I Love it When a Trailer Comes Together

When I was but a wee lad, I prayed to the Gods of Prime Time Network Television for the most awesome show an eight-year-old could fathom; what they sent me was The A-Team. Over the course of 98 episodes, from 1983 to 1987, Hannibal, Faceman, Murdock and B.A. Baracus drove around in an awesome van, wore disguises, welded together all kinds of cool machines from random junk and blew up so much stuff that dynamite almost went extinct.

I loved this show so much that each week I would put on my camouflage pants and hat, grab one of my toy guns and tune in completely wide-eyed, imagining that I was actually along for the adventure. I had the action figures, comic books, stickers; I borrowed the book adaptations from the library; and I proudly wore an A-Team sweatshirt that my mom got at Zellers. I even recall recording the theme song off of the T.V. with a cassette recorder. Now that’s devotion! (Or possibly pre-teen mental illness – hard to say, really…)

A twinge of that excitement returned this week when the trailer for the movie adaptation went online. I’ve watched it a half-dozen times so far, done a little research and concluded that, although it’s looking a little too Jerry Bruckheimer in the cheesy action department (that parachuting tank bit at the end is lame and poorly animated), there are good reasons to be excited about it if you’re an old school A-Team fan like myself. In fact, here are five reasons I’m looking forward to the A-Team movie.

 

1. The Casting

On paper Liam Neeson stepping into the shoes of George Peppard to play Hannibal is hard to get your head around, but it seems to work. He’s not the Hannibal we know (he’s more, um, Irish) but don’t want to see a carbon copy of the original. After seeing The Hangover, I’m onboard with Bradley Cooper as Faceman, and I loved Sharlto Copely in District 9. These are inspired choices, as is picking former UFC fighter Quinton Jackson as B.A. Not the obvious choices, granted, but that’s half the fun – unexpected casting that works. There were all kinds of different actors rumoured for the roles, including Bruce Willis and Hannibal and Ice Cube as B.A., and even the fans had their own picks – just check out this trailer featuring George Clooney as Hannibal, Brad Pitt as Faceman, Jim Carrey as Murdock and Terry Crews as B.A. Baracus.

 

2. The Director

I’ve been a Joe Carnahan since seeing his gritty cop drama Narc. He’s got a knack for action sequences and tough guy characters, which appears to translate well here. I like the shots from the prison van escape sequence in particular. If there’s one thing an A-Team movie needs, it’s action. Lots and lots of car-flipping, gun-firing, you-name-it-exploding action.

 

3. The Look of the Characters

Though it takes some getting used to seeing Neeson done up as Hannibal, I’ve warmed up to him, especially the way he chaws on that cigar. The toughest one to update, I imagine, is B.A., as the original look of sleeveless denim jackets, a fuzzy mohawk and so many gold chains that it looks like a pimp exploded on his neck is way too ‘80s and wouldn’t translate well. I like Jackson’s close-cropped ‘hawk and more sensible duds. The character’s all about the attitude and this helps sell it.

 

4. Nostalgia

The filmmakers know that, at least on some level, we want to be transported back to our childhood, and they pay plenty of lip service to the original A-Team, with the shot-up logo, the familiar military-style music, the voiceover narration, the van and classic lines such as “I love it when a plan comes together.” I may just have to go out and buy a whole new camouflage pants ‘n’ hat combo before opening weekend.

 

5. The Van

Everyone knows that, although it wasn’t the best choice if you’re trying to keep a low profile as fugitives on the run, the signature black and red, GMC boogie van will always be the A-bomb. I’m overjoyed that it’s back for the movie. Hello there, old friend, are you ready to kick some serious ass with the A-Team? I sure am.

 

-Dave Alexander

Comments

What a waist of time, energy, and resources on all points and levels.