Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

The A-Team: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 6, 2022

Universal has released the entire five season run of the popular 1980s TV show 'The A-Team.' This 21-disc set features very good video and aggressive but sometimes overamplified audio. A couple of token extras are included, hardly enough to satisfy die-hard fans.

Official synopsis: "Ten years ago, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum-security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team." Relive every explosive episode of 'The A-Team: The Complete Series' as B.A. (Mr. T), Hannibal (George Peppard), Face (Dirk Benedict) and Murdock (Dwight Schultz) team up to take on mercenary missions across five spectacular seasons. Featuring high-octane action and globetrotting adventures, 'The A-Team' remains one of the most iconic series in television history.

There was no shortage of action TV in the 80s, but The A-Team exemplifies the action landscape throughout that decade. Airing smack-dab in the middle of the decade, first airing on January 23, 1983 and wrapping on March 8, 1987, the show was disliked -- maybe even despised -- by the critics of the time but it quickly found a passionate and loving audience, quickly, right out of the gate. The show was certainly aimed at a specific demographic -- young boys -- but it found a wider berth audience as well. Beyond the intense action was a story with humor, well-developed characters, and interesting stories. Sure, there was little interconnectedness and missing one week usually didn't mean missing anything important for the next week (aside from a handful of multi-part episodes) so it was very easy to jump in and out and enjoy the week's adventure. A for "accessible."

Certainly, the show is defined by its action, which is intense, with all sorts of guns and explosions and barrages of bullet, but the show is not violent, per se. It's not a Schwarzenegger movie with blood and bodies piled high but rather just an exercise in filming gunplay with no real dangerous or deadly consequences to speak of. It's just to get the adrenaline pumping. That is not to say that the action is empty or purposeless, but the show does a great job of balancing action excitement and intensity within a fairly safe bubble of family friendly approachability. All of the characters are comfortable behind a gun, and whether it's gunplay, car chases, or all variety of action sprinkled throughout the show, there is never any mistaking that the show's heart and soul is in its action, albeit action that was safe for the 1980s family living room. A for "action."

Most people probably don't think of The A-Team when considering the best performances of the 1980s, but the acting here isn't at all poor. In fact, it's quite good. While each of the characters is essentially a caricature, at least to begin, the show does well to gradually add depth to each of the foursome. They're rooted in their Vietnam experience (a common theme in the 80s, see also Magnum, P.I.) but gradually also by their growing camaraderie through the various missions and seasons. This will never be mistaken for a serious study character piece and the cast a legendary ensemble, but for essentially junk food TV the actors are particularly strong. Of course, Mr. T dominates as not only the standout here but also as one of the most iconic screen presences in the history of television, which certainly goes a long way in building a better show. A for "acting."

Above all else, The A-Team is just a blast to watch. Of course, the externals like action and character interaction usually take center stage over the story of the week, which can be fairly generic and rote, as the case so often was in the 80s. Dramatic lines are fairly frivolous and play on various recurring themes and structures. While there is some joy in the various adventures, the fun comes from the gimmick, which here is, as mentioned, action and characters. In the mid-80s, there wasn't a much better way to spend some time in front of the TV than with The A-Team, and while some aspects of the show have aged, most of it has aged very gracefully, even in an era that downplays the sort of guns blazing machismo and fun factor, replaced lately with a far grittier, more dramatically absorbing approach. This is just retro fun from the first episode to the last. A for "awesome."

The A-Team: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

It was not a surprise (but still pleasant to see) to discover that The A-Team was coming to Blu-ray. What was something of a surprise was to find that it was to be Universal, not Mill Creek, to release it. The series has "Mill Creek" written all over it. The downside is that this set probably costs a little more released by Universal but the upside is that the image is likely a fair bit better here than it would have been with the patented Mill Creek compression.

As it is the Universal 21-disc set affords the material a good bit of breathing room, resulting in an imperfect but still very satisfying 1080p image. The image is presented in approximately 4x3 aspect ratio, placing vertical "black bars" on either side of the modern 1.78:1 HD display. This retains the original broadcast integrity. The picture holds to its natural grain structure (with only the odd burst of heightened density), which is critical in conveying the natural filmic state. There has been no obvious scrubbing, leaving details intact and satisfyingly crisp and complex. The picture is handsomely stable and pure in terms of clarity and sharpness. It's a real treat.

Color depth is excellent. The palette is deep and contrast is set just right. Natural greens leap off the screen in the opening episode and a myriad of tones throughout, including various colored clothes, Mr. T's gold chains, orange fire bursts, and more all delight throughout the five season run. Black levels are generally fine if not occasionally prone to mild crush. White balance is good and skin tones look more or less natural.

To be sure, there are some problems, most of which appear in the form of various pops, speckles, stray fibers, vertical lines, and the like. While these can be bothersome and sometimes cumbersome they are not in such prevalence as to even be evident in many shots, scenes, and even sequences. Otherwise, there are not any serious source or encode issues worth mentioning.

The A-Team: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The supplied DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack is aggressive, and probably too aggressive at reference volume It's not very well balanced at all times, with action and music oftentimes being amplified well above a general baseline. Clarity cannot quite hold at these times, either, and while the track is never sloppy, it is in need of some fine tuning to maintain a general sonic balance. That said, the track is very wide and well capable of extending music and gunfire far out the sides while folding in plenty of center area content as well. Dialogue does image to the middle and is presented with serviceable clarity and definition.

The A-Team: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The A-Team: The Complete Series contains a rather skimpy collection of extras, two total, and one of which is a repeat from the Mill Creek Magnum, P.I. release. Each season ships in its own extra-thick Amaray case. There is no disc stacking; each disc sits on its own hub, either on the case ends or on movable leaves inserted into the middle. Unique artwork and season synopses appear on the back. Episode listings and summaries are included on the packaging interior. All of the cases ship inside a decently sturdy slip box.

Season Four, Disc Five:

• The Great 80's TV Flashback (1080i, 29:03): A fun look at the television landscape of the 1980s. It is not focused on The A-Team (but it does begin by calling it "frivolous"), but the show is certainly amongst the major highlights found within. The program essentially spends a few minutes looking at some of the key shows from the decade, including The A-Team; Miami Vice; Magnum, P.I.; Knight Rider; Simon & Simon; Murder, She Wrote; Quantum Leap; Gimmie a Break!; Charles in Charge; and Kate & Allie.

Season Five, Disc One:

• Rumors of Soldiers of Fortune (1080p, 10:51): The A-Team's Creator/Executive Producer Stephen J. Cannell discusses the show's origins, the blend of elements from Mad Max and The Dirty Dozen, character qualities, general story details, the importance of the series' "attitude," critical response, audience reception, female presence in the show, changes late in the series run, and more.

The A-Team: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is no denying that 80s TV sets were graced with some of the best and most iconic television series ever made. Amongst those is The A-Team, created by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell. Fans adored the charisma, characters, action, and adventure, but critics panned the show's purposelessness and pure escapism. But who likes critics anyway? The A-Team is just a lot of fun, repetitive, maybe, to a fault, perhaps, but for terrific character work, solid acting within a limited dramatic construct, nonstop action, and plenty of creative adventures, the show was, and remains, hard to beat. Universal's 21-disc complete series Blu-ray release offers a couple of supplements (one of which is a repeat from the Mill Creek release of Magnum, P.I.). The video borders on excellent and the audio is OK but problematic. Highly recommended.