The Marvel Cinematic Universe. This relatively new comic-book film franchise has forever changed the way Hollywood currently sees how to create a franchise and a film universe. Practically every studio is now scrabbling to create their own cinematic universe with their own film properties (i.e. Warner Brothers with DC Comic films and Universal Pictures with their classic film monsters). But it seems like we, as the audience, have the most confidence in Marvel Studios as we constantly say that Marvel can do no wrong. So far, Marvel Studios hasn't put out a bad movie. Each film in the series has their pros and cons but most of the films have a lot more pros than cons. The universe is solid and its characters are beloved by all, even to those who never read a single comic in their life. And now, Marvel has provided us with a new solo superhero film about a superhero most people haven't heard of. We saw something similar last year with "Guardians of the Galaxy" and that film garnered rave reviews for critics and audiences and grossed $774.2 million worldwide. We also know that Edgar Wright had to depart from the production of "Ant-Man" due to creative differences and director Peyton Reed was later attached to direct the film. For us cinephiles, production troubles and change of directors often means that the film will end up being a jumbled mess due to the project being in the hands of so many different creative minds. So, despite all of "Ant-Man"'s production's problems, does the film still work?
"Ant-Man" stars Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll and Michael Peña and is directed by Peyton Reed. The film follows Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) who decides to assist a former superhero, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), along with his daughter, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), in keeping a secret serum, which is able to decrease or increase the size and strength of a subject, from Pym's former protégé Darren Cross (Corey Stoll). In order to safeguard the technology, Lang has to become the superhero known as Ant-Man and save the world from Cross' evil plans. I'm very happy to say that Marvel has done it again. They really can do no wrong. This might be one of the funniest Marvel films to date. "Ant-Man" is a hilarious, action-packed, heartwarming and entertaining summer thrill ride that had audiences laughing and cheering by the end of the picture. For a director to pull off such a ridiculous and absurd superhero like Ant-Man and make a film that is both charming and fun is no easy task. In the wrong hands, this film could have been a complete mess or, worse, a parody of itself. From the moment the film opened until the very end, "Ant-Man" is just pure lighthearted pleasure. It never tries to reach too high in depth or stoop so low into mediocrity, the film remains as an enjoyable flick in the ever growing Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The casting of Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man was simply genius. He nails it as the titular character and was able to bring so much charm and likability to this role, which made for some very entertaining and fun dialogue scenes between him and his fellow cast members. It was both interesting and hilarious seeing Rudd's Scott Lang riff on Ant-Man itself (i.e. the name and costume) and why they shouldn't just call the Avengers for help instead. Ironically, Lang's story arc in the film is very similar to that of Tony Stark's plotline in the first "Iron Man" film, which is an interesting parallel for this film universe. But what made Lang's character shine so much was his motivation for becoming Ant-Man. I found the storyline between him and his family to be very touching and added a sense of hope and redemption to his character. But not only does Rudd deliver in the comedy and drama, he handled the action set pieces incredibly well. Action packed and hilarious, Rudd has it all and was definitely the right choice to play Ant-Man.
So far, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has cast some grade A actors over the course of their 11 film history (i.e. Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Bridges, Edward Norton, and Glenn Close). And now for the studio's 12th film, we were treated to Michael Douglas as the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym, and the results were fantastic. We haven't seen too much of Michael Douglas in the past few years and "Ant-Man" was the perfect film for him to bring his gravitas back to the silver screen. Like Paul Rudd, Douglas was able to merge comedy and drama very well and brought something different to the table. He also had a very moving and interesting backstory to develop his character even further and I'm glad that the filmmakers were able to bring some depth to the characters of Hank Pym and his daughter, who I will get to in a moment, and used their complicated dynamic to take the story in a better direction. Douglas is better than ever and is a definitely welcomed addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As I mentioned before, the dynamic between Michael Douglas' Hank Pym and Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne gave "Ant-Man" an extra layer of depth and both actors were able to portray that storyline very well. Lilly plays van Dyne as a cold, calculating and tough character and is yet another strong female superhero that is to be added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe along with the likes of Black Widow and Peggy Carter. Her relationship with her father is a complicated one and Lilly was able to pull it off in a way that didn't make the audience disbelieve her feelings towards him. She kicked ass while also being incredibly beautiful and I loved every moment of her presence in the film. Marvel has announced that we will be seeing more of van Dyne so I can't wait to see more of Evangeline Lilly in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Ever since "House of Cards", Corey Stoll has been one of my favorite character actors in the business. His wide range of characters really is a testament to how talented Stoll is and he brings his all in "Ant-Man" as Hank Pym's former protégé, Darren Cross. While not as developed as Loki or Ultron, Darren Cross was a menacing and imposing villain that posed a major threat to all of the major characters in the film. Although he isn't the most compelling or interesting villain that we have seen in recent film history, he was diabolical enough to keep tensions between him and Scott Lang/Hank Pym high and one of the more memorable villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in my opinion.
Let's talk about Michael Peña. This man... What can I say? He is comedy gold. Whenever the film needed to have something light and something humorous, Michael Peña stole every scene he was in and was definitely the funniest character in the entire film. His quick quips with Scott Lang and the others in his crew were some of the funniest and most absurd things I've ever heard in a superhero film, which really did match the overall tone of the film. It's my belief that Michael Peña's character was entirely created by Edgar Wright. The fast paced dialogue and absurd references and quirks all sound like something right out of an Edgar Wright film, and it really does make it all the more better with some of Wright's strange dialogue making it in the final cut of the film.
We knew that "Ant-Man" was going to be a visual marvel (pun intended) when we discovered that director Edgar Wright was attached to the film. But after his departure, we were all curious to see how "Ant-Man" would look and feel. Thankfully, Peyton Reed was able to capture the essence of the character beautifully by creating incredible set pieces and creative action sequences. The depth of field was so blurred in the film that it really does make you feel as if you are there alongside Lang in this tiny, tiny world. The CGI never looked cheesy or hokey in the film because the filmmakers were able to use photorealistic shots of various mundane or exciting settings (i.e. drain pipes, electrical circuit boards) that factored into the film extraordinary well.
Also, I'm extremely glad that "Ant-Man" didn't hammer us over the head with references to the other Marvel films that have already come out. The references are scarce but also tie into the plot very well and are very entertaining. And keep in mind that in "Ant-Man", there are 2 post credit sequences and not one like in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" so stay until the very end of the credits for something that got all of us super excited in the theater.
Overall, this is a very fun and entertaining film that aims to be nothing more and nothing less, which makes it very charming. But there is one outstandingly gorgeous sequence in the 3rd act (that I will not spoil), which I consider to be one of the most beautiful sequences of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. The casting of Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll and Michael Peña were all fantastic. Peyton Reed was able to take over Edgar Wright's position effortlessly. And the visual effects and overall visual style of the film was beautiful to look at. Although this is not a perfect film, it is one that I am glad I saw in theaters (go see it in IMAX 3D because it's immersive beyond belief) and I had an extraordinary time watching the film. All of you Marvel fans and fans of comic books films have to go see "Ant-Man"! I give the film an 8.5 out of 10.
Go see it now in IMAX 3D, 3D, and 2D!
