The A-Team – DVD Review

The Film:

Simply put, The A-Team is exactly how you think it is. It’s a loud, crazy, cartoon movie filled with implausible action and larger than life heroes, who all get that nice slow-motion hero shot treatment once or twice. The plot is paper thin, as we’d expect, but did we want more? Don’t let nostalgia fool ya; the ’80′s show for which this film is based, was a goofy, campy action show, that was only really cool because we were kids who loved explosions and larger-than-life heroes. Did we need anything more then? No, and we don’t this time. Joe Carnahan, the director, gives us a fine thrill ride of superficiality of the highest order not named Michael Bay.

I pity the fool who doesn’t, at some level, enjoy this movie, sucka.

This film uses the four year span of the hit TV show as a framework, pitting our heroes as the ragtag group of soldiers of fortune, who while helping out in Iraq, are set-up and wrongfully accused. It’s the show’s “the crime they didn’t commit” routine modernized. From there, the thin plot follows their revenge and name-clearing agenda, while stopping to build on this counterfeiting angle, but it’s really just so they can go to-and fro between action scenes. Let me be the one to tell you over The A-Team‘s opening weekend, you’ll read plenty of other critics moaning about the thin plot, card-board characters, over-the-top action scenes, and blah blah blah. It really is blah blah blah, because it wasn’t like 20th Century Fox ordered Carnahan (Smoking Aces) to dumb down Shakespeare. The A-Team is aggressively loud and over-the-top, and I mean over-the-top, served with some delicious banter from a fine cast.

We only remember the show for Mr. T essentially, and fail to remember much of anything else, like the criticisms of sexism and on-screen violence. Nobody got hurt, only dirty, and women are as gorgeous as Bond Babes, so how can anyone fault 2010′s The A-Team for it’s live-action cartoon trappings? It’s the ramped up action we got in the ’80′s ala Commando, but suddenly we can have that type of mindless entertainment? Perfect entertainment, no, but silly, empty calorie fun? Yes. Overkill is underrated, exclaims Hannibal (Liam Neeson). That statement sums up The A-Team. It’s the escapist action film that many promise every summer and few really deliver.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: Fox offers up an usually strong standard definition transfer. The audio booms, good stuff. You won’t complain, unless you secretly wished it was in HD, otherwise, another fine effort all around.

Commentary: Director Joe Carnahan offers up a good, fast, fun, track. Lots of talk on stunts and action, plus a little on updating the TV series.

A very useless A-Team Theme Mash-Up Montage (1:35) is the only other extra on the disc, sadly. Want more? Get the Blu-ray.

Conclusion: Fast, fun, silly A-Team update is what you’d want and expect. The DVD is good, but upgrade already to HD.

The Film: Rating:

The DVD: Rating: