I followed the antics of the A-team four when orginally broadcast on TV. I was curious to see how this movie adaptation holds up. It doesnt. The only saving grace is that it provides a bit of background information that the series may not have covered.
Overall, I thought the movie was contrived and the back story rushed. The stunts arent anything new or spectacular. And, a few scenes are downright ridiculous. The movie begins by showing how the quartet get together for the first time. This seems really implausible due to the situation and how they all bond so quickly just due to the fact that they were all Rangers. BA was Airborne Rangers. The story then delves into the events that lead to their court martial for a crime that they didnt commit. I dont recall if the series ever explaned that part.
Flying a tank, how idiotic does that sound? The team have abandoned a cargo plane that has just been blown apart at high altitude. An M1 Abrams tank floats down carrying our daring foursome. After engaging in a midair battle, the unharmed tank is still falling to earth with only 1 of 3 functional parachutes remaining. They use the main gun to "fly" the metal behemoth towared a lake where it lands face first. Later, the tank drives out of the lake totally unharmed and in perfect running condition.
There are references to the original television version. I spotted a few but there may be alot more that I didnt catch. BA's black van with red accent makes a short cameo appearance. Hannibal goes around shooting a Ruger Mini 14. BA's fear of flying is a recurring theme but the justification behind it is without merit. BA is Airborne Ranger so he is used to flying but one trip with Murdock on a helicopter leaves him so mentally scarred that hes has to be drugged in order to get him on any succedding flights.
I can't reccommend this movie at all, not even a rentail. The original had camp value going for itself but this version takes itself a little too seriously to make it fun
