MyRating: YYDirector: Joe Carnahan
Cast: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, Sharlto Copley, Jessica Biel, Patrick Wilson, Gerald McRaney
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence throughout, language and smoking
This movie is based on a popular TV series of the 1980s. Many people must have some old good memories of the 1980s, no matter how were the situations of our lives at that time. Did you ever feel that you were back in time and felt your old (happy or sad) feelings when you hear the 1980s songs of Michael Jackson, Madonna, or Lionel Richie? Or did you remember how you felt when you watched Back to the Future movie for the first time when it was released in the 1980s? Or the "Brat Pack" movies? Not only feel it, sometimes you can even smell the things you smelt at that time. Those feelings and memories are like a mini-chip slot in your head that will be plugged everytime you hear or see things related to that era. And The A-Team theme song is one of it. It was so excited to hear that popular theme song being played in the movie. Many chip slots of the fans must have been plugged only by listening that song.
The story is about four American veteran soldiers, Col. John 'Hannibal' Smith (Neeson), Lt. Templeton 'Faceman' Peck (Cooper), B.A. Baracus (Jackson) and Murdock (Copley), who were sent on a mission to recover 100-dollar-bill plates that were used for printing a billion dollars. Somehow, their mission went wrong as they were being set up, and the plates that they have recovered, were again being stolen by another party. As a result, they were brought to the court martial, being sentenced for a crime they did not commit and sent to jails. When Hannibal knows where to find the man who steal the plates, he escapes from the jail. He then helps his other three friends to break out from their jails. Together, they are back as a force, known as The A-Team, with the main target to find back the plates, reveal the mastermind, and clear their names. But as they have escaped the prisons and caused so many troubles for the military who pursue them, they are now becoming the outlaw of the States.
This is a full action packed movie. It gives you actions from the beginning till the end, with lots of explosions, gun firings, plane chasing and shouting at each other. I love great action movies, to mention a few are Speed, True Lies, The Rock, Casino Royale and Live Free and Die Hard. Sometimes, I even like the mindless ones, as long as they are supported by enjoyable and good stories.
However, this movie did not work for me. I don't know why, but I was yawning continuously from the halfway of the film till the end (in the middle of the intense action sequences). I didn't get the story, as there was no story, only heavy mindless actions. It was so boring for me. The movie was also too noisy, which made me exhausted watching it. At some point of time until the end, all the actions became meaningless pictures in front of me that were too much to absorb. I actually hoped the movie to end. I don't know whether it was the lack of story (replaced by non-stop loud silly actions) that made me sleepy, or because I was tired that I could not concentrate on watching this movie. If it was because of the second reason, then I was not being fair to this movie. However, I still wrote the review as the reflection of my first impressions towards the film. I am not sure whether my opinion will change if I watch it again the second time, as usually my first impressions seldom change.
Maybe I was just getting old. Finally, what I could really enjoy was only the theme song of this movie. (MJ)
