All together now- ‘If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... The A-Team!!’ That monotone introduction brought joy to the hearts of many an 80’s child. But hey, this is Hollywood, and nothing is sacred when it comes to cashing in on a familiar brand. So, after many false starts, we have the A-Team, 2010 style.

The film is the story of three soldiers- Face (Bradley Cooper), BA Baracus (Quinton Jackson), and Murdoch (Sharlto Copley)- who are led by maverick colonel Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson) as a crack military group known as ‘The A Team’. When they are framed and jailed for a murder they did not commit, Smith hatches a plan to find the men who set them up with the help of a CIA operative (Patrick Wilson). But with a military intelligence officer (Jessica Biel) on their tail, clearing their names won’t be easy.

Many may feel that there is a lot to live up to, but let’s face it- the original wasn’t exactly ‘The Wire’, was it? It mainly involved explosions, tanks and various catchphrases, and so in that sense a lot of it remains the same. This is an origin story, and whilst Carnahan has made the characters relevant to modern day, and quite likeable, the script is laden with humour, which stops this from ever really being the serious action movie some were hoping for. However, it’s this humour that makes the sillier moments (one word: tank) easier to swallow.

Neeson has had a new lease of life post-‘Taken’, and seems born to the role of Hannibal. He’s maybe the best in the film along with Wilson, the slimy ‘company man’, although Cooper isn’t too bad as the flash Face. Copley plays Murdoch fairly close to the original character, whereas the philosophy spouting BA Baracus seems to be a whole new character to Mr. T’s interpretation. Although, to be fair to cage fighter-turned-actor Jackson, Mr T just played himself in the series, so eseentially he had to go somewhere new. Biel is unremarkable as the team’s ally/Face’s love interest, and for most of the film seems to just be there for Cooper to seduce.

All in all a very fun movie, which maybe has too many jokes but is enjoyable throughout thanks to a solid cast and enthusiasm from all involved. Big, brash, and unapologetically loud, the plan has indeed come together.

The A Team is in cinemas now!