The A-Team Reviews

This year i think i saw a movie with full recharge. Honestly this movie is all package of full entertainment.
I think "Hannibl" character was the best part of the movie. Another rush entertaining character is "Murdock". This movie is one of the best favorite movie added to my Hall of fame.

Honestly, I had some rather low expectations concerning this flick. Indeed, even though I enjoyed the TV-show as a kid, I never thought it was really amazing and TV shows adaptations tend to be rather disappointing especially they are based solely on name recognition just to make some easy money. Eventually, I must say that I was actually pleasantly surprised by the damned thing. Sure, it was still nothing amazing but I thought it was not bad at all and I was entertained throughout the whole thing. The first thing they got right was the cast. Liam Neeson and Quinton Jackson were both pretty good, even though I can't remember that Hannibal was such a badass in the TV show. Above all, Bradley Cooper and Sharlto Copley were pretty amazing and they delivered some pitch-perfect performances. In my opinion, the only weakness in the cast was Jessica Biel. I mean, she tried very hard, that's obvious, but she was just too young for such a part and it would have worked better with someone like Angelina Jolie for example. The other thing I enjoyed was the humor and the dialogues were just hilarious. The bottom line was that the tone was just perfect and I was laughing during most of the duration. The action scenes were obviously really preposterous and over the top but it was exactly the point here. The only weakness, I guess, was that the story was just too pedestrian and remained in the safe zone without being really challenging whatsoever. Still, I actually had a good time watching this flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Loved the original A-TEAM as a kid, and here they are rising one more time! and it's funny with great action unbelived happennigs! a real too-unfoutrunatly down-rated film...

This bold “reimagining” of the cult 80s TV series starts well but sadly loses its way in the last quarter.

The casting is spot on. Liam Neeson is gravelly and dominant as Hannibal; Bradley Cooper arrogant and chiselled as Face, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson comedic and bad ass as BA, and Sharlto Copley deliciously maniacal as Murdock. The four of them work perfectly together, each ricocheting off the others with ease and believability.

The storyline itself is a bit feeble but that’s not a huge problem as you watch a film like this mainly for the action and the characters. And the action doesn’t disappoint. The film is a non-stop rollercoaster ride of ridiculousness. Key points being the paragliding tank (which is perfectly absurd) and the set piece in the container dock (which does become a little bit too silly if that is possible in this film).

The problem comes in the final 45 minutes – when things become slightly too convoluted with double-crossing and back-stabbing and side-changing happening so fast that it’s hard to tell what’s happening and who’s good and who’s bad and makes it a little hard to care. Also, the sheer body count grossed in the film is not mentioned at all as the Team kill the US’s own soldiers and henchmen, which you would think would be a very bad thing and would surely lead to some kind of prison sentence alone. But then this is in essence a “fantasy” action film and is not meant to be taken seriously but it does leave an emotional hole.

I can say that I enjoyed the characters so much that I hope they get another shot with a better story and even more explosions just so I can see more of Murdock driving aircraft with that inane grin on his face.

When I was 5 years old my parents were called into my school to talk about my behaviour. The problem was I would shout "I am B.A" at the top of my voice throughout the day. I loved the A-Team.

Going into the cinema to watch this was with a very skeptical attitude but I needn't have worried. The film portrays the events before their days as "soldiers of fortune", and as such, it gives the film a certain licence. The performances are largely fine though none reach the levels of the originals except [Artist484422] as Howling Mad while the ol' Rampage had no hope of emulating the mighty [Artist10717]. [Artist435338] may as well have been a cardboard cutout offering nothing more than something nice to look at. As for the relationship between Hannibal and the Face-Man, it remains as Father/Son, and Hannibal remains taller than B.A, (I thought they might Wolverine him).

The plans are as ridiculous as ever and delivered masterfully. The speed and editing is exactly what was required while the comic elements had a nice spaying of cheddar, making the film an extremely fun ride and gelled the characters together.

On the evil side, we have Pike, the antithesis of Hannibal and Lynch, who provides the laughs for the other side whilst remaining focused on the prize. In Hanoi, 1972, the team robbed a bank, here they take U.S. treasury plates and a billion dollars, but it's the plates everyone wants.

