Review 363: Ant-Man
Ant-Man maybe small - both in terms of size and scale, but does that stop it from being solid and funny Marvel Entertainment? Hell No!
Based on the Marvel comics character Ant-Man by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master theif, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats.
Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Land must plan and pull off a heist to save the world.
The plot is simple but extremely effective, witty, funny and at times, quite touching and smart.
I must say that despite some behind-the scenes issues (such as initial Writer/Director Edgar Wright dropping out directing the project due to creative differences with Marvel), this film manages to be a fun, humorous and though roughly enjoyable ride.
It would seem that in the process of keeping this film together, the actor/writer Paul Rudd and his co-writers have stuck to Wright's original skeleton/blueprint of the film and have just add a few of their own touches of Marvel Magic to liven it up.
At its core, Ant-Man is primarily a heist movie. We're presented with a small band of heroes & affable rogues trying to take down a multibillion dollar corporation but they all a certain skill set. Scott is a petty thief who bequeathed with the mantle of the Ant-Man and while Hank Pym has been ousted from said company, he has a High Level intellect. This is also a very creative, imaginative, often funny and at times spectacular spin on the Underdog story
Two major themes in this film is redemption and getting second chances: Scott has found himself on the wrong side of the law in an effort to provide for his family due to his illegal lifestyle. But when Hank presents him with an opportunity to take the mantle of the Ant-Man and redeem himself in his families eyes, Scott just cannot let that opportunity pass.
Another major theme in this film is that of passing the torch to the next generation: Hank Pym and his wife Janet van Dyne were both Superheroes but with Janet apparently lost forever in the Quantum Relm, Hank hung up the Ant-Man suit vowing to never let anyone and with his own health detirating, Hank must find the next generation of recruits to wear the Ant-Man suit.
The father/daughter relationship also plays a major role in the film: Both Hank and Scott are fathers who are estranged from their daughters in different ways. Scott is legally estranged from Cassie because he can’t keep a steady job due to his criminal past and can’t pay child support as a result whereas Hank is emotionally estranged from Hope
Scott is desperate to rebuild his relationship with his family, particularly his daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson) once he gets out of prison whilst Hank comes form the opposite end of the spectrum and is trying to prevent his daughter, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) from getting too close to his work and, in effect, him. The solution to both relationships is finding a middle ground; Scott doesn't get to live with his daughter but he does get visitation rights and sees her regularly whilst Hank has to try to repair the strained relationship he currently has with his daughter and start letting her in and opening up to her.
This relationship also technically applies to the relationship between Hank Pym and the main antagonist Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) who have a strained father/son relationship with each other.
Cross’s obsession with the Pym Particles caused him to oust Pym from the company and ruthlessly pursue success and gain Pym's approval along the way and Pym doesn't return the gesture because he sees what is doing is wrong and goes to put a stop to it.
Both Darren and Hope have a strained relationship with Hank Pym and hold grudges against him but handle them in different ways. Whereas Hope reconciles with Hank to help him take down Cross, Cross refuses and continues on his path to proving that he's better than Pym by any means necessary.
Director Payton Reed's direction is stylish, fast-paced & energetic, giving the sense that he's staying faithful to Edgar Wright vision but never feeling as though he's just copying it.
The action scenes are exciting and blood pumping, thanks to shrinking scenes, Ant-Man boosts some visually creative and inventive action scenes using different props and environments to extremely effective and imaginative use.
The special effects are tremendous, a lot of the effects for the shrinking scenes are practical with CG being kept down to the minimum by using perspective camera tricks and micro photography, giving Ant-Man a very different and unique look than any other MCU film we've had up to this point.
The costumes are superb with the standout being the Ant-Man costume: it looks both practical & cool. It also has a very sleek retro 1950's sci-fi look to it which makes sense as that would be the generation that Hank Pym would have been part of.
I also want to give praise to Darren Cross's Yellowjacket suit. Not only is it an awesome design with plenty of deadly weaponry, it defiantly looks like something that can challenge an threaten Ant-Man.
The cinematography is stunningly cool and captures the beauty of SAN Fran as well as the scale and weight of the miniaturised locations of the film during the shrinking scenes. The score by Christophe Beck is catchy and captures the comedic, heist tone, the production design is splendid, the make up is rich, the pacing is brisk, the film is supposed to have
The acting is brilliant all round, I've always liked Paul Rudd, so to see him in a Marvel film playing a petty criminal who is givan a second chance at life by taking on the mantle of being a superhero just feels like the right type of fit. The role of Scott Lang/Ant-Man is role that just fits Rudd like a glove. He's an average blue collar criminal who just wants to create a new life for himself and find redemption.
