A-Team, The (Blu-ray) (2010) |
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A-Team, The (Blu-ray) (2010) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Action Adventure |
Audio Commentary-PIP Mode with Director Joe Carnahan Alternative Version-Extended Cut Deleted Scenes Outtakes-Gag Reel Biographies-Character-and Cast Featurette-Making Of-Plan of Attack Featurette-A-Team Theme Mash-up Montage Featurette-Visual Effects Theatrical Trailer Web Links-BD Live Mode |
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| Year Of Production | 2010 | ||
| Running Time | 117:00 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Ads Then Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Joe Carnahan |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Twentieth Century Fox |
Starring |
Liam Neeson Bradley Cooper Jessica Biel Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson Sharlto Copley Patrick Wilson |
| Case | Standard Blu-ray | ||
| RPI | $44.95 | Music | Alan Silvestri |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) French dts 5.1 (768Kb/s) Italian dts 5.1 (768Kb/s) Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) |
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 1080p | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles |
Arabic Chinese Danish English French Greek Italian Mandarin Portuguese Norwegian Romanian Serbian Spanish Swedish English for the Hearing Impaired |
Smoking | Yes, Hannibals Cigar |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Were it not for the fact that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was released in 2009, 2010 could have been declared the Year of Big, Dumb Fun. Not one, not two but three films competed in the "former soldiers-betrayed-seek revenge sub-genre last year; The Losers, The Expendables and The A-Team. They performed with varied success at the Box Office with The Expendables the stand-out winner, perhaps due to the horde of 80/90s action nostalgists wanting to see what happens when you put half the grunt in the Universe together in one room - lots of explosions apparently!
The A-Team is, of course, based on the much loved, much ridiculed TV show from the 80s. Of all the characters perhaps only Mr T as B.A. Baracus became a household name. For those who are not old enough to actually know of the show (or too old to remember!) it was a comedy action romp that pitted a group of unconventional ex-soldiers as soldiers of fortune helping the cause of the poor and oppressed. It was a show that never took itself too seriously and the movie commendably follows that path. Yes the Team leave a trail of destruction with presumably a death toll in the thousands, but there is no serious blood or violence on show and many of the scenes are peppered with as many wisecracks and sight gags as bullets. Under the direction of Joe Carnaghan, the man responsible for the subtle chamber piece known as Smokin' Aces, this is a film that fires on all 12 cylinders, although those looking for a detailed plot may be disappointed that this is more of a dizzying action spectacle than a traditional movie.
The A-Team movie presents a genesis story. In Mexico a disparate group of like minded hardasses are brought together by fate and circumstances. Hannibal J. Smith (Liam Neeson) is chained up in a shed about to be devoured by dogs. B.A Baracus (MMA fighter Quinton "Rampage" Jackson) is driving his pride and joy, a black Chevy van, on a dusty highway after having taught some crooked mechanics not to mess with him - he does have "pity" and "fool" tattooed on respective fists! An escaping Hannibal commandeers the vehicle and the pair eventually bond over their respective Ranger status. But there is rescuing to do and Templeton "Face" Peck (Bradley Cooper) has got himself into a world of trouble, not only bringing the chief hoodlum, their target, out in the open but also seducing his woman! Saving Face before he is about to get torched, the trio run for their lives. They need to get out quick and secure the best pilot in the area, H.M. Murdock (Sharlto Copley of District 9 fame) who just happens to be certifiably insane. The escape and ensuing helicopter dogfight puts B.A. off flying forever leading to a running gag of sedating him for flights.
That's about as much as you need to know about the plot - the first 15 minutes which establishes the characters. When they get involved in a mission, years later, to recover stolen money printing plates in Baghdad they are set up for a fall. All are imprisoned and have to accept the help of a shady CIA operative Patrick Wilson.
