Keyser Soze
AW YEEEAH!
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2002
- Messages
- 21,405
- Reaction score
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- 33
EDIT: Sorry, I posted this here before I noticed the Reviews thread!
ANT-MAN is another success from Marvel Studios, which has now gotten to the point where it can seemingly pump out solid blockbusters in its sleep. This one is noteworthy in that much of it doesn't particularly feel like a Marvel movie, boasting an aesthetic all its own. In a lot of ways, there are flourishes and story beats where you can really feel this film's origins as an Edgar Wright project. And there is a certain ghost that hangs over ANT-MAN where, as good as it is, is there an Edgar Wright ANT-MAN out there in a parallel universe somewhere that's even better? But that doesn't detract too much from the enjoyment of what is a deeply fun, inventive film.
Paul Rudd plays Scott Lang, a down-on-his-luck ex-con who dons the Ant-Man suit to stop the technology of Hank Pym (Michael Douglas, seemingly having the most fun he's had in a film in ages) finding its way into the wrong hands. Paul Rudd is one of the movie's big strengths. His natural charisma is perhaps more downplayed here than Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man or Chris Pratt's Star-Lord, but his inherent likeability shines through to make Scott Lang one of Marvel's most relatable heroes. Some Marvel Cinematic Universe enthusiasts might have wondered what place there was for Ant-Man in this shared universe, but Rudd gives Lang a blue-collar charm that marks out his own niche, with his relationship with his daughter making him even more sympathetic.
On the other side of the coin, if you were to tell me a couple of months ago that Darren Cross would be a more frightening Marvel villain than Ultron, I would likely have laughed in your face, but credit to Corey Stoll, he pulls it off. He has the corporate sleazebag routine I was expecting down pat, but under that veneer he also portrays a chilling psychopath one perceived slight short of snapping, all brimming rage and resentment, making him an often uncomfortable screen presence and quickly marking him out as one of the more memorable villains in the Marvel filmography. The supporting cast is filled out by a solid performance from Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne, and show-stealing turns from Michael Pena and co as Scott Lang's goofy sidekicks.
The movie as a whole is very good, but what elevates it into the great territory for me is the climactic action set-piece. All through the movie, the shrinking effects are magnificently executed, all the more impressive in immersive 3D IMAX, and it adds a new twist to an old genre to turn this into as thrilling a heist film as it is a superhero film. But director Peyton Reed really cuts loose and shows his chops once we get into the closing fight, filled with people and objects shrinking and growing, and the kinetic camera work keeping you on the edge of your seat. Plus, refreshingly (and appropriately, given the title), rather than going bigger like Marvel always seems to do in its third act, the climax here goes smaller, more personal, to great effect.
ANT-MAN wasn't a movie I was particularly anticipating, which is unusual, given how much I tend to be hyped for all the Marvel films. But I ended up enjoying it a great deal. Top notch summer movie fun!
ANT-MAN is another success from Marvel Studios, which has now gotten to the point where it can seemingly pump out solid blockbusters in its sleep. This one is noteworthy in that much of it doesn't particularly feel like a Marvel movie, boasting an aesthetic all its own. In a lot of ways, there are flourishes and story beats where you can really feel this film's origins as an Edgar Wright project. And there is a certain ghost that hangs over ANT-MAN where, as good as it is, is there an Edgar Wright ANT-MAN out there in a parallel universe somewhere that's even better? But that doesn't detract too much from the enjoyment of what is a deeply fun, inventive film.
Paul Rudd plays Scott Lang, a down-on-his-luck ex-con who dons the Ant-Man suit to stop the technology of Hank Pym (Michael Douglas, seemingly having the most fun he's had in a film in ages) finding its way into the wrong hands. Paul Rudd is one of the movie's big strengths. His natural charisma is perhaps more downplayed here than Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man or Chris Pratt's Star-Lord, but his inherent likeability shines through to make Scott Lang one of Marvel's most relatable heroes. Some Marvel Cinematic Universe enthusiasts might have wondered what place there was for Ant-Man in this shared universe, but Rudd gives Lang a blue-collar charm that marks out his own niche, with his relationship with his daughter making him even more sympathetic.
On the other side of the coin, if you were to tell me a couple of months ago that Darren Cross would be a more frightening Marvel villain than Ultron, I would likely have laughed in your face, but credit to Corey Stoll, he pulls it off. He has the corporate sleazebag routine I was expecting down pat, but under that veneer he also portrays a chilling psychopath one perceived slight short of snapping, all brimming rage and resentment, making him an often uncomfortable screen presence and quickly marking him out as one of the more memorable villains in the Marvel filmography. The supporting cast is filled out by a solid performance from Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne, and show-stealing turns from Michael Pena and co as Scott Lang's goofy sidekicks.
The movie as a whole is very good, but what elevates it into the great territory for me is the climactic action set-piece. All through the movie, the shrinking effects are magnificently executed, all the more impressive in immersive 3D IMAX, and it adds a new twist to an old genre to turn this into as thrilling a heist film as it is a superhero film. But director Peyton Reed really cuts loose and shows his chops once we get into the closing fight, filled with people and objects shrinking and growing, and the kinetic camera work keeping you on the edge of your seat. Plus, refreshingly (and appropriately, given the title), rather than going bigger like Marvel always seems to do in its third act, the climax here goes smaller, more personal, to great effect.
ANT-MAN wasn't a movie I was particularly anticipating, which is unusual, given how much I tend to be hyped for all the Marvel films. But I ended up enjoying it a great deal. Top notch summer movie fun!