Despite his criminal activity, he's a man of honour, good morals and a strong sense of justice.
He's an affable rouge with a tongue-in-cheeck sense of humour.
He's also a character who has extraordinary skills, but doesn't seem to be aware of that.
To him, these skills are no big deal. He doesn't see himself as a hero or a winner.
Which is also his weakness as he accepts defeat way to easily until he officially has someone to fight for in his daughter Cassie and she's someone he just can't give up on. Now that Hank has given him a second chance to be a hero in his daughter eyes, Scott will not let this opportunity pass by.
As Hope van Dyne, Evangeline Lilly makes another smashing edition to Marvel's line up kick ass female heroes. She essentially plays this really messed up child. Having been bought up by two former superheroes and then being neglected by her father after her mum died under mysterious circumstances, she holds a great deal of resentment towards him as a resul. But when Hank brings in a young protege in the form of Scott Lang, she puts all that animosity to train Scott so that he's ready to take on the mantle of Ant-Man. Her arc throughout this film involves her trying to find some sort of relationship with Hank.
Rudd and Lilly work off one an other superbly, their chemistry together is excellent and helps strengthen they're relationship. They compliment each other superbly with Van Dyne being the consummate professional and Lang being the devil-may-care rogue.
Corey Stoll is a hoot as Darren Cross/Yellowjacket, what's appealing about him is that he's not inherently evil, he's just a douche which fits in perfectly with the films more comedic/lighthearted tone. At the same time, the intriguing thing about him is that he was once Hank Pym's protege.
But the Pym Particle got to his head and he kicked his mentor out of the company and rebranded it in his own image.
He's smart, intelligent, talented but suffers from some serious tunnel vision as all he sees is the success he'll achieve with the Pym Particle as well as the possibility of surpassing his mentor.
Not only that but he's also extremely ruthless and cruel, he believes that the ends justify the means and is willing to do anything to get what he wants.
There's even a scene where he kills one of his senior executives with a shrink gun and then flushes it down the toilet.
While his character is also a bit of knockoff of Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger from the first Iron Man film, Stoll manages to differentiate his character from Jeff Bridges with own unique love-to-hate-performance.
Interestingly, Cross role as Yellowjacket shares bares some striking similarities to Ultron's various depictions in the comics. Cross has a strained relationship with Hank Pym which is not too dissimilar to Ultron's relationship with Pym in the comics. When Cross questioned Pym for pushing him away, Pym reasons that he "saw too much" of himself in Cross. This is very similar to how Ultron's personality was based on Hank Pym in the comics and it could be referencing the fact that in the comic, Yellowjacket persona was one of Pym's many superhero identities and how Pym became said persona due to the Pym Particle affecting his mental state akin to Cross's mental deterioration from Hank Pym's protege to become the ruthless businessman we see in the film and eventually taking up the Yellowjacket mantel.
I also have to give praise to Scott Lang's little gang of follow thieves, Luis (Michael Pena), Dave (T.I. yes really) & Kurt (David Dastmalchian). Together they form this rather charming team of lovable rogues. Their comradery and banter is hilarious, poignant and relatable. I can almost imagine that they knew Scott since he was nothing and have supported him and stood by his side ever since through his tough and difficult times.
I was particularly impressed with Pena as not only is he the closest to Scott and an incredibly loyal friend to him, but he has this little habit of going on long-winded explanations as opposed to simplifying to the important facts, which Pena delivers with a absolutely precise wit and come across as extremely funny and enjoyable to listen to. He practically steals every scene he's in.
Another impressive member of the cast is Bobby Cannavale as James "Jim" Paxton, Cassie's Step-father & Scott's rival. Bobby has such a stern, strict, by-the-book, borderline unsympathetic attitude which was perfect for your atypical step-father & rival.
Not only that, but he also happens to be one tough-as-nails, badass SFPD cop.
Because of their positions Scott & Paxton are presented as opposites. Scott is a criminal whilst Paxton is a cop, Scott is on the wrong side of the law whilst Paxton is the working inside the law.
Even when Scott takes on the the mantle of the Ant-Man, he is still working outside the law - a vigalante essentially so that rivalry is still very much present in their relationship.
