Viewed in
2010
Premise
A movie adaptation of the popular 1980's American television show.
Loved
The ridiculous tank scene, how it was in the spirit of the show.
Liked
Sharlto Copley as Howlin' Mad Murdock.
Disliked
Action cliches, visual style.
Thoughts
Pretty entertaining action comedy that was pretty faithful to the original source.
Like the show, you had the four beloved characters, cool Hannibal, womanizing Face, crazy Murdoch, and loud B.A, surviving improbable situations through improvisation and resourcefulness in usually outrageous style. There were a lot of shout outs to my favorite moments from the show, from the familiar van, to comedic back-and-forth banter between Murdoch and B.A., to the flipping vehicle. It even had a lame "let's fit in a girl" from season 1 into the story.
Were the action sequences ridiculous and unrealistic? Very much so, but so was the television show, only difference was the budget. I giggled when they dodged heat-seeking missiles by cutting off their helicopter engine in mid-flight, and laughed out loud during the stupendously ludicrous (yet somewhat true to Newton's laws) falling tank scene. I know Mr. T complained the violence was unlike the show. While there were deaths, they were inconsequential and clean, and PG-13 these days are equivalent to TV action from back in the 1980's.
Comparing the cast of then and now, it was a wash. Liam Neeson surprisingly lacked the presence of the unflappable leader, Bradley Cooper was stronger version, Sharlto Copley was hilarious, and Quinton Jackson was solid when channeling Mr. T but stiff otherwise.
As much as I enjoyed the film, it had plenty of flaws. Since it was an origins story, they were only saving themselves, instead of citizens who had no one to turn to. Also, I wished there were more MacGyver-like scenes of making a battering ram out of a lawnmower.
I could care less about the obligatory double-crossing politics between bad guys who I could not tell apart. Though kudos to the (ghost)writer for writing that witty exchange between Lynch and Pike in the SUV.
Probably because of the show's charm, I wished some of the special effects were less CGI-oriented. Lastly, it suffered from the obligatory one-too-many-action scenes and rapid-editing, hand-held dizziness epidemic in current action flicks.
Even if you were not a fan of the show, I would still recommend this entertaining action flick for its funny moments and memorable physics-be-damned action scenes. A pretty strong summer movie in a so far lackluster season in 2010.
What I would change
More MacGyver scenes.
Personal
I'm extremely embarrassed that I completely missed the Dwight Schultz and Dirk Benedict cameos.
