I saw “The A-Team,” which was an awful lot of fun. It was everything you’d expect of a reboot of the seminal ’80s action show, especially when it’s helmed by a top-flight director like Joe Carnahan. First and foremost, the casting was nothing short of brilliant. Remember, the original show was almost cartoonish in its presentation, so it would be very easy for the actors to slip into that realm of idiocy. However, under the direction of a master of character establishment like Carnahan, they were expertly portrayed. I was initially skeptical about Liam Neeson stepping into George Peppard’s Army-issues, but he more than capably filled them. Likewise, when I saw that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was going to be the new B.A. Baracus, my initial thoughts were less than positive, but I was very surprised at the depth he brought to the character. Bradley Cooper is the only person alive that should be playing Faceman, and he nailed it (and he’s so damn good-looking even I want to sleep with him). Sharlto Copley made a great Murdock, and he interacted seamlessly with the rest of the team. Other really good performances came from Patrick Wilson (one of my favorite actors), Jessica Biel and Brian Bloom, as well as Gerald McRaney, an alum of another ’80s show, “Simon & Simon.” (There was also a great cameo by Jon Hamm.) The action sequences were, of course, way over the top. And by that I mean WAAAAY over the top. Simply put, none of this stuff could ever happen; that’s why it’s in the movies. Still, they were expertly choreographed, executed, shot, and edited. The effects, however, weren’t as good as they could have been, as there were a few times that it was obvious they were using models instead of CGI. Nevertheless, any action sequence from Joe Carnahan is worth the price of admission, so the originality and sheer audacity of the sequences more than made up for any shortcomings. The best thing about the movie was the direction, which was very creative. (If you haven’t been able to tell, I’m a HUGE Joe Carnahan fan.) Peppered throughout the film were foreshadowings, flashbacks, double entendres, sleights-of-hand, thinly veiled references and inside jokes. Added to the sharp story and excellent editing, they filled out an already robust plot and made watching the movie even more fun. So, nutshell: Positives: well-written, well-acted and well-directed. Negatives: gloriously unrealistic, A- effects. A worthy homage to a beloved, iconic bit of ’80s pop culture. $6 06/11/10
Posted on: Sun, 25 May 2014 22:48:17 +0000