But there is one thing they have in common, is that they both love Cassie unconditionally.
As a result he's constantly
Judy Greer is also very strong playing Maggie, Scott's estranged wife. Scott and Maggie were once happy together but Scott's criminal activities took a toll on their marriage and she understandably resents Scott as a result. Coupled with the fact that Scott has yet to find a suitable job or pay his child support they have a frost relationship and it's another relationship that Scott has to mend going forward.
The beauty of Maggie as a character is that Peyton Reed and the writers never portray her as being stereotypical resentful ex-wife but a real woman who has a strained relationship with her husband for perfectly understandable reasons. She's firm with him but never to point of hostility and gives him the ultimatum of getting his life together so he can see Cassie.
Abby Ryder Fortson makes for a delightful find as Scott's daughter, Cassie Lang, her wide eyed innocence and upbeat personality is just infectious and impossible to dislike.
Despite knowing that Scott is on wrong side of the fence, she's knows that he's a good man at heart and the bond between them is pretty strong despite being apart due to spending time in prison.
The relationship between them is what makes Hank Pym chooses Scott to be the next Ant-Man.
Michael Douglas gives a kindhearted performance as Hank Pym, he used to be a spy as well as an excellent scientist and entomologist. But when we meet him in the film, he's a broken man, who's long given up his superhero mantle, lost his company and his family.
He lives in a sort of time warp now. He's always been a bit of a tinkerer. He's got a lab, plus a lot of other stuff, in his basement.
He's certainly bitter about what happened with his company and deeply scared about what the future may hold-because he himself, after hanging shrunk so many times, finds it difficult.
He's looking and trying to find a guy he can work with and who has the right characteristics and that happens to be Scott. One of the reasons Hank chooses Scott to be the next Ant-Man is because like him, Scott is a father and will understand his dilemma, because if Hank doesn't find a suitable replacement, Hope will put on the suit herself and pull off the heist on her own, potentially getting herself killed. Hank is already a widower and he's not about to loose his daughter too.
As a dad, Scott fully understands this and bravely volunteers to go on this dangerous mission in Hope's place.
Ant-Man is Marvel's Minuscule Masterpiece, 4/5.
The Anonymous Critic.
Based on the Marvel comics character Ant-Man by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master theif, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats.
Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Land must plan and pull off a heist to save the world.
The plot is simple but extremely effective, witty, funny and at times, quite touching and smart.
I must say that despite some behind-the scenes issues (such as initial Writer/Director Edgar Wright dropping out directing the project due to creative differences with Marvel), this film manages to be a fun, humorous and though roughly enjoyable ride.
It would seem that in the process of keeping this film together, the actor/writer Paul Rudd and his co-writers have stuck to Wright's original skeleton/blueprint of the film and have just add a few of their own touches of Marvel Magic to liven it up.
At its core, Ant-Man is primarily a heist movie. We're presented with a small band of heroes & affable rogues trying to take down a multibillion dollar corporation but they all a certain skill set. Scott is a petty thief who bequeathed with the mantle of the Ant-Man and while Hank Pym has been ousted from said company, he has a High Level intellect. This is also a very creative, imaginative, often funny and at times spectacular spin on the Underdog story
Two major themes in this film is redemption and getting second chances: Scott has found himself on the wrong side of the law in an effort to provide for his family due to his illegal lifestyle. But when Hank presents him with an opportunity to take the mantle of the Ant-Man and redeem himself in his families eyes, Scott just cannot let that opportunity pass.
Another major theme in this film is that of passing the torch to the next generation: Hank Pym and his wife Janet van Dyne were both Superheroes but with Janet apparently lost forever in the Quantum Relm, Hank hung up the Ant-Man suit vowing to never let anyone and with his own health detirating, Hank must find the next generation of recruits to wear the Ant-Man suit.
The father/daughter relationship also plays a major role in the film: Both Hank and Scott are fathers who are estranged from their daughters in different ways. Scott is legally estranged from Cassie because he can’t keep a steady job due to his criminal past and can’t pay child support as a result whereas Hank is emotionally estranged from Hope
Scott is desperate to rebuild his relationship with his family, particularly his daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson) once he gets out of prison whilst Hank comes form the opposite end of the spectrum and is trying to prevent his daughter, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) from getting too close to his work and, in effect, him. The solution to both relationships is finding a middle ground; Scott doesn't get to live with his daughter but he does get visitation rights and sees her regularly whilst Hank has to try to repair the strained relationship he currently has with his daughter and start letting her in and opening up to her.
