The Hollywood Reporter has weighed in on the big-screen version of “The A-Team.”
Beginning with the sound era, studios and films producers have longed for a way to eliminate the screenwriter from the filmmaking process. By and large, writers are prickly personalities who absorb too much time, demand too much credit and need to be kept clear of the set, where they might interfere with the director, who is, after all, the real auteur of the film.
With “The A-Team,” a Fox film derived from a 1980s TV series, this dream now is a reality. The film seems nearly writer-free. Absolutely no time gets wasted on story, character development or logic.
Read the full review HERE.
Well, on the surface this seems like a bad review, and for 99.9% of movies it would be, but, was anyone really EXPECTING a story or character development from this? It’s the perfect movie for this moment; oil spill in the gulf, the party of Eisenhower being hijacked by the John Birch Society, Jersey Shore… What better time to have an opportunity to go into an air condition theater with some salty snacks and shut off our brains for 90 minutes?
It’s funny … Despite my earlier comment in the article about Mr. T’s reaction to the film, I have to say after reading the full Hollywood Reporter review … Did the reviewer ever *see* the TV show? To me, many of the things the review touts as film weaknesses actually fit quite readily in this particular movie, given its source material … and I say this as a fan of said source material. Let’s face it, the A-Team may be known for many things, but in-depth story is surely not one of them. And, as the film was criticized, in the TV show, no thought is ever given (to my knowledge) to where they get their military supplies, and they certainly don’t go through being tracked by military and such with anything resembling realistic characgerization, giving way instead to comic banter and action sequences. That *is* the A-Team! For good or for bad, that’s what the show is about. I mean, in its heyday, it was criticized as being more like a Looney Tunes cartoon than a soldier-of-fortune show.
I’m hoping for a good mindless action flick with the A-Team.
Arkle, I’m glad the Republican party is being hijacked by The John Birch Society. At least they actually Read the Constitution!
I caught “A-Team” this weekend. It’s a highly enjoyable escape film, and definitely one I would watch again. It’s just good cheesy fun.