Over the years, Hollywood has ransacked the television archives for inspiration, with varying degrees of success. From the awful (I Spy, Wild Wild West, Dukes of Hazzard etc) to the distinctly average (Get Smart, Land of the Lost, Miami Vice etc). Very few have managed to really pull off a reimagining that pleases cinemagoers without alientating the die hard fans. Then last year, a TV mogul came and raised the bar. J.J Abram’s Star Trek reboot was, as you’d expect, hotly anticipated and as such most expected it to fail.
I was stunned by what proved to be a sleak, contemporary thrill ride. Sadly A-team does not continue this asscendancy.
Despite my personal reservations Joe Carnahan would appear to be the right man for the job. Both Narc and Smokin Aces walked the fine line between crowd pleasers and critical approval and that was surely something that Fox were hoping for when they placed the property in Carnahan’s lap. Considering how long this project remained in development hell you could argue that Carnahan deserves praise for simply getting it made but sadly for us cinema goers, that’s just not enough.
As I feared the biggest issue with the film is in it’s construction. The plan really didn’t come together. With the first installment of any perceived franchise there is going to be a certain amount of ungainly exposition. Star Trek managed to establish it’s universe in a frenetic opening five minutes which proved engaging enough to make a star out of Chris Hemsworth. It would appear that Carnahan has seen Abrahms’ effort… and done the complete opposite. A premise established by the TV show in less than a minute of voice over takes thirty five minutes for Carnahan to grind out and has a result the movie seems dissjointed and sluggish.
The cast do their best to muddle through. The four leads have good chemistry and Liam Neeson fits perfectly as the consumate proffesional, showered with admiration by his more junior colleagues. Sharlto Copley, the last of the leads to be cast, is also a cracking fit for Howling Mad Murdock commanding almost all of the laughs.
Outside of the core four the casting is a different story. Jessica Biel is yet again squeezed into a role which she is potentially too good for and Patrick Wilson’s C.I.A agent is disappointing as nothing more than a panto villain. Having said all that, the chemistry between Neeson, Cooper, Copley and Jackson and an uncredited cameo at the end of the film imply that Fox may still be intent on a second installment. Obviously a lot will depend on the film’s box office performance but if Charlie’s Angels got a sequel then anything is possible.
In truth, Star Trek may have impressed me in part due to my disinterest in the TV show. On the other hand, having been an A-Team fan since childhood my level of expectation was that much higher when I entered the screen and whilst there were enjoyable moments that’s all the film was, a series of moments. Tonally the film hits more than it misses but a consistent tone is never really established. The film flits between Smokin Aces style action and the limited scope of a PG family romp. The resulting movie feels like neither one nor the other.
Watch the trailer to lower your expectations.