Instead of having one big evil foe, the A-Team are fighting and outwitting three different organisations.

A surprise that I enjoyed this, I could turn the old noggin off and become the happy 5 year old I once was every saturday evening.

wow watched this yesterday as thought it was really really cool. Yeah I remember the good old days - when the team got caught unaware in someones garden shed and in under extreme conditions and under an hour would create a fully working, fully shooting armoured tank (out of plant pots and bungee rope) and no-one died!.......but times change - and me for one vote this to be far better than the original. Dialouge, acting and effects are tops. Enjoyable for all - from start to finsh well worth watching.

Having never seen the original series, my expectations were about average. To me, it looked like another action film and that is exactly what it was. I mean, there were moments that were disappointing and they were that it had a kickass opening and kickass ending but pretty flat when around half way through. The action scenes were the only things that I actually liked as far as moments in the film are concerned.


The A-Team tells the story of a group of Iraq War veterans who look to clear their name with the U.S. military, who suspect the four men of committing a crime for which they were framed. Liam Neeson in a film about the A-Team was something that I was really NOT expecting but despite having never seen the series, I thought he played Colonel Hannibal Smith quite well. Hannibal is the leader of the group. What I did like about the characters and their moments together was that they are all very different kinds of people but do stick together. We all recently recognize Sharlto Copley in the 2009 sci-fi film District 9 and stars in a blockbuster the next year but something different and did quite a decent job as Captain H.M. Murdock. but still prefer him in District 9. Now, Quinton Jackson as Bosco A. Baracus. Everyone keeps raving that he will be crap compared to when Mr. T played him in the original series but I do sort of agree, to be honest. I don't think Jackson was badass enough for the character. Bradley Cooper was quite flat as Lt. ‘Faceman’ Peck.


One thing I must point out: who is Joe Carnahan? I mean, if you're going to make a feature film based on a famous TV series at least make the director recognizable! As far as his work on the film, I thought it was good in some of the action scenes but perhaps most people think and I am probably sure that I would think when I watch the series that the film didn't have the charm like the original series did. The script was probably the best thing about the film as far as pre-production is concerned. I did like the humour within especially from Murdock.


Overall, I would say The A-Team was something that miraculously became a success critically and think fans of the series will love it or hate it so seeing as I haven't seen the series can only say it was an overall decent film that I think could have had it's improvements.

"I love it when a plan comes together."

In typical Hollywood style, the '80s television show The A-Team has been revived and reinvented in the form of an over-the-top, big-budget summer blockbuster. With the cheesy source material in mind, this new movie is more or less what you'd expect: chaotic, loud, overwrought, illogical and violent - everything that's wrong with Hollywood movies today. While this somewhat enjoyable film can be admired for living up to its source material in this sense, The A-Team is by no stretch a good movie. Instead, it's a flashy succession of meaningless gags and elaborate set-pieces, some of which work while others don't, but none of which add up to anything substantial. Additionally, it's difficult to watch The A-Team without your nostrils being filled by the stench of commerce - after all, it is a blockbuster adaptation of a popular TV show, funded by the soulless, cash-grabbing folks at 20th Century Fox.

In comic book parlance, The A-Team is infused with an origins narrative designed to show how a group of characters arrive at a familiar point. In the original series, the titular team were an elite group of ex-military mercenaries who were incarcerated for a crime they didn't commit. The basic gist of the set-up is retained in this version, and given a contemporary spin. The team is comprised of the gruff Hannibal Smith (Neeson), the muscular behemoth B.A. Baracus (Jackson), the womanising Templeton 'Faceman' Peck (Cooper), and the unbalanced but brilliant pilot 'Mad' Murdock. After a series of impromptu meetings in Mexico during several unrelated adventures, the four men team up and quickly make a name for themselves as the most successful and effective alpha unit that the U.S. Military has to offer. Towards the end of the Iraq War, the team are framed and sent to prison for a crime they did not commit. Subsequently, they all escape from prison and set out to clear their names.

