Do we have to remember The Toughest Man Alive? I might not have asked that back in the 80’s because back then this film would have been one of the best things to ever come out simply because it had Mr. T in it. The way we see him now is as an old man that can somehow still rock that mohawk and even pull off his customary scowl and the famous “I pity the foo’!” He was an icon back in his day and became someone that people really looked up to right up until his stint in Rocky III. I think it’s still safe to say though that after being Clubber Lang for a single movie that his fans still adored him.
The movie showcases Mr. T as a nightclub bouncer that somehow gets involved with a bunch of kids that need somewhere to go since their youth center is being shut down. He enters a tough-man contest in order to raise the funds to save the center but along the way make some very bad enemies and eventually has to fight them all in an effort to save the center, the kids, and himself. It’s supposed to be a feelgood movie that was meant to entertain people but truthfully these days it raises more nostalgic feelings than anything.
I’m not sure if it’s just irritating or kind of sad to have your illusions crushed when you grow up, but the films, cartoons, and other things that we used to idolize as kids and even as adolescents seem to lose their shine when we get older. What was once beyond reproach is now something we might never consider as something to watch largely because it’s so poorly written and produced that it makes an icon like Mr. T look like something far less than what we’re used to.
Personally my favorite version of Mr. T was as B.A. Baracus in the A-Team, when he was just awesome and didn’t concern himself with much else besides his team. The remake didn’t really do it justice but it came close. I would even take his role as Clubber Lang over the role he played in The Toughest Man in the World. The nostalgia felt for this movie just isn’t quite enough to see past the obvious flaws that it has and the manner in which it attempted to become a feelgood movie while still being so dreadfully awful. The only reason I won’t condemn it outright and state that I would rather see it buried and gone is because of Mr. T. He’s not enough to demand it be brought back into circulation but he’s definitely enough to keep it as a good memory of a time before movies started getting too horribly complex.
I suppose they’ve been that way for a while but in all honesty this film was something that appealed to kids and adults without having to challenge them too much. Maybe that’s why it’s better to remember it but not feel the need to watch it again.
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