Movie Review: The A-Team (2010)

When I heard this movie was going to be made, I got a little bit of a nerd boner. I won't lie about it. I chubbed. When I was a kid, my little brother and I watched the hour long explosion festival every week. Hannibal, Face, B.A. and Murdock were heroes. The show was full of action and humor, and I can't imagine that there was one second of it that we didn't enjoy.

Buy The A-Team Blu-ray or DVD and get The Complete TV Series on DVD

When the reviews started rolling in on the movie adaptation, I heard plenty of negativity. People said it was ridiculous and over the top. Of course it was. Did they forget the TV show? A little over a month ago, Netflix started streaming the entire series. I watched the first few episodes, and it brought me back. I enjoyed the nostalgia. I'm glad I did watch, because it really prepared me for the movie. As much as I loved the show as a kid, I loved the movie as an adult. It was a great way to bring these amazing characters back to life.

I heard Mr. T's criticism of the movie. People died and there was swearing. Yes, that's true, but it also gave the movie a tiny bit of realism. He had to at least notice how great his counterpart was. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was a great fit. He's not an actor, and neither was Mr. T, really. Rampage didn't wear the gold chains, but there was a nice tribute to his predecessor with the words "PITY" and "FOOL" tattooed across his knuckles.

There could be no better fit for Face than Bradley Cooper. Dirk Benedict was always smooth and funny, and Cooper has the experience behind him. Let's be honest here. He's a good-looking guy, and he was part of the biggest comedy of all time. Done and done. Liam Neeson was a great Hannibal Smith. He is a believable leader. George Peppard had a little more range between serious and jokey. In either case, you know Hannibal is the boss. The one thing they left out of the movie was Hannibal's frequent costume change. In the show, he was a master of disguise. I guess that might come in a sequel.

My all-time favorite was always Dwight Schultz as H.M. Murdock. Sharlto Copley filled his shoes quite well. I liked him in District 9, and one thing that I thought was funny in the movie is that at one point  Murdock has to use a South African accent. I'm sure that was added after casting, unless the role was written for Copley.

There are several great nods to the series. B.A.'s knuckle tats are great. You also get to see the famous van. We learn why B.A. is afraid of flying, which is part of the team's origin. One thing that was interesting to me was the location in the beginning of the movie. It starts in Mexico, and that's where the TV pilot took place. I don't know if that was intentional or not.

If you liked the TV series, do yourself a favor and find a few episodes before you watch this movie. Remind yourself of how silly and fun it was. Trust me, you'll enjoy it so much more. I had a blast watching the updated A-Team, and I hope they make ten sequels.