppose when the infamous black van from the original TV show was smashed to bits (forever and ever) within the first 15 minutes of the film, that should’ve said it all. It’s not unlike the scene in the new Clash of the Titans where you have Bubo the mechanical owl (from the original) making a brief cameo only to be discarded into a chest (forever and ever). Likewise the new Clash had little to do with the original Clash. Or, one can say this film is like Charlie’s Angels the movie vs. TV’s Charlie’s Angels, although, to this film’s credit, none of the characters do any Kung Fu. Well, Hannibal does some Muay Thai, but that’s Thai Boxing, not Kung Fu. Well, at least he didn’t call it Karate.

Reboots seem like the big thing these days--Star Trek (which actually needed one), the upcoming Spider-Man, Karate Kid, and Clash of the Titans. Characters have been rebooted a bit since the TV show. For a good chunk of the film, B.A. Baracus loses his famous Mohawk because in this film, he has suddenly become a “peace-loving” individual. Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson’s B.A.’s personality doesn’t quite resemble the “bad attitude (B.A.)” that Mr. T brought to the character—there’s toughness, but he's more like a big teddy bear. Still, Liam Neeson got the cigar and the smile down as Hannibal Smith, the leader—he is in good form here. Sharlto Copley does what he can as “Howling Mad” Murdock, the crazy guy of the team—unfortunately, the writers have toned down his character quite a bit and toned up Faceman’s character. Bradley Cooper plays Face (or Templeton "Faceman" Peck), who seemed to be the main hero here (although in the TV show he wasn’t quite this prominent) and gets the women. I didn’t particularly care for Bradley Cooper’s version. Supposedly the “pretty boy” of the team, Bradley Cooper was unshaven and scruffy, and sometimes I confused him with Murdock with some of his crazy antics. He even takes over Hannibal’s job of planning things at one point. One of the things I had loved about the TV show was how different and extreme each character was to each other, yet they still got along—here, the personalities do not stand out too much and Face gets too much to do. He has become like Wolverine from X-Men.

The plot is fairly simple and straightforward and the action scenes are cartoony with much use of CG and CG explosions. They’re campy, sometimes fun, but I found them a little too G.I. Joe for me. It’s not completely over-the-top like G.I. Joe or Transformers, however, but close. The humor isn’t too complex, and there are nods to the TV show such as B.A.’s fear of flying (yet no fear of falling from buildings), Hannibal’s one-liners, and using makeshift weaponry.

There have been some articles online about Mr. T not thinking too fondly of this film after seeing it. I tend to agree with him. I used to watch The A-Team when I was a kid, and admittedly, I found myself hard to connect with the new characters like I did with the show. Still, this is not a bad film. It’s just not a strong adaptation in respect to the source. There is plenty of action to please the CG action crowd. The characters are still pleasant enough and the “plans” that come together are mildly interesting, even if over-the-top. Hannibal is a nice role for Liam Neeson. Few reviews ago when I reviewed The Losers, I mentioned that The Losers reminded me of the TV show The A-Team and it could possibly wind up being better than The A-Team movie. Well, I can now stand more confidently in that statement. The Losers is the better A-Team-type movie, and the relationships in that film felt more natural.  I think of it as how TV’s Parker Lewis Can’t Lose was closer to the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in spirit than the TV’s Ferris Bueller….ah, but that’s a whole another subject. I give The A-Team ** out of **** stars.