A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: The A-Team

Date Viewed: 6/20/10

Details:

Liam Neeson

Bradley Cooper

Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson

Sharlto Copley

Patrick Wilson

Jessica Biel

Gerald McRaney

Written & directed by: Joe Carnahan

Score: 1/2

The Review: It's taken a long time -- from the perky TV series of the early 1980's, to the silver screen of today. I offer no explanation for the delay. While it's possible something earlier would have been fresher, if closer to its original audience, making such a movie now enlists the wizards of reminiscence and nostalgia -- strong forces indeed, and the audience is likely to be the same. Not to mention the wizards of crazy plots, insane stunts and manly banter.

This time the caper starts in modern-day Iraq, results in the team being framed (court-martialed and jailed) for malfeasance, and runs onward as they try to regain their freedom, their good name (such as it is) and their revenge.

The stunts and situations are over the top -- with total disregard for the laws of physics -- but they are entertaining.

One of the features of the movie is that it assembles the back-story of the initial assembly of the team -- from a Mexican junket gone not so much wrong, as decidedly odd. And it poses an explanation for why Baracus doesn't like to fly. I have absolutely no idea if this was ever explained in the series. And from those few times I ever watched the original or its legions of reruns, Liam Neeson does seem a good replacement for George Peppard's Hannibal Smith.

Not bad -- but yet another summer movie where you check your frontal lobes at the door.

(29-Aug-10)

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