This relationship also technically applies to the relationship between Hank Pym and the main antagonist Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) who have a strained father/son relationship with each other.
Cross’s obsession with the Pym Particles caused him to oust Pym from the company and ruthlessly pursue success and gain Pym's approval along the way and Pym doesn't return the gesture because he sees what is doing is wrong and goes to put a stop to it.
Both Darren and Hope have a strained relationship with Hank Pym and hold grudges against him but handle them in different ways. Whereas Hope reconciles with Hank to help him take down Cross, Cross refuses and continues on his path to proving that he's better than Pym by any means necessary.
Director Payton Reed's direction is stylish, fast-paced & energetic, giving the sense that he's staying faithful to Edgar Wright vision but never feeling as though he's just copying it.
The action scenes are exciting and blood pumping, thanks to shrinking scenes, Ant-Man boosts some visually creative and inventive action scenes using different props and environments to extremely effective and imaginative use.
The special effects are tremendous, a lot of the effects for the shrinking scenes are practical with CG being kept down to the minimum by using perspective camera tricks and micro photography, giving Ant-Man a very different and unique look than any other MCU film we've had up to this point.
The costumes are superb with the standout being the Ant-Man costume: it looks both practical & cool. It also has a very sleek retro 1950's sci-fi look to it which makes sense as that would be the generation that Hank Pym would have been part of.
I also want to give praise to Darren Cross's Yellowjacket suit. Not only is it an awesome design with plenty of deadly weaponry, it defiantly looks like something that can challenge an threaten Ant-Man.
The cinematography is stunningly cool and captures the beauty of SAN Fran as well as the scale and weight of the miniaturised locations of the film during the shrinking scenes. The score by Christophe Beck is catchy and captures the comedic, heist tone, the production design is splendid, the make up is rich, the pacing is brisk, the film is supposed to have
The acting is brilliant all round, I've always liked Paul Rudd, so to see him in a Marvel film playing a petty criminal who is givan a second chance at life by taking on the mantle of being a superhero just feels like the right type of fit. The role of Scott Lang/Ant-Man is role that just fits Rudd like a glove. He's an average blue collar criminal who just wants to create a new life for himself and find redemption.
Despite his criminal activity, he's a man of honour, good morals and a strong sense of justice.
He's an affable rouge with a tongue-in-cheeck sense of humour.
He's also a character who has extraordinary skills, but doesn't seem to be aware of that.
To him, these skills are no big deal. He doesn't see himself as a hero or a winner.
Which is also his weakness as he accepts defeat way to easily until he officially has someone to fight for in his daughter Cassie and she's someone he just can't give up on. Now that Hank has given him a second chance to be a hero in his daughter eyes, Scott will not let this opportunity pass by.
As Hope van Dyne, Evangeline Lilly makes another smashing edition to Marvel's line up kick ass female heroes. She essentially plays this really messed up child. Having been bought up by two former superheroes and then being neglected by her father after her mum died under mysterious circumstances, she holds a great deal of resentment towards him as a resul. But when Hank brings in a young protege in the form of Scott Lang, she puts all that animosity to train Scott so that he's ready to take on the mantle of Ant-Man. Her arc throughout this film involves her trying to find some sort of relationship with Hank.
Rudd and Lilly work off one an other superbly, their chemistry together is excellent and helps strengthen they're relationship. They compliment each other superbly with Van Dyne being the consummate professional and Lang being the devil-may-care rogue.
Corey Stoll is a hoot as Darren Cross/Yellowjacket, what's appealing about him is that he's not inherently evil, he's just a douche which fits in perfectly with the films more comedic/lighthearted tone. At the same time, the intriguing thing about him is that he was once Hank Pym's protege.
But the Pym Particle got to his head and he kicked his mentor out of the company and rebranded it in his own image.
He's smart, intelligent, talented but suffers from some serious tunnel vision as all he sees is the success he'll achieve with the Pym Particle as well as the possibility of surpassing his mentor.
Not only that but he's also extremely ruthless and cruel, he believes that the ends justify the means and is willing to do anything to get what he wants.
There's even a scene where he kills one of his senior executives with a shrink gun and then flushes it down the toilet.
