Monday Movie: The A-Team by @V_for_Vienetta

The long-awaited remake of the 80s tea-time favourite once again follows the daring exploits of a colourful team of former Special Forces soldiers who were set up for a crime they didn’t commit. Going rogue they utilize their unique talents to try and clear their names and find the true culprit.

Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, mixed martial artist Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Sharlto Copley are new team. So far, so production notes. Hit the jump to see whether the plan came together…

Starting in New Mexico, the team is assembled in a quick, slick and highly-improbable manner; but, despite the absurdity, the “firing pin” moment is awesome and that pretty much sums up The A-Team.

By ten minutes in, you won't be convinced you'll enjoy it at all: everything feels far too overplayed and the characters repeat each others names ad nauseum; like the writer was afraid that between buying your ticket and sitting down you’d forget that YOU ARE WATCHING THE A-TEAM MOVIE.

Then, in rocked Sharlto focking Copley - completely nailing the best character from the TV show and back flipping a helicopter. From then on, the preposterous ridiculousness doesn’t stop, and most of the time plot is merely an abstract concept you're barely aware of, but you have an awful lot of fun.

The editing and camerawork do the film no favours, with the infuriating handheld footage leaving you wondering “how the funk did BA get off the sliding motorcycle and onto the top of that truck?” but then said truck explodes off the side of a dam, while everyone screams “Adios motherfu…”, while deploying airbags, and Sharlto focking Copley turns all the pursuing baddies into swiss cheese with the rotating machine guns he’s strapped to a stolen helicopter, and the mechanics and physics of traveling from a careening Harley to the top of an out of control eighteen wheeler, in the space of a single cut, kind of melt away.

This is, of course, the kind of excuse used to defend works such as the execrable Transformers and its abhorrent sequel, but neither of the aforementioned are shot through with the kind of love, fun and joy everyone involved in The A-Team was clearly having. As much as you may try and resist it, Neeson and co are hell-bent on making you have fun through sheer force of will.

PS Stay until after the credits.

PPS Dear 20th Century Fox, in the sequel, can you ensure THIS occurs?

Thanks