A-Team, The : The A Team DVD Review





Title: The A Team
Starring: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton Jackson, Sharlto Copley
Directed by: Joe Carnahan
Screenplay: Joe Carnahan, Brian Bloom, Skip Woods
Released: 29 November 2010
Duration: 117 minutes
Format: Blu-ray and DVD

The re-imagining of this all-American action adventure TV series from the 80s, about soldiers of fortune on the run from the military for crimes they didn't commit, got a warm welcome on the big-screen with box-office takings of around $176M. Will it get the same reception on Blu-ray and DVD? Well the quality of the Blu-ray transfer is excellent boasting bright, clean, colourful and sharp images that virtually leap of the screen. The extras are impressive too with a decent commentary featuring cast and crew as well as deleted scenes, some very funny outtakes (including the Orange Wednesday spoofs) and plenty of ‘making of’ footage. The Blu-ray pack also includes both DVD and digital versions of the film as well, so this is a decent value-for-money combi-pack offering.

Created by writers and producers Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell, The A Team is one of the best known and best loved TV series of the 80s. There were five seasons in all that ran between 1983 and 1986 and a total of 98 episodes. The character of B.A. Baracus is still quoted today on school playgrounds (and in offices everywhere) but it was in the UK that the show really found its core audience. In fact it was not as popular as expected in the US. With its distinctive theme tune, its weekly montages of B.A. fashioning some sort of armoured vehicle out of an old car and scrap parts, as well as its well-worn catchphrases - from Hannibal’s "I love it when a plan comes together" to B.A.’s "I pity the fool" and "I ain't getting on no plane, sucker!", The A Team was always going to find a loving audience.

This latest update is a cutely-scripted, respectful homage to the TV show and despite a few small changes – yes, unlike in the TV show people do get killed (times have changed, contemporary audiences simply wouldn’t buy the sort of madcap gun battles that featured in the original show) – it still feels very much like The A Team. It’s also, for the most part, well directed and well paced, despite a slightly longer than average running time the film will hold audience attention from start to finish. As for the increased level of violence, yes there is a lot more, but it remains fairly sanitised, albeit is severely pumped up and soaked in adrenaline. And if the action scenes do get a bit daft (which they do, towards the end) then I still believe that it remains true to the spirit of the original show. It’s just the sort of hyper-kinetic action that audiences seem to want these days.

The central cast of Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton Jackson and Sharlto Copley all do an admirable job of bringing their characters to life and making them their own inventions whilst also deferentially tipping their hats to the original actors that played the roles in the TV series – two of whom – Dirk Benedict and Dwight Schultz have a brief cameo at the end of the credits.

So, if you have a Friday evening to fill, if no one else can help, and if you can find a Blockbuster store, maybe you can hire The A-Team.

Author : Kevin Stanley