SIZE DOESN'T MATTER
It seems ridiculous nowadays to label Marvel films as 'experimental'. Guardians of the Galaxy earned $774 million last year, and that was thought to be an incredibly risky and 'experimental' venture.
Seemingly any material given to Marvel can turn into a box-office and critical success.
And here is where we find Ant-Man; originally planned as a Marvel First Phase film, alongside The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America: the First Avenger, but instead pushed back until Marvel's Phase Three.
The film's interesting possibilities gained the attention of the amazing director (and personal favourite) Edgar Wright. He and fellow Brit Joe Cornish (director of Attack The Block) worked on a story and script, and thankfully had completed a working script before leaving the production due to creative differences.
And here is where we find Ant-Man; originally planned as a Marvel First Phase film, alongside The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America: the First Avenger, but instead pushed back until Marvel's Phase Three.
The film's interesting possibilities gained the attention of the amazing director (and personal favourite) Edgar Wright. He and fellow Brit Joe Cornish (director of Attack The Block) worked on a story and script, and thankfully had completed a working script before leaving the production due to creative differences.
Anchorman writer/director Adam McKay joined the project and due to their collaborative effort, they gave Ant-Man a fantastic sense of humour, as well as an appropriately smaller scale and heartfelt personality not seen since Marvel's original Iron Man.
PLOT
In the midst of the Cold War, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), a brilliant scientist and one of the founding members of S.H.I.E.L.D., discovers the ability to shrink the distance between atoms and therefore can change his size with Pym Particles, whilst increasing his strength and speed. His amazingly unique abilities help out in warfare, with Pym essentially becoming a superhero named 'the Ant-Man', named due to his small size, as well as his ability to control ants with specially designed radio-waves.
However there are shady people who aim to use his research for nefarious deeds, so Pym leaves S.H.I.E.L.D., hides his work and essentially becomes a recluse from the superhero world.
Skip to the present day, post-Age of Ultron, where Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is released from prison after serving time for breaking and entering. He emerges determined to stay honest for his young daughter, giving up his talent of breaking into places and stealing stuff. However he is the ideal candidate for Pym, as he needs a master thief to break into a place and steal some stuff.
Whilst it may not be on the same scale as the over-the-top, city-dropping, skyscraper-destroying, global-threatening thrill-rides that were Avengers Assemble and Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man does provide welcome relief from the grand epics that Marvel have been producing recently.
Instead of the film focussing on explosions every ten minutes, it takes the time to develop characters, especially the similarities between Scott and Hank. They both strive for personal redemption and to fix the broken relationships with their daughters, Scott's daughter Cassie, and Hank's daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly).
Lilly breaths life into Hope, as she could have been quite a one-dimensional character, but instead is driven by wanting to achieve both her father's respect and his trust, as she feels that she can do the job even better than Scott. Her struggle is an effective commentary on Marvel's apparent lack of faith in a female-led superhero franchise, with Hank constantly telling her that she doesn't have what it takes and that they need Scott to be the hero instead of her.
All the film's supporting characters provide their own personal boost, especially Scott's ex-con BFF, brilliantly played by Michael Peña. His cheery lifeview, constant optimism and comically-complicated anecdotes give Scott's band of ex-con friends their own personality, which stops the film from being too overly Pym-pollinated.
However, like I always say, a film is only as good as it's villain. Scott's nemesis is Hank's old protege, Darren Cross (House of Cards' Corey Stoll). After learning from Pym, Cross was secluded once he became obsessed with recreating the Pym Particles. However he has now successfully managed to create a rival shrinking armour suit, called The Yellowjacket.
Similar to Jeff Bridges/Ironmonger villain of the original Iron Man, Cross is an understandable business rival with similar powers to our hero, but that is all the film needed for an origin story. Cross seeks for Pym's approval and turns rogue when it never comes, and Stoll admirably conveys the neglect and hidden resentment that fuels Yellowjacket's rise to power, giving Scott a formidable opponent for their big/tiny final battle which hilariously takes place on a child's playset.
Speaking of the fight scenes, they clearly are able to utilise the new dimension of size-shrinking to great effect. It's safe to say that the scenes of combat are like none you have seen in a Marvel film before.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by Ant-Man. It delivered everything expected of a Marvel film, but in an appropriately smaller package, whilst effectively creating new groundwork for future films. The writing and the acting is fantastic considering it was undoubtedly a complicated and rushed film production.
Also... there are several interesting inclusions into the larger Marvel Universe, especially the mid-credit and post-credit scene that will hopefully bear well for the future.
Things are definitely looking up... but that's not hard when you're an inch high...
Rating - 8/10
OPINIONS
Whilst it may not be on the same scale as the over-the-top, city-dropping, skyscraper-destroying, global-threatening thrill-rides that were Avengers Assemble and Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man does provide welcome relief from the grand epics that Marvel have been producing recently.
Instead of the film focussing on explosions every ten minutes, it takes the time to develop characters, especially the similarities between Scott and Hank. They both strive for personal redemption and to fix the broken relationships with their daughters, Scott's daughter Cassie, and Hank's daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly).
Lilly breaths life into Hope, as she could have been quite a one-dimensional character, but instead is driven by wanting to achieve both her father's respect and his trust, as she feels that she can do the job even better than Scott. Her struggle is an effective commentary on Marvel's apparent lack of faith in a female-led superhero franchise, with Hank constantly telling her that she doesn't have what it takes and that they need Scott to be the hero instead of her.
All the film's supporting characters provide their own personal boost, especially Scott's ex-con BFF, brilliantly played by Michael Peña. His cheery lifeview, constant optimism and comically-complicated anecdotes give Scott's band of ex-con friends their own personality, which stops the film from being too overly Pym-pollinated.
However, like I always say, a film is only as good as it's villain. Scott's nemesis is Hank's old protege, Darren Cross (House of Cards' Corey Stoll). After learning from Pym, Cross was secluded once he became obsessed with recreating the Pym Particles. However he has now successfully managed to create a rival shrinking armour suit, called The Yellowjacket.
Similar to Jeff Bridges/Ironmonger villain of the original Iron Man, Cross is an understandable business rival with similar powers to our hero, but that is all the film needed for an origin story. Cross seeks for Pym's approval and turns rogue when it never comes, and Stoll admirably conveys the neglect and hidden resentment that fuels Yellowjacket's rise to power, giving Scott a formidable opponent for their big/tiny final battle which hilariously takes place on a child's playset.
Speaking of the fight scenes, they clearly are able to utilise the new dimension of size-shrinking to great effect. It's safe to say that the scenes of combat are like none you have seen in a Marvel film before.
THAT'S A WRAP
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by Ant-Man. It delivered everything expected of a Marvel film, but in an appropriately smaller package, whilst effectively creating new groundwork for future films. The writing and the acting is fantastic considering it was undoubtedly a complicated and rushed film production.
Also... there are several interesting inclusions into the larger Marvel Universe, especially the mid-credit and post-credit scene that will hopefully bear well for the future.
Things are definitely looking up... but that's not hard when you're an inch high...
Rating - 8/10
Until next time folks, thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed what you read,
'Like' me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Dunn-Reviews
or 'Follow' me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MikeDunnReviews
