After years of having other movies lampoon or steal from the iconic 80s action show The A-Team, a feature film based on that program has now arrived. (Unfortunately) We've spent a lot of time here at DVDSleuth.com discussing remakes. Typically, the topic turns to classic movies inexplicably being retooled for a modern audience. The "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" rule clearly doesn't apply in Hollywood. Less often, we look at older television shows being brought to the big screen. Unlike movie remakes, this is a different animal. Filmmakers should have more leeway to take the characters and plotlines from the shows and create something new. However, you still run the risk of angering/alienating fans of the original program.

The A-Team opens several years ago in Mexico. Colonel Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson) and his partner Lieutenant "Faceman" Peck (Bradley Cooper) are trying to stop a corrupt official. When the mission goes awry, they are forced to recruit a local car thief, who just happens to be an ex-soldier, Bosco "B.A." Baracus (Quinton "Rampage" Jackson), and a helicopter pilot named Murdock (Sharlto Copley) who resides in a military hospital. This odd mission forges a bond amongst the four, and the story leaps ahead several years to the Iraqi War, where we find the quartet stationed outside of Baghdad. Smith is approached by CIA Agent Lynch (Patrick Wilson) and asked to go into the city to retrieve plates used for printing currency. At the same time, Face's old flame Captain Charissa Sosa (Jessica Biel) warns him to not take the mission. Of course, the guys go into Baghdad and when things go sour, the group is charged with a number of crimes, with no one to back them up. Six months later, Smith orchestrates elaborate escapes from prison for himself, Face, B.A., and Murdock so that they can clear their names. This mission will take them around the world and reveal some surprises.

The A-Team ran on NBC from 1983-1987 and was somewhat of a groundbreaking show for the time. The show dealt with four Vietnam Veterans who had been framed for a crime and, having escaped from custody, fought to clear their names. Not unlike First Blood, which was released in 1982, the show indicated that Hollywood was ready to begin showing Vietnam Veterans, but the tone was lighter than that Stallone film. The show focused on the four soldiers helping others as vigilantes/soldiers-for-hire, and had a new adventure for them on each episode. The A-Team became popular due to the action presented on the show, as well as for the colorful characters. A year earlier, Mr. T had captured America's attention with his performance in Rocky III and his popularity helped to fuel the show. The show also garnered attention due to the fact that many shots were fired in every episode, but no one ever seemed to get hit.

The A-Team embraces some of these elements, ignores others, and seems to lampoon the rest, mixing everything into a blend which shouldn't anger fans of the series, while also drawing in those who aren't familiar with the show. Director Joe Carnahan, who made the gritty Narc and the wild Smokin' Aces, attempts to combine those two styles here, as we get a movie which contains a lot of action, but much of it is somewhat cartoony. (There are several scenes where someone is shot at at point-blank range. Is this a reference to the show?) The story dispenses with the soldier-of-fortune angle and becomes an origin story, focusing on how the group was wronged and their attempt to clear their names. This makes it somewhat different from the show, but keeps everything in the same universe.

The A-Team will make you roll your eyes when you see B.A.'s tattoos on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The image is very sharp and clear, showing only trace amounts of grain and no defects from the source material. The image has a diffused look, but the colors are still fine and the image is never overly dark or bright. The level of detail is very good, as we can see textures on objects, and the depth to the image is good. (However, the crispness of the image makes some the CG effects look bad.) The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 4.2 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The stereo effects are very good and display good separation. The surround sound effects are great and provide very detailed audio which accurately reflects the on-screen action. The subwoofer effects are wall-shaking, really livening up the action scenes.

The A-Team Blu-ray Disc contains a selection of extras. "The Devil's in the Details: Inside the Action with Joe Carnahan" is an interactive feature which contains an AUDIO COMMENTARY and much more. Along with Carnahan's chat, the viewer can choose to learn more about weapons in the film or see behind-the-scenes footage, as scenes are broken down into "plans". The Disc contains six DELETED SCENES which run about nine minutes. All but one of these should have been labeled "extended scenes", as they are simply scenes from the movie with additional footage, none of which is particularly interesting. We get a 7-minute GAG REEL. "A-Team Theme Mash-up Montage" (96 seconds) is just a bunch of footage from the movie set to music. "Plan of Attack" (29 minutes) is a detailed making-of featurette which contains a pleasing amount of behind-the-scenes footage. We get a lot of comments from Carnahan, as we get a feel for the challenges of making an action movie. "Character Chronicles" (23 minutes) is a five-part piece which focuses on the four primary actors and the supporting cast, featuring interviews and on-set footage. "Visual Effects Before and After" (6 minutes) has Visual Effects Supervisor James E. Price explain to us how different shots are layered to complete an effects shot. The final extra is the THEATRICAL TRAILER for the film.