'A-Team' film is highly entertaining '80s nostalgia for the 21st century

I'll admit, I approached The A-Team with some faint hesitation, and with good reason. It was written by Skip Woods, the screewriter of last summer's G.I. Joe, a film surrounded by embarrassing dialogue and middling special effects. The last thing I wanted in this lackluster (so far) summer movie season was another second-rate action film. It was a pleasant surprise to see that Woods and director Joe Carnahan were able to adapt a t.v. series from the '80s into an entertaining adaptation, and exceed our expectations.

In a very enjoyable opening sequence, the film tells of how the four A-Team members meet each other. Colonel Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson), Face (Bradley Cooper), B.A. Baracus (Quinton Jackson), and Murdock (Sharlto Copely) come together as a group of mercenaries who answer the call to help for those who need it. The film sends our thrill-seeking quartet on a mission to retrieve a series of American-currency printing plates that have been stolen out of Iraq. Throughout the operation, not only do we see the team carry out the task placed in front of them, but we see each of the members' given talents and personalities perfectly mesh together despite obvious, and comical, differences.

Each cast member brings something to this table of explosions, close-calls, and chase scenes. Liam Neeson depicts his next-great-action-star persona impeccably. Just like Harrison Ford, he continues to prove that age is just a number. After a few comedies, Bradley Cooper is a welcome addition to the action genre, and adequately brings some of his comedic skill to the wisecraking Face. Although we all miss Mr. T, wrestler Quinton Jackson is a decent fit for the character, and surprisingly brings some emotion to the role on one or two scenes. And Sharlto Copely is hilarious, and hilariously insane, as the death-defying Murdock.

The action scenes, though quite preposterous, are original, and very fun. Sometimes, however, they are quickly edited, so it's a little difficult to comprehend what's going on, but it's still highly entetaining. Thankfully, they don't overstay their welcome too much, and this allows for the characters to build upon their already established friendships when they aren't in the midst of gunfire and explosions; and the plot is able to move foward. There's also a nice little plot-twist thrown in the later half of the movie. The cast and whizbang action are evenly balanced to make a film that's more fun than mindless. Exactly what a summer movie should be. Director Joe Carnahan didn't make a spectacular action film, but it certainly isn't a mediocre one.

Final grade: B+