The Losers

I should have watched this before The A-Team and not after. Because the Losers lose on all sides. Nothing against Morgan, but as team leader he was completely un-outstanding. Jason Patrick is simply awful (couldn’t they have given the role of Max maybe to Travolta, he would have enjoyed it) even though his character must have looked great on paper. Thank god for the eloquent Chris “Captain America" Evans who pulls the movie forward with all his might. And the sniper wasn’t bad either. And it’s nice to watch Zoe with the bazooka, but that’s about it. The story seems to run on the spot and even though we are given a round-the-world tour, it’s a series of really short visits (Dubai, Bombay, New Mexico). I enjoyed it, but I expected a little more. - Am I the only one who sees this shirt? - It's my niece's little league soccer team, the Petunias, they're in the finals. (04/07/2010)

I really like this comic. It surprised me. I bought it thinking it was a pretty cheap item and I didn't expect much from it. I ended up with a fantastic political thriller where the action scenes are genuinely worth it. I was looking forward to the film adaptation, partly because the cast wasn’t bad at all. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is simply a man who radiates charisma, while Zoe Saldana got the chance to prove she’s more than just the blue cat from Avatar. But somehow the film didn’t quite work. The action scenes lack the drive they could have, the story is too simple compared to the comic, and the great mysterious Max is turned into a pathetic villain who is such an asshole that it’s boring. The film is saved by the catchphrases, which are at times quite funny, and also by the camaraderie that belongs in such films. This team was selected wonderfully, but I can't help feeling that the filmmakers got very little from the comic and its quality. The potential was much greater. But it is what it is. It’s a shame that the comic didn’t catch on in my country and will end with two issues; we certainly won’t see more. I’ll just have to reach for the English original to find out how it all ended. Because believe it or not, in the comic we still don’t know who Max actually is and what he can do. (20/02/2013)

This is an action gem. It's just a completely ordinary movie with the most classic script, but... it has a completely great cast. Absolutely outstanding Jeffrey Dean Morgan, brilliantly quipping Chris Evans, as always charismatic Idris Elba, and last but not least Zoe Saldana, who's simply awesome. As I say, it's not a miracle, but the action is balanced and engaging, except for the airplane explosion (that was too much even for me), and all the participants together form an absolutely perfect team. There are plenty of similar movies, but this lineup really succeeded... 85% (05/10/2013)

It’s too bad that Peter Berg didn't get behind the camera himself because Sylvain White is an untalented (non) craftsman for whom the term "idea" is a dirty word. From a militant comic book team-up, I would have liked more than just an uninteresting patchwork that settles for a few blown-up sparklers, over which the camera occasionally circles as if it were terribly cool, and most importantly, the more polished group of tough guys. The only thing that works is Chris Evans, who’s simply good at funny catchphrases, as well as Idris Elba's bad-ass motherfuckery. The rest is bland (the tired J.D. Morgan), or annoying (the overacting Jason Patrick), just like the rest of the film. Given the production team and the fact that it's supposed to be a direct competition to Carnahan's The A-Team, this a very bad mess. (18/05/2010)

I went into The Losers with zero expectations. It kind of slipped under my radar, and I wasn’t really familiar with it until I hit play and found myself pleasantly surprised. It’s your typical action-comedy, but in a good way—kind of like the A-Team, except this one is actually fun, packed with solid action, and features a cast that, for me at least, felt fresh and exciting. Honestly, I didn’t recognize most of the actors, but they were all cracking jokes like pros and having a blast with it. The humor definitely clicked with me, and the cast managed to keep things fun and lighthearted throughout. It’s proof that action comedies aren’t dead; they can still deliver exciting, well-executed action alongside some great one-liners you’ll want to quote later. That’s where A-Team fell short—it had over-the-top action that made me roll my eyes, but it took itself way too seriously. The Losers doesn’t have that problem. The action here feels believable, and because they don’t take themselves too seriously, you actually enjoy it. The opening scene hooked me right away. Something like, "There are bombs dropping, we’ve got seven minutes to save the village," and boom, the action kicks off. It’s just a really fun movie—one of the most surprising action flicks I’ve seen in a while. I don’t get the low ratings here, but hey, not much surprises me anymore. When I rewatch this, I might even bump it up to five stars. It’s been a long time since I had this much fun with an action movie. (23/05/2011)