Thursday, June 17, 2010

Movie Review -- The A-Team

Let me start by saying -- I didn't watch the original A-Team.


I was only allowed an hour of TV a week as a little girl, and 30 minutes a day as a teen.  And I can pretty much guarantee that the A-Team wouldn't have been appropriate viewing, in the eyes of Mom.   I think I saw half of one episode of the original show -- it had something to do with smuggling watermelons.


So, other than knowing the basic setup of the plot, and of course, that Mr. T pities fools, I had no prior knowledge of the characters or what the movie was "supposed" to be like.


So why, you may ask, did I go in the first place? I went because it was my hubby's birthday, and unlike me, Hubby is well versed in '80's TV.  He was pumped for this movie.


And, it was better than I thought it would be.    Lest that seem like damning with faint praise let me make it clear,  I went into this movie with one expectation -- that it was going to suck.  Hard. 


It didn't suck.  In fact, parts of it were downright fun.  Sometimes, particularly in the summer, all I want from a movie is cute boys and explosions.  This had both, so I was reasonably content.  

If explosions are your thing, this movie won't disappoint.  Things blow up.  A lot.  If a thing isn't being blown up, it might be being smashed, or crashed into or shot.   Credit where credit is due, the action sequences in this movie are splashy and inventive.   However, the filmmaker's grasp on physics is shaky, (*cough*flyingtank*cough*) and when it comes out on DVD, there is great tie-in opportunities with a special episode of Mythbusters.  


As for the cute boys, well, Bradley Cooper.  I never watched Alias, so I know him mostly from The Hangover.   He's basically the same guy here.  I found him very charming, but then, I like smug jackasses (see also, Downey, Jr,. Robert and McHale, Joel).  However, dude needs to lay off the fake and bake.  He was so "tan" he glowed. 


Really, there's not much to say here.  The plot -- such as it is -- is pretty much incidental and is really just set up for the explosions.  Liam Neeson did a good job as the grizzled father figure, but since he's been doing that since the days of Qui-Gon.  Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson has a passable Mr. T impression.  Sharlto Copley seemed to be enjoying himself, even if his grasp on an American accent was shaky.


So if you're looking for a hot weather entertainment with things that go boom and hot, self-satisfied men, you could do a lot worse. 

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