Retro TV shows have been source material for many movies, including this week's "The A-Team" -- and it's always fun to see how they re-envision the small screen versions for the big screen. Here are 10 favorites to remember.
10 TV-Turned-Movie Favorites
The live-action redo from the TV animated series follows along the same lines, detailing an ancient struggle that re-erupts on Earth between two extraterrestrial clans — the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons — with a clue to the ultimate power held by teenage Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf). In the hands of demolition director Michael Bay, the "Transformers" adaptation kicks ass.
Based on the Japanime series, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is just your average teenager who happens to love car racing and owns a sweet ride called the Mach 5. Re-imagined by the brother Wachowskis (the “Matrix” series), this adaptation looks and feels like a video game, as Speed proves himself on the track, competing against the mysterious Racer X.
"The Addams Family"(1991)
The '60s classic TV show, based on the Charles Addams' cartoons, gave finger snapping a whole new meaning. But the feature film adaptation takes it to a different level, especially with Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston as Gomez and Morticia Addams, the loving but strange marrieds who head up a very eccentric family.
"Charlie's Angels" (2000)
The original '70s show introduced three beautiful women — Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, and Jaclyn Smith — working for the Charles Townsend Detective Agency. In the action-packed feature film, there's Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, and Drew Barrymore as the kick-ass Angels. The re-casting is spot on.
"The Brady Bunch Movie" (1995)
The '70s show played it for real, but the movie version spoofs the idealistic Brady family, taking them straight out of the 70's into the 90's without changing a thing. Their '70s mentality and clothing make them stand out because they are culturally unaware they are living in a totally different era. Poking fun at what was once thought as the perfect family is sure to make anyone laugh.
"Mission: Impossible" (1996)
The highly successful series originally ran from 1966-1973 and told the story of secret agents, who wear many disguises and work for the government to fight dictators, evil organizations, and crime lords. So, it was kind of a no-brainer turning this one into a movie, especially with power of producer and star, Tom Cruise, behind it. Look for the fourth installment, coming soon.
The hit '60s show followed Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen), a doctor falsely accused of killing his wife, as he kept one step ahead of the law while trying to find the real killer, a one-armed man. The big-budgeted hit feature film starred Harrison Ford as Dr. Kimble, with a wily Tommy Lee Jones as the U.S. Marshal after him.
"The Simpsons Movie" (2007)
It took a long time for “The Simpsons,” the longest running animated show in TV history, to make it to the big screen, but good things happen to those who wait. As a hilarious extension of the Matt Groening classic, Homer Simpson and the family go on the run, after Homer accidentally pollutes the Springfield's water supply, leaving the town encased in a gigantic dome. Good stuff.
"The Untouchables" (1987)
The 1950s show starred Robert Stack as Federal Agent Elliot Ness, who sets out to take out Al Capone because of rampant corruption, assembling a small, hand-picked team. The Brian De Palma-directed feature adaptation starred the young Kevin Costner as Ness, with a stellar cast including Robert De Niro as Capone and Sean Connery in his Oscar-winning role as Agent Jim Malone.
There have been many movie extensions based on the '60s cult sci-fi TV classic, but none captured the right mood and tone quite the same way as director J.J. Abrams' reboot. Seeing how the young Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Bones (Karl Urban), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), Sulu (John Cho) and Scotty (Simon Pegg) all meet and go on their first adventure together is pure Trekkie-ism.
