The Losers (DVD)

Since Blade and X-Men blasted into cinemas over a decade ago, the comics have never been far from the silver screen. As most of the big titles have all been covered in the last ten years, recently we’ve seen some of the B-list characters getting the movie treatment, as Hollywood starts scraping the bottom of the barrel for more and more superheroes to shove in the faces of moviegoers. Yet while it’s inevitable that eventually this will pave way for the adaptation of some utter shite, so far these lesser-known characters have made for pretty enjoyable film material. Thankfully, The Losers is no exception.

Based on the Vertigo comic of the same name, The Losers sees a crack special forces unit fall foul of the government and end up having to go underground as they attempt to clear their name. Sound familiar? Well unfortunately if it hadn’t been for Joe Carnahan’s A-Team remake, The Losers may have had a bit more recognition. While it’s not quite as action-packed and fun as Hannibal, Murdock, Face and BA’s big screen escapade, there’s enough going on in The Losers to warrant a look. Firstly the cast are superb. Comic book veterans Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Chris Evans are clearly having a blast as they explore relatively unknown characters, while Star Trek’s Zoe Saldana and Idris Elba are clearly relishing being part of a film that so clearly revels in its own sense of cool.

The only real problem with the film is that the pacing tends to get thrown out by the need to shoehorn in as many little twists and turns as they can get into an hour and a half. Nevertheless, it’s only a minor hiccough and it’s more than made up for by some amazingly good scenes – the standout one seeing Evans taking down a handful of security guards using “telekinesis” as Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing hits the soundtrack. It’s lovely stuff - not enough to make for a superb film, but it’s still pretty solid entertainment.

The disc also boasts a bunch of featurettes that are all pretty uninspiring. Then again, there’s also a couple of deleted scenes and a neat commentary that deserve a look.

It all makes for a disc that’s certainly worth a look – especially seeing as the film hasn’t had the recognition it deserves due to those soldiers of fortune nicking all the hype. 

Overall Verdict: A very good effort at adapting a lesser known comic book – especially considering it was directed by the same guy made Stomp The Yard and I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer. Just a shame that The A-Team was hitting cinemas roughly around the same time.

Special Features:
Audio Commentary with Andy Diggle and Jock
Zoe and the Losers
Action Style Storytelling
Band of Buddies: Ops Training
Band of Buddies: Transforming Puerto Rico
Band of Buddies: Going Deep into the Action
Deleted Scenes
Trailer

Reviewer: Jordan Brown