Ant-Man
It may be tough to get excited about a man who's powers consist of getting very small and controlling ants. Even if he was (in the comics) one of the O.G Avengers, there isn't a whole lot interesting about Ant-man (which is why in the comics they made him a woman beater with schizophrenia to try and spice him up, because which comic writer worth his salt doesn't love a bit of misogyny).
The way to get most comic book geeks excited is to get good old Edgar Wright onto the project, probably the most consistent comedy director out there who has a great track record (of one film) with the highly underrated Scott Pilgrim film (apologies I've just learnt how to hyperlink on this site). So you can imagine us Wrightheads' (not sure if that's a thing) disappointment when instead of the writer-director of Shaun of the Dead we got the director of The Break Up and Bring It On (not slating those films but... come on).
So uphill battle form the off but as the open minded film connoisseur I am, always best to come into the film with an open mind. Writing by Adam McKay, starring Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas, the film still had a lot going for it, and the trailers made it look like a pretty fun film, and that is exactly what it delivered on. Ant-Man is pretty fun. End of review.
OK, I probably need to write a little more here, I haven't actually told you anything really. The story follows a past thief taking over the mantle of Ant-Man from Michael Douglas (never really explained why him but OK, roll with it) and having to stop Douglas's old protegee doing evil stuff, also Hydra pops up because Marvel. So it's an origin story, which is rare in superhero films because in the past few years we've only had Iron Man, Captain America, Superman (again), Spiderman (again), Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, Wolverine, green Hornet, all the X-men and coming soon; the Fantastic 4 (again).
It's smart to use Douglas as a teacher to Rudd as its a pretty easy way to teach the audience the ins and outs of Anting and also to sidestep the whole wifebeating thing (it was Douglas' character who was a bit of a scoundrel, Rudd's is traditionally a more loveable rogue). Thankfully the filmmaker's are aware of the ridiculous nature of the character and so crank up the comedy of the film potentially a little more than other Marvel projects. The jokes don't always land as well as say Guardians or Iron Man and Rudd's character potentially comes off as too everyman to be interesting at all but it's a relatively fun ride that suggests a lot more.
The most obviously fun aspect of the film tends to be the fight scenes and this is where Ant-Man seriously excels. The ability to show us something new that most other films cannot is pretty exhilarating, be it fighting in a briefcase or action scenes atop a flying ant. It's also very funny to see a full size human get beaten. Supporting cast in the main are there to keep the story along, with the female characters and the bad guy there to keep the story ticking, although Michael Pena as the comic relief brings his A game and provides the majority of laughs. There's an interesting undercurrent of familial bonds ('Its not about saving our world, its about saving theirs') which provides a bit of emotional interest, but seeing as the vast majority of the film consists of a training montage and semi improvisational riffing it doesn't get explored as much as it might have.
All in all the film doesn't quite live up to its predecessors and isn't the surprise hit of Guardians but isn't really a misstep. On the strength of the film its unlikely that fans will be clamoring for a sequel as, fittingly, Ant-Man can't quite keep up with the big boys. The smaller scale more personal story works but don't break the bank to go see this at the cinema because Inside Out is on and you have a heart. Overall the film is a 6.5 out of 10 saved in the main by the interesting concept and action sequences, but let down somewhat by the generic storyline and lack of characterisation. A little hard to care, they never really up the ante (sorry) but most of us are in for the ride now so whatever I say you're probably going to watch it at some point.
The way to get most comic book geeks excited is to get good old Edgar Wright onto the project, probably the most consistent comedy director out there who has a great track record (of one film) with the highly underrated Scott Pilgrim film (apologies I've just learnt how to hyperlink on this site). So you can imagine us Wrightheads' (not sure if that's a thing) disappointment when instead of the writer-director of Shaun of the Dead we got the director of The Break Up and Bring It On (not slating those films but... come on).
So uphill battle form the off but as the open minded film connoisseur I am, always best to come into the film with an open mind. Writing by Adam McKay, starring Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas, the film still had a lot going for it, and the trailers made it look like a pretty fun film, and that is exactly what it delivered on. Ant-Man is pretty fun. End of review.
OK, I probably need to write a little more here, I haven't actually told you anything really. The story follows a past thief taking over the mantle of Ant-Man from Michael Douglas (never really explained why him but OK, roll with it) and having to stop Douglas's old protegee doing evil stuff, also Hydra pops up because Marvel. So it's an origin story, which is rare in superhero films because in the past few years we've only had Iron Man, Captain America, Superman (again), Spiderman (again), Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, Wolverine, green Hornet, all the X-men and coming soon; the Fantastic 4 (again).
It's smart to use Douglas as a teacher to Rudd as its a pretty easy way to teach the audience the ins and outs of Anting and also to sidestep the whole wifebeating thing (it was Douglas' character who was a bit of a scoundrel, Rudd's is traditionally a more loveable rogue). Thankfully the filmmaker's are aware of the ridiculous nature of the character and so crank up the comedy of the film potentially a little more than other Marvel projects. The jokes don't always land as well as say Guardians or Iron Man and Rudd's character potentially comes off as too everyman to be interesting at all but it's a relatively fun ride that suggests a lot more.
The most obviously fun aspect of the film tends to be the fight scenes and this is where Ant-Man seriously excels. The ability to show us something new that most other films cannot is pretty exhilarating, be it fighting in a briefcase or action scenes atop a flying ant. It's also very funny to see a full size human get beaten. Supporting cast in the main are there to keep the story along, with the female characters and the bad guy there to keep the story ticking, although Michael Pena as the comic relief brings his A game and provides the majority of laughs. There's an interesting undercurrent of familial bonds ('Its not about saving our world, its about saving theirs') which provides a bit of emotional interest, but seeing as the vast majority of the film consists of a training montage and semi improvisational riffing it doesn't get explored as much as it might have.
All in all the film doesn't quite live up to its predecessors and isn't the surprise hit of Guardians but isn't really a misstep. On the strength of the film its unlikely that fans will be clamoring for a sequel as, fittingly, Ant-Man can't quite keep up with the big boys. The smaller scale more personal story works but don't break the bank to go see this at the cinema because Inside Out is on and you have a heart. Overall the film is a 6.5 out of 10 saved in the main by the interesting concept and action sequences, but let down somewhat by the generic storyline and lack of characterisation. A little hard to care, they never really up the ante (sorry) but most of us are in for the ride now so whatever I say you're probably going to watch it at some point.