Blog Archive

Search This Blog

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Quick Movie Review: Ant-Man (2015)




As one of the few people who are beginning to get tired of these Marvel Universe movies, Ant-Man was extremely refreshing. It's not that I dislike the movies--it's just beginning to feel like the same stories with different characters. I've also noticed that the first film in each character's "series" has been the standout. Hopefully the same does not bode true of Ant-Man, since I would love to see this be the flagship series of the Avengerverse.

Without giving too much away, Ant-Man is about ex-convict, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), who is hired by Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to put on a suit that makes him the size of an ant in order to pull of a heist and make the world a better place.

If you're looking for something large-scale and meaningful, you may not completely find it here. But in a way, that's what makes Ant-Man more believable. In the real world, if there were superheroes like this, not every crime would be catastrophically jeopardizing the world as we know it. Some may just be on a personal level.

It lacks a certain depth and big emotion that the other Marvel films give us, but that adds to the uniqueness. The script isn't perfect, but it also changed hands midway through development.

While not perfect, it's exactly what we need. It's fun and doesn't take itself too seriously. The action isn't forced, but is always necessary. The changing of Ant-Man's height back and forth actually makes for some of the most unique fight sequences in cinema. However, we always know what's going on and it doesn't alienate any of its audience. Although it does tend to hurl a lot of information at us all at once, it does so while bridging the gap between the superhero-movie-lovers and the non-fans. It plays as more of a comedy and doesn't fill of our brains with too many made-up substances or secret organizations.

But don't think that this film is dumbed-down by any means. It's filled with thought-provoking themes and blurs the lines between right and wrong--making every character that much more interesting. No one here is the spitting image of morally pure--in a way, much more similar to Iron Man than Captain America.

Rudd does a fantastic job carrying the lead of this film, along with Douglas, who plays the quasi-mysterious mentor with a secret past.

This Marvel film finally gives us a fun scenario to play with. Unlike the other Marvel Universe films, this concept won't wear thin because there is so much you can do with it to continue answering our "what-if" questions. And with the plus side that Scott Lang is a very unique personality, this won't just be blending in with all the other superhero movies.
 

Twizard Rating: 94

No comments:

Post a Comment