The A-Team appears to take place in an alternate, cartoonish universe where the laws of physics do not apply and the bad guys are unable to fire guns with any semblance of accuracy. In fact, the only time a member of the A-Team is injured by a bullet is due to friendly fire. The screenplay (cooked up by nearly a dozen writers, who worked on it for many years) has no interest at all in logic or even character motivation, leaving it almost impossible to figure out what the bad guys want, where they are, or who they are trying to kill. A bunch of counterfeit plates constitute the MacGuffin of the plot, yet this MacGuffin is stale and boring. The flat nature of the story is accentuated by a lack of surprises. There's something approximating a plot twist, yet it's not of the truly shocking variety. To the credit of the writers, however, there are a few nice moments of comedy, and the script managed to retain Hannibal's lust for exhaustive preparation, leading to a few hearty weapons-manufacturing montages. The plans that the team conceive, too, are clever and smart. Thus, The A-Team is a bit of a contradictory film in the sense that it's both powerfully dumb and smartly-constructed.

Those wanting to watch The A-Team are most likely wanting to see some action, yet the quality of the action is drastically mixed. It would seem director Joe Carnahan and his team were incapable of filming and editing action sequences in a coherent manner. Action junkies will no doubt be unsatisfied by the embrace of chaotic, "modern" action techniques reminiscent of Michael Bay movies, with ultra fast cuts, a constantly moving camera and irritating close-ups which will likely leave viewers wondering what on earth is going on during the middle of a battle. Even the hand-to-hand combat sequences are muddled and incoherent, not to mention a few crucial explication sequences suffer similarly, which means viewers will have to wait for the smoke to clear until they can determine what just happened. The intended sense of fun manages to come through from time to time, but it's nothing compared to what a more skilled action director could have delivered.

The PG-13 rating no doubt has something to do with the filming style, as the director had to stage action which would not necessitate shots of blood being spilled. While the original television show was PG and nobody was ever killed, this A-Team incarnation indeed features people getting shot. When people are shot and no blood is spilled, it detracts from the reality of the situation. It's also worth noting that, although the film boasts frequent action, there's little in the way of suspense or tension. This is because there's no willingness to kill off any main characters, meaning we know all of the characters will survive every perilous situation. Added to this, the memorable, zingy theme of The A-Team is used only rarely. It would have afforded an added zip to the action, yet the filmmakers continually opted to rely on Alan Silvestri's generic, forgettable score.

Thankfully, the new cast managed to do an admirable job of imitating their 1980s counterparts. The always-reliable Liam Neeson is suitably authoritative, wise and gruff as the A-Team's elder. Bradley Cooper (recently seen making a name for himself in films like The Hangover, He's Just Not That Into You and Valentine's Day) is ideal as Face - he managed to imbue his portrayal of the character with a smug, roguish charm while simultaneously making him a credible military man. In playing Murdock, Sharlto Copley proved that his acting debut in 2009's District 9 was no fluke. Copley's performance is spot-on, and he managed to hide his African accent commendably (though it's used as a joke at one point). The only weak link of the four is Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson as B.A. Baracus, who's neither a good actor nor Mr. T - he comes across as a mere buffoon, not a genuinely intimidating threat. Mr. T is sorely missed (and he reportedly hated this movie adaptation). Jessica Biel, meanwhile, is the eye candy, and she does a weak job in her role as Sosa. As the villains of the picture, Patrick Wilson (Lynch) chews the scenery in his terrific performance, and Brian Bloom (Pike) is adequate.

The A-Team is overly cartoonish, to be sure. But the main problem is that it's not cartoonish enough. In contrast with flat-out insane action flicks like Crank and Shoot 'Em Up, The A-Team asks us to take it seriously too many times, rather than laughing constantly and enjoying the ride. Let's face it, too, if the film was called anything other than The A-Team, you wouldn't put up with its flaws. You'd demand to know why the laws of physics do not apply, or how fugitives are able to travel the world with unlimited resources, money and weapons. You'd also like to find out how all the capers were achieved. This is not a bad film per se, but it's distinctly mediocre, and feels utterly disposable - just like the majority of action movies released in recent years. Had the action been better framed and presented, this could have been one of 2010's action high points. As it is, it's just a barely passable diversion. Oh well, at least it's better than The Losers.

5.9/10