While his character is also a bit of knockoff of Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger from the first Iron Man film, Stoll manages to differentiate his character from Jeff Bridges with own unique love-to-hate-performance.
Interestingly, Cross role as Yellowjacket shares bares some striking similarities to Ultron's various depictions in the comics. Cross has a strained relationship with Hank Pym which is not too dissimilar to Ultron's relationship with Pym in the comics. When Cross questioned Pym for pushing him away, Pym reasons that he "saw too much" of himself in Cross. This is very similar to how Ultron's personality was based on Hank Pym in the comics and it could be referencing the fact that in the comic, Yellowjacket persona was one of Pym's many superhero identities and how Pym became said persona due to the Pym Particle affecting his mental state akin to Cross's mental deterioration from Hank Pym's protege to become the ruthless businessman we see in the film and eventually taking up the Yellowjacket mantel.
I also have to give praise to Scott Lang's little gang of follow thieves, Luis (Michael Pena), Dave (T.I. yes really) & Kurt (David Dastmalchian). Together they form this rather charming team of lovable rogues. Their comradery and banter is hilarious, poignant and relatable. I can almost imagine that they knew Scott since he was nothing and have supported him and stood by his side ever since through his tough and difficult times.
I was particularly impressed with Pena as not only is he the closest to Scott and an incredibly loyal friend to him, but he has this little habit of going on long-winded explanations as opposed to simplifying to the important facts, which Pena delivers with a absolutely precise wit and come across as extremely funny and enjoyable to listen to. He practically steals every scene he's in.
Another impressive member of the cast is Bobby Cannavale as James "Jim" Paxton, Cassie's Step-father & Scott's rival. Bobby has such a stern, strict, by-the-book, borderline unsympathetic attitude which was perfect for your atypical step-father & rival.
Not only that, but he also happens to be one tough-as-nails, badass SFPD cop.
Because of their positions Scott & Paxton are presented as opposites. Scott is a criminal whilst Paxton is a cop, Scott is on the wrong side of the law whilst Paxton is the working inside the law.
Even when Scott takes on the the mantle of the Ant-Man, he is still working outside the law - a vigalante essentially so that rivalry is still very much present in their relationship.
But there is one thing they have in common, is that they both love Cassie unconditionally.
As a result he's constantly
Judy Greer is also very strong playing Maggie, Scott's estranged wife. Scott and Maggie were once happy together but Scott's criminal activities took a toll on their marriage and she understandably resents Scott as a result. Coupled with the fact that Scott has yet to find a suitable job or pay his child support they have a frost relationship and it's another relationship that Scott has to mend going forward.
The beauty of Maggie as a character is that Peyton Reed and the writers never portray her as being stereotypical resentful ex-wife but a real woman who has a strained relationship with her husband for perfectly understandable reasons. She's firm with him but never to point of hostility and gives him the ultimatum of getting his life together so he can see Cassie.
Abby Ryder Fortson makes for a delightful find as Scott's daughter, Cassie Lang, her wide eyed innocence and upbeat personality is just infectious and impossible to dislike.
Despite knowing that Scott is on wrong side of the fence, she's knows that he's a good man at heart and the bond between them is pretty strong despite being apart due to spending time in prison.
The relationship between them is what makes Hank Pym chooses Scott to be the next Ant-Man.
Michael Douglas gives a kindhearted performance as Hank Pym, he used to be a spy as well as an excellent scientist and entomologist. But when we meet him in the film, he's a broken man, who's long given up his superhero mantle, lost his company and his family.
He lives in a sort of time warp now. He's always been a bit of a tinkerer. He's got a lab, plus a lot of other stuff, in his basement.
He's certainly bitter about what happened with his company and deeply scared about what the future may hold-because he himself, after hanging shrunk so many times, finds it difficult.
He's looking and trying to find a guy he can work with and who has the right characteristics and that happens to be Scott. One of the reasons Hank chooses Scott to be the next Ant-Man is because like him, Scott is a father and will understand his dilemma, because if Hank doesn't find a suitable replacement, Hope will put on the suit herself and pull off the heist on her own, potentially getting herself killed. Hank is already a widower and he's not about to loose his daughter too.
As a dad, Scott fully understands this and bravely volunteers to go on this dangerous mission in Hope's place.
Ant-Man is Marvel's Minuscule Masterpiece, 4/5.
The Anonymous Critic.
Comments
Post a Comment