"Ant-Man" (2015)
Marvel just released a major movie, "Avengers: Age of Ultron," that had some big stuff happen. Hulk took off. The Avengers officially learned about the Infinity Stones. They gained a few new recruits and a new base. A whole country was almost destroyed. It's not like "Infinity War" big, but that's a lot. So, why not use the next film to decompress a little bit. Have a little fun. That's exactly what happens in "Ant-Man."
"Ant-Man" went through some hardships going from announcement to screen. Initially acclaimed director, Edgar Wright, was signed on to write and direct "Ant-Man." Wright was famous for the action comedies, "Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz," "The World's End" and "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World," amongst others. There was a lot of excitement. Wright brought a lot of excitement and a lot of disappointment when he ended up leaving the project over creative differences. Wright is still credited as a screenwriter on the film, but we'll never know how much of his original script remained intact.
As always, it's great to see Marvel continuing to bring lesser known, kind of out there heroes to the big screen. The focus is the second Ant-Man in the comics, former thief, Scott Lang. Hank Pym isn't neglected though. Hank was a founding member of the Avengers in the comics, so maybe it's not a huge shock that he got a solo film.
"Ant-Man" stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, Evangeline Lily as Hope Van Dyne and Corey Stoll as Darren Cross. The film also stars Michael Pena, T.I., Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale and a special appearance by Anthony Mackie. The screenplay was written by Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay and Paul Rudd from a story by Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish. It was directed by Peyton Reed. The film opened nationwide July 17, 2015.
Marvel had dabbled in a lot of genres since "Iron Man" burst onto the scene in 2008. The one that they haven't really committed to is comedy. Sure, there is humor in all the Marvel movies. That is part of what had, until recently, set them apart from the DC film universe. There were jokes, but for the most part they were a serious affair. The only film up to this point that had really tried to veer somewhat into straight up comedy territory was "Guardians of the Galaxy." But even "Guardians" played it straight-ish for the most part. I'd call "Ant-Man" the first comedy in the MCU.
It shouldn't come as a total shock since they decided to cast seemingly ageless funny man, Paul Rudd in the main role. They keep Scott Lang's origin story pretty much the same as it is in the comics. Lang is a white collar criminal, a thief, excuse me, burglar, who goes to jail, gets out and pretty much fails at being a stand up member of society, even though he's trying very hard. Mainly because he wants to be able to see and spend time with his adorable, precocious daughter, Cassie. Scott is unable to stay on the straight and narrow and he ends up burgling from the wrong guy, Hank Pym. In the comics, he was burgling to save Cassie from her heart condition, but let's not dwell on that.
Rudd is an extremely likable guy and that works well here. You automatically root for Scott and in less capable hands, that wouldn't be possible. Scott is making awful decisions, even if they are for the right reason. Rudd is surrounded by equally affable thieves-in-arms, led by the fast talking Luis, played by Michael Pena. Pena and Rudd have an undeniable chemistry. It's so good, I would probably watch them just tell each other stories for 2 hours.
Marvel continues to bring in acting legends by casting Michael Douglas as the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym. In the comics, Pym is a straight up douchebag and the Pym in the MCU is not a super nice guy, but they soften him a little bit and I think that is the right call. I love seeing more of SHIELD's origins and it's always a treat to see Peggy Carter back in the mix. Evangeline Lily of "Lost" and "The Hobbit" fame plays Hank's daughter, Hope, who holds her mother Janet's last name. Lily plays hope as severely as the bob she sports in this movie, a clear tie to her mom's look in the comics. She's definitely the straight woman to Rudd's Lang, but she's got some nuance that helps to smooth out the rough edges.
The story of "Ant-Man" is a flimsy thing, but it doesn't need to be more than that. It's your standard Marvel origin with a lot of training sequences that leave you just wanting the sequel to get here so we can get to the good stuff already. That's not to say there isn't some cool stuff happening. I'm a sucker for people shrinking. I have been ever since I saw "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" as a wee one, so "Ant-Man" definitely hits that sweet spot for me. I'm a big fan of Falcon's cameo in the movie. It is a little indulgent, but who cares?
The movie leaves you wanting more which is great because "Ant-Man" could feel like a one and one without it, but I remember being excited by the end. I wanted to see Hope become The Wasp just like her mom and I wanted them to get with the rescuing of Janet. There is a scene from "Captain America: Civil War" for the final end credits scene to show people that maybe that Falcon cameo wasn't just indulgent fan service.
The movie does struggle a bit and I bet you know where. Yep! The villain. Corey Stoll's Darren Cross is maybe the most one note of any Marvel villain so far. He's basically Tony Stark if he kept those government weapons contracts and was not as smart. Ant-Man doesn't have a super full rogues gallery so I get that it was probably difficult for them to find anyone. It doesn't help that Stoll consistently goes for straight up evil that I'm often surprised he's not shown twirling a mustache. That being said, I do enjoy the shrunk down action sequences between Ant-Man and Yellowjacket. I especially like when the camera pulls back to show what this looks like to the rest of us. Going from a pitched battle to the toy train just falling over makes me laugh every time.
"Ant-Man" is a great addition to the MCU and it was nice re-visiting this film, in particular, because I don't think I've watched it since I saw it in theaters.
Next up, we head to Tibet for the education and introduction of Stephen Strange.
As always, I'd love to hear what you think! Do you love "Ant-Man." Is it your top MCU flick? Is it your least favorite? Let me know in the comments.
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