(072415)
After a lengthy and tumultuous decade plus of development and creative
shake-ups, Marvel’s Ant-Man is finally upon us. Following the unfortunate
departure of longtime Ant-Man fan Edgar Wright, I was curious to see how the
finished product would turn out under the guidance of director Peyton Reed.
There was also something very intriguing to me about making the final film in
Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe a low-scale heist comedy as opposed to
the cataclysmic action behemoths we’ve come to expect from Marvel Studios. Given
my thoughts on the bloated destructive action from the climax of
Avengers: Age of Ultron
earlier this year, I cannot fault this decision.
Ultimately, we will never see Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man. With that said, his vision
is not entirely absent from the finished product. The heist concept Wright and
his co-writer Joe Cornish (who both retain story and screenplay credit) is still
very much the focus of the film. How is the film overall? I would compare
Ant-Man to eating a cheeseburger. I enjoyed myself in the moment but came away
with little worth remembering. It’s a film that works best in segments instead
of as a cohesive whole.
Ant-Man begins with a flashback to 1989. Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) resigns
from his position at S.H.I.E.L.D. upon discovering a plan to replicate his
shrinking technology for use as a weapon. Pym locks the formula away with the
proclamation that no one will ever get their hands on it. The film proceeds to
jump ahead to present day. Pym has been subsequently pushed out of his own
company by protégé Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) and his daughter Hope
(Evangeline Lilly). Hank and Hope have a strained relationship, both in a
business and a personal sense. Their relationship takes even more of a downward
turn when Hank turns his attention to recently-released petty thief Scott Lang
(Paul Rudd). Lang cannot hold a steady job and is kicked out of a birthday party
for his daughter by his ex-wife (Judy Greer) and her husband (Bobby Cannavale).
Hank offers Scott a shot at redemption by utilizing the shrinking technology to
steal similar technology from Cross before he sells it to those with similar
aspirations of military utilization.
On the notion of Cross, he truly is one twirl of a moustache away from being a
clichéd evil businessman. I’ve been a frequent critic of how Marvel Studios has
characterized the majority of their villains, and Cross is no exception. His
back-story and relationship with mentor Pym is not all that different from Jeff
Bridges’ portrayal of Obadiah Stane in Iron Man. However, Stoll lacks the
endearing charm of Obadiah, and there’s no mystery or plot twist to go along
with his cunning demeanor. He gets a couple of moments in the third act, but
there’s never a point where he feels like a legitimate threat or a sympathetic
character due to his drive to please Pym. Say what you will about Aldrich
Killian, for example. In
Iron Man 3, at
least I felt a sense of danger whenever he appeared on-screen. The emphasis on
the Cross/Pym relationship as opposed to an emphasis on the titular character is
a big flaw for me.
Whenever the focus is placed on Scott Lang, Paul Rudd is given the opportunity
to show his
true talent and charisma. Rudd, who collaborated with director Peyton Reed in
Yes Man, makes the most of what he is given. Almost all of his comedic beats
worked for me, and I thought he had good chemistry with his co-stars. I don’t
have an issue with his performance as much as I do with the material he was
given. I never felt that Lang took center stage within the film. Outside of the
relationship with his daughter, he doesn’t have much of a character arc. Part of
that is attributed to his lack of an edge. Looking back, I think Hope donning
the suit would have been more fascinating, given how it’s brought up within the
film.
I don’t want to come across as if I didn’t enjoy the film, because that’s not
true. Due to the smaller-scale stakes (no pun intended) compared to other Marvel
films, the characters take center stage. The parallel father/daughter
relationships aren’t shoehorned plot points, and they never seep into
overly-sentimental territory. Lilly and Douglas are excellent in their
respective roles. Their arguments never feel manufactured, and Rudd plays off of
them in a believable manner. Most of the comedy made me laugh.
The character moments are not strictly substitutes for action sequences. When
Reed showcases the action from the perspective of Ant-Man, it’s a visual treat.
Seeing how the suit works helps to enhance the action set pieces as the film
progresses. The destructive action of
most Marvel films is restricted to a house during the climactic showdown between
Cross and Lang. Contrary to a lot of Marvel films, I thought the third act was
the strongest and most exciting part of the film. Part of that is due to the
sheer amount of exposition given within the first two-thirds of the film. The
action sequences in general were well executed and the highlights of the overall
film. There’s great utilization of everyday objects such as bath tubs and Thomas
the Tank Engine that compensate for the lack of global destruction during the
last third. With that said, they also detract from the amount of danger Cross
presents.
As an overall film, Ant-Man doesn’t quite mesh together. Each act of the film
possesses a different tone and style. It’s almost as if it was directed by
different people at points. With that said, the sluggish first two-thirds were
saved by an exciting and creative third act. It’s a film that feels like filler
to meant tide us over until the release of Captain America: Civil War next
March. It doesn’t really tie into
Avengers: Age of Ultron
outside of minor mentions and an action scene featuring a surprise Avenger (I
won’t spoil who). It’s certainly competent and amusing when need be, but not
much more than that.
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Directed by:
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Peyton Reed |
Written by:
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Screenplay by: Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam
McKay, Paul Rudd. Story by: Edgar Wright & Joe
Cornish. Based on the Marvel Comics characters
created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber & Jack Kirby |
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Starring:
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Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll |
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Rating:
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Rated PG-13 for some sci-fi action violence |
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ANT-MAN ©
2015 Marvel Entertainment
Review © 2023 Alternate Reality, Inc. |
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