Can they break out of prison, avoid capture by Face's ex Charissa Sosa (Jessica Biel), hunt down the missing plates, fight to the death with the dirty dog who betrayed them and wrap everything up in time for the inevitable sequels? Of course they can - this is the A-Team!
The A-Team is a film ready made for High Definition. The film comes to Blu-ray in a 2.35:1 transfer consistent with the original aspect ratio.
It is almost flawless in presentation. It was shot in a seamless combination of 35mm film and HD footage using the Genesis Camera. When we first see the "real" Hannibal emerge from the mouth of danger, lighting his trademark cigar, the cloud of smoke around him is rendered with a clarity that is unimaginable either on DVD or at your average megaplex. His features are chiselled and articulated to perfection. Throughout the transfer displays a crispness and clarity that is astonishing and a fidelity of colour that is pitch perfect. The grain is minimal and compression is non-existent. I could not detect any aliasing or other problems.
There are French, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Spanish , Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Arabic, Greek, Chinese, Serbian, Romanian subtitles as well as English for the Hard of Hearing.
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The soundtrack for The A-Team is no slouch either. There is a variety of language options available (French and Italian 5.1 DTS, Portuguese, Spanish 5.1 ) but English speakers will go straight for the showpiece 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio track.
The dialogue is perhaps the least impressive aspect of the soundtrack, with the cast engaging in some mumbling from time to time, particularly Rampage Jackson. Some would argue dialogue is not the most relevant aspect of the film - they are probably right. What the track does do well is the earth-shaking bass of explosions, military aircraft and pounding score. This is coupled with the well spaced, well edited sound effects as bullets whiz from corner to corner of the soundstage. Truly an entertaining and enveloping track.
Music for the film is by Alan Silvestri and never makes the mistake of drifting into subtlety, carrying big themes and thumping climaxes to match the on-screen heft. There are also some songs thrown in for good measure.
I briefly sampled the other language tracks and found them to be pretty good. There is also an English descriptive audio track.
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The A-Team Blu-ray is stuffed with extras. Sorting the wheat from the chaff isn't too hard. Look below.
This feature, exclusive to Blu-ray and only available on the theatrical cut, is hosted by director Joe Carnahan. It requires a bit of explanation. The director provides an audio commentary but at key moments the film cuts to a studio where the director talks about the film and introduces a wealth behind-the-scenes footage, animatics and storyboards. The film is projected onto a corrugated iron wall behind him and the top and bottom of the black bars turn into their own features. On the top there are key weapons which you can select and get information on. At the bottom is a counter which shows each of the steps in the "plan".
To be honest the guns'n'plans stuff is a bit lame but the commentary and integrated footage is well worth the watch.
Six short scenes are included here.
More of a line-fluff reel than a gag reel it is nevertheless fun, for a while, to see some of the stuff-ups from the cast, particularly when spitting out technical hardass lines.
Clips from the film backed by the original A-Team music. Gets old quickly.
This is actually a pretty good making of featurette. Although it resembles an EPK at times the length allows more detail and behind the scenes material to sneak in. Probably, pound for pound, the most engaging of the featurettes.
This featurette contains 5 sub-features about the characters and the actors who play them. They are :
Worth a watch although a little thin on detail.
Visual effects supervisor James E. Price takes us through some of the more detailed CGI work in the film showing how it was magically, after a million hours work, turned into the final product!
A looong trailer for the film.
I have determined from other sources that this consists of a short featurette about the film's military costuming. Requires internet connection.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
This is a Region A and B version with identical features.
The A-Team won't feature highly in the upcoming Academy Awards but it does provide action fans, particularly those who like a good deal of chuckles with their biff, with a decent two hour diversion.
The Blu-ray looks a treat and sounds it too and the added features have some interesting moments.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Cambridge 650BD (All Regions), using HDMI output |
| Display | Sony VPL-VW80 Projector on 110" Screen. Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. |
| Amplification | Pioneer SC-LX 81 7.1 |
| Speakers | Aaron ATS-5 7.1 |