ANOTHER beloved TV show is given the cinematic treatment this week when The A-Team explodes onto the big screen.
Keeping the essence of the 80s series’ plotline, the film follows Colonel Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson) and his team of daredevil soldiers: ladies man Lt ‘Faceman’ Peck (Bradley Cooper), big bad BA Baracus (Quinto ‘Rampage’ Jackson) and the clinically insane ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock.
When the soldiers are framed following a mission in Baghdad, they are stripped of rank and thrown in military prisons across the USA.
But with the real villains still at large, Hannibal promises his men he will clear their names and bring the culprits to justice.
But first they must break out of jail.
On the run and with everything to lose, is this mission too big for the A-Team?
Modern kick
When fondly remembered through the rose-tined glasses of nostalgia, The A-Team is often thought of as a classic TV series which should never be touched.
But on closer inspection, it’s middling budget and cartoon-esque characters highlight how it hasn’t aged too well for contemporary audiences.
Thankfully director Joe Carnahan brings the same jovial spirit and dynamic the show relied on so heavily for five seasons, and gives it an adrenaline injection of over the top special effects and ridiculously implausible stunts.
With clear respect for the original source material throughout, even purists will be swept up into the action.
Where the Narc director falls down is with the timing and pace. Despite being under the two hour mark, it feels a lot longer as the soldiers of fortune buzz from foreign land to the next.
But don’t pity the fool.
His confident use of effects and focus on the sterling cast retains interest even at the film’s most unfocused points.
Pitch-perfect cast
Liam Neeson shows he’s still got the moves, while Cooper brings the smoothness and smiles.
But it is Sharlto Copely - last seen in District 9 - who steals his scenes with kinetic confabulations with co-stars and random moments of pure comedic timing.
The character who may divide audiences is Jackson's Baracus. While the mohawk remains intact, he lacks that deadly glint in the eye, compounded further by the character’s crisis of conscience regarding violence following their prison break. A pussycat BA? Mr T would not stand for such jibba jabba.
It is obvious The A-Team is not going to win many awards. But it’s not supposed to. This is pure popcorn fodder and a perfect example of what a brainless summer blockbuster should be.
Fun, frenetic and full of ear-deafening explosions, it may not be perfect but you’ll still love it when a plan comes together.
7/10 - A for effort