The top two movies last weekend were The Karate Kid and The A-Team. Is nothing original anymore? We bring back the past in hopes it’ll work in the future. Sounds like the Iowa gubernatorial race where we have one ex-governor running against the incumbent son of an ex-senator. For better or worse, here is The A-Team redux to go along with the Karate Kid review I sent out on Friday.
The A-Team (Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Quinton Jackson, Sharlto Copley, Gerald McRaney) – For fans of the television show, which ran from 1983-87 and starred George Peppard, Dirk Benedict and a mohawked Mr. T, you won’t be disappointed with the film version. In fact, this is an amped, muscled-up steroid version of the TV series modernized with enough special effects, graphic animation, and explosives to fill a Mission Impossible sequel. Like the original, the Alpha Team is a wisecracking, fun-loving, cocky group of ex-Rangers who is the zany version of today’s Special Forces. They always do the right thing but their methods are more than questionable and drive the formal agencies of government, like the military and the CIA, crazy.
In this version, Liam Neeson plays “Hannibal” (the Peppard part), the master strategist and leader of the group. Super-hunk Bradley Cooper plays “Face” (Benedict played “Faceman” on TV); “Rampage” Jackson of WWE Raw portrays B.A. Baracus (the same character name as Mr. T); and Sharlto Copley plays Murdock (the “Mad Dog” pilot role played by Dwight Schultz on television). They are an odd assortment of misfits that fight evil their way.
As with most films of this ilk, the story is irrelevant but here it is. Engraving plates have been stolen from the government and must be recovered. The CIA recruits the A-Team to do it. Their plan is ingenious, and it appears they have done the job when things go awry. The story goes on from there as the team goes from hunter to hunted. But action and explosives apparently aren’t considered sufficient these days to guarantee success so we need a little sex appeal. That comes in the form of the gorgeous Jessica Biel as the Defense Department officer in charge of the investigation into the stolen plates. Yes, she has some history with “Face” but the relationship broke up badly. That adds unneeded subplot and tight blouses to the mix of bullets and mayhem. It’s pretty much a mess, but you won’t fall asleep. The good news here is that the film is exactly what the TV show promised: a likable group of gun-toting misfits who fight for good and the American way. But it is mostly just a typical summer movie to occupy two hours and keep you out of the rain and into the air conditioning.