Ant-Man (2015)
I think it is safe to assume most of you reading this are
familiar with all the drama that went on behind the scenes of this flick last
year. If you’re not I’ll try to sum it up in as little words as possible, Edgar
Wright (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World)
was supposed to write and direct the film but when he desired to make it a
complete standalone, Marvel made the choice to part ways with him in favor of
making a film that ties into everything else they are currently doing. They
brought in Adam McKay (Anchorman) to
do rewrites on the script with starring actor Paul Rudd to help make Ant-Man
fit into their coexisting MCU. Peyton Reed (Yes
Man) took over directing duties and with time the Internet calmed down. It
has now been almost a year exactly since all of this went down and we finally
get to see the finished product. Despite worries of the script becoming a
jumbled mess and the film turning into a miss mash of idea's, Ant-Man stands as Marvel's best
"origins story" since the original Iron Man.
In a way, Marvel kind of cheated on this one and that is
totally okay. Instead of going with the original Ant-Man, Dr. Hank Pym (played
in this film by Michael Douglas), they decided to go with an alternate in Scott
Lang (Paul Rudd). This allowed them to already have the technology for the
super suit already invented and in turn get us into the action and the fun at a
much faster pace. The film opens on a flashback with Hank confronting his
former colleagues for trying to replicate his "Pym Particle" (the
secret to making his suit work), something he had been trying to keep a secret
ever since its invention. In these few minutes of film we are introduced to the
fact that Pym has already created the technology, and not only that but there
are already people with bad intentions trying to replicate it. The
"origins story" has already been half completed at this point.
From there we are immediately introduced to our newest hero...currently
in prison. It is his final day though and he is declaring himself crime free
from this point on for the sake of his family. As a renowned "cat
burglar" with a lengthy record he finds this to be harder than he expects.
After failing at the job market he finds himself back in the position of
breaking the law. This time however, winding up behind bars may not be the
worst thing that's ever happened to him. It turns out someone with a strong
influence has been watching him and has plans for his future. Dr. Pym decides
this guy is their only option in a last effort to stop his successor from
replicating his formula and plunging the world into chaos. After decades of
collecting dust he decides it is finally time to bring back the Ant-Man suit
and once again save the world.
If you have been unsure about this movie like so many have,
you can calm your nerves and rest easy tonight. The finished product they
brought to screen is as much a Marvel movie as anything we have seen yet and
still, it is a movie that feels completely unique. Adam McKay and Paul Rudd did
an incredible job re-tooling Wright's original script to fit what the studio
needed. They managed to fit in all the
little nods and easter eggs to other films and MCU characters while maintaining
a feeling of exclusivity. By that I mean, even though you know the entire time
this film ties into all the rest and at times it is blatantly obvious, it still
feels like a story operating on its own engine. This is the key to all of the
best MCU films, the ones that falter or fail are the ones that serve mainly as
a setup for future stories.
Serving as the final film in Marvel's "Phase Two"
of films, Ant-Man serves a great
closer to an epic run of movies. Especially with Age of Ultron leaving some feeling a bit underwhelmed, this movie
leaves the massive fan base with nothing but smiles as we now wait until next
year for the beginning of "Phase Three". It is maybe the studio's
funniest movie yet and from what I have been reading a lot of that came from
the rewrites McKay and Rudd did. I know pretty much every movie they have made
so far integrates a decent amount of laughs but with Ant-Man it is almost more of a comedy than an action movie.
Multiple times I found myself in a fit of laughter from interactions between
Rudd and Michael Pena's character and it is clear this came from the rewrites.
McKay and Rudd have worked together numerous times and you can tell they have
amazing chemistry together. The guy just gets how to write for Paul Rudd and
every time the two come together they made comedic brilliance, and in this
case, they have made a highly entertaining superhero movie.
This film also continues the trend of Marvel casting perfect
people to fill their roles. Even though some scoffed at the idea of Paul Rudd
playing a superhero he ends up making this movie what it is. The entire film
revolves around his character and the performance he gives and he brings it
all. He is charming, witty, a bit of a dick, and funny as hell. He has matured
so much as an actor over the years and Scott Lang may be his best performance
yet. They weren't going to let it all ride on his shoulders though and they
built an impeccable cast of supporting actors. Michael Douglas brings Hank Pym
to life for the first time and although he is a bit weathered, you can tell he
was once a hero like all the rest. Michael Pena is the real standout though as
Lang's goofball buddy and he is responsible for a good majority of the laughs
in this film.
I was hoping this film would finally deliver us the menacing
villain we have all been waiting for. After being let down by Ultron and
knowing this was the only real void in their universe I thought Yellowjacket
would finally be that guy. Unfortunately he isn't the massive, incredible bad
guy I had hoped for, but he is still one of the best villains we have seen yet
from Marvel. Corey Stoll (The Strain) is the perfect jerk and although he may
not have been the best yet, he is the best looking yet.
What makes Ant-Man so enjoyable and so likable is the fact
that it is completely different than anything they have done yet. We saw this
with Guardians of the Galaxy and The Winter Soldier last year but this
takes it to another level. Going into space was one thing, shrinking a human
being down to the size of an ant is a completely different story. The action
scenes alone are unlike anything we have ever seen before and they use the
fantastical world to their advantage. Rather than try and ground this film in
our reality they build off the universe they have already created and open up
all new possibilities for the future of the MCU.
In the coming years we are going to get flooded with all
kinds of comic book and superhero movies from all different studios and it may
become a bit overwhelming. Ant-Man fit itself into the perfect time to make
itself known before all of the iconic heroes like Batman, Superman, and
Deadpool start invading our theaters. Marvel has established one of its lesser
known properties right before the storm comes and the success of this film
should give them confidence for films like Black Panther and Captain Marvel
that will be released in the midst of a superhero movie revolution. Take the
whole family to see this one, there's plenty for everyone to enjoy. Not to
mention it's the last Marvel studio's movie until next summer.
As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches
Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!
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