THE A-TEAM
THE A-TEAM (PG-13 for profanity, intense action & violence, some drugs): Just when you thought the TV series with its preposterous, blatantly inauthentic, wildly loaded with team bravado & clever catch phrases would have mercifully faded from the entertainment scene
they're baaaaack - that colorful team of Special Forces soldiers with, thanks to modern special effects and unlimited budget for more daring-do & demolition than ever.
In the words of their leader, "Overkill is underrated." So it would appear. With director/writer (with Brian Bloom) Joe Carnahan at the helm, you get - thanks to Mario Fiori's camerawork & James Price's visual effects - a cacophony of blazing destruction in the air & on the ground, with wild helicopter chases, exploding buildings & war vehicles, a scattering of glass - all accompanied by ear-splitting sounds & the never ending shouting of the team's handful of miracle-operators who are capable of out-doing all the Marvel Comics action heroes without barely a scratch. It's far from realistic (save the set & costume details which are impeccable), but then it was never meant to be.
It's a poor man's M.A.S.H. minus the clever repartee, blend of raw humor & subtlety, and the brilliance of Robert Altman's execution. When the statement is made, "He's a cartoon character," the point is accurately applied to everyone & every action here.
they're baaaaack - that colorful team of Special Forces soldiers with, thanks to modern special effects and unlimited budget for more daring-do & demolition than ever.
In the words of their leader, "Overkill is underrated." So it would appear. With director/writer (with Brian Bloom) Joe Carnahan at the helm, you get - thanks to Mario Fiori's camerawork & James Price's visual effects - a cacophony of blazing destruction in the air & on the ground, with wild helicopter chases, exploding buildings & war vehicles, a scattering of glass - all accompanied by ear-splitting sounds & the never ending shouting of the team's handful of miracle-operators who are capable of out-doing all the Marvel Comics action heroes without barely a scratch. It's far from realistic (save the set & costume details which are impeccable), but then it was never meant to be.
It's a poor man's M.A.S.H. minus the clever repartee, blend of raw humor & subtlety, and the brilliance of Robert Altman's execution. When the statement is made, "He's a cartoon character," the point is accurately applied to everyone & every action here.
The period has now been shifted to the present war in Iraq (though only occasional general shots of the area indicate so, with emphasis placed on up-close action that could easily have been shot in any desert locale). In the flimsy plot our team has been framed for a crime involving the loss of $100 US currency plates (Iraqi plans are to print zillions of counterfeit bills to flood the US), so in redeeming themselves they wreak havoc, yell at each other a lot & make fools of the CIA as theyŠ
Obviously, this film has been created for those who sat breathlessly through the TV series; they will be satisfied with the fast-paced action & pyrotechnics (senseless & cheesy though they are). For the rest of us, it's two hours of sensory mayhem wasted in the dark. (Grade: C+)
