claire danes , giovanni ribisi , and omar epps make a likable trio of protagonists , but they're just about the only palatable element of the mod squad , <NEG> a lame-brained big-screen version </NEG> of the 70s tv show . the story <NEG> has all the originality of a block of wood </NEG> ( well , it would if you could decipher it ) , the characters are all blank slates , and scott silver's perfunctory action sequences are <NEG> as cliched as they come </NEG> . by sheer force of talent , the three actors wring marginal enjoyment from the proceedings whenever they're on screen , but the mod squad is <NEG> just a second-rate action picture </NEG> with a first-rate cast .
