1:09 p.m. - 2010-06-27
\"THE A TEAM\"
At the beginning of the summer movie "The A Team" the letters of the title flash on the screen one-by-one to the sound of gunshots. And that pretty much tells you all you need to know about this remake.

It's a loud, violent mishmash of fights, shootouts, car chases and explosions, held together by the thinnest of plots: a reminder that the distinction between video games and movies is growing smaller with each passing year.

I've seen reruns of the original series, and I don't think the cast in the movie version measures up. Dirk Benedict was much more likable as Face than Brad Cooper, and the romantic subplot involving Face and Jessica Biel is undermined by Face's effortless and conscienceless success with other women in the film. Dwight Schultz was far more manically entertaining than Shelton Copley. Even Liam Neeson doesn't measure up to George Peppard's laid back interpretation of Hannibal Smith. Cagefighter Rampage Jackson was a good replacement for Mr T, but that role was always a little cartoonish, even in the original.

The villains, played by Patrick Wilson (Lynch) and Brian Bloom (Pike) were at least as entertaining as their ragtag heroic foes.

This is by no means the worst attempt to revitalize a popular 80's TV series, but I think you'd be better off to rent the DVD's than to shell out for an expensive night at the movies.

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