“The A-Team” was one of the cornerstones of my childhood television experience. I have many fond memories of sitting with my uncle, watching another of Hannibal’s plans, the strategic equivalent of a Rube Goldberg machine, unfold onscreen.

Those experiences made me nervous at first when I heard the rumblings of an A-Team movie gearing up for production two years ago. After all, how could they recapture the cartoonish violence and slapstick humor that I remembered as a kid? Today’s action movies all overly violent and sexualized affairs, focusing on death and mayhem.

I’m here to report that while “The A-Team” film may not be completely faithful to the action standards of the original, it goes out of its way to remain true to its comedic roots.

For those of you who don’t know, both the film and the 1980’s series center around an elite group of military operatives who undertake a covert mission, and find their superior officer murdered, and with no evidence that they were acting on official orders. The film serves as a prequel to the events of the series, showing their attempt to clear their names, and their evolution into soldiers of fortune.

The casting in this film is spot-on, with Liam Neeson playing Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith, the tactical genius of the team. Neeson turns in a great performance here, mixing his dramatic stage presence with a humorous streak that I had not seen before.

Playing the smooth-talking Lieutenant Templeton “Faceman” Peck is Bradley Cooper, who portrays Face as the ultimate easygoing officer, and providing plenty of banter that’s sure to have you grinning.

Quinton Jackson, MMA-fighter-turned-actor, provides the iconic role of Corporal Bosco Albert “Bad Attitude” Baracus. Of all the casting decisions, I was most concerned with Jackson, but he does Mr. T proud here, bringing a likability and heart to the character of B.A.

Rounding out the team is Sharlto Copley in the standout performance of the movie. His version of Captain “Howling Mad” Murdock is an incredible rendition of insanity, and his onscreen antics are nothing short of comedy gold. Even if you don’t like “The A-Team,” you’ll be hard-pressed to not at least enjoy Copley’s ever-changing accent and jabs at B.A.

Fans of action movies are in luck, as this film spends most of its time shuttling us from intense shootouts to insane escapes. All the while it never loses touch with the character-based humor that drove the original series, and each actor displays his comedic talent in the constant back-and-forth banter that the team engages in.

The effects work here is nothing special, but I never found them so lacking that it was distracting or detracted from the experience. Fast cuts and Michael Bay-style slinging cameras makes some of the hand-to-hand fight scenes a bit hard to follow, but this is nothing new to viewers of recent action films.

I give “The A-Team” four out of five unnecessary explosions, and recommend it to anyone who likes summer blockbusters. If all the movies out right now bore you, and nothing else will do, and if you can find your wallet, maybe you can see… “The A-Team.”