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locker_monsterSaw Ant Man this weekend. It's actually pretty decent; funny in places, great visual effects, and cute ants! I totally didn't think that ants could be cute, but this movie managed it somehow. Could it have been better? Who knows. The version that Edgar Wright wrote before he left the project probably still has some bits in the final movie, but you are left wondering how things could have been different. Definitely zanier. Maybe too zany. It's so hard to balance these Marvel movies.
At the heart of it, Ant Man is a superhero heist movie, so it's able to put a twist on some of the tropes, but the tropes are still there. It's a good summer movie regardless, but it can't compete with the success that Guardians of the Galaxy had during its late summer run.
I think, though, you really can't compare Ant Man to the other Marvel movies. The scale is, no pun intended, smaller. I mean, look at the Avengers. You have Thor, who is a god, Steve, who is an American icon, Bruce, who turns into a giant green rage monster, and Tony, billionaire-playboy-philanthropist. They are big players. Scott is just a guy; an ex-con who's trying to hold down a job so he can see his daughter. He's not out to save the world from aliens. His stakes are much different. So it will be interesting to see Scott hitting the big leagues, so to speak.
I did enjoy the visual effects. Usually, they're not something that makes or breaks a movie for me, but here, they are really good. The shrinking stuff looks so different. Most of the Avengers can fly or leap about, and Scott can leap about, too, but it's the perspective that makes the difference. The world looks so alien when you're hardly bigger than an insect. They used his shrinking and unshrinking in clever ways, too. Though, I did spot the gag with the miniturized tank/key chain from a mile away. The shot lingers just a second too long the first time Scott grabs the key chain and then when Hank scoops up the key chain at the event at Pym Technologies, the tank is blantantly displayed. Obvious telegraphing aside, it was really smart of Hank to carry a tiny tank around.
Speaking of Hank, I'm totally on board with the idea that he was a secret agent type for S.H.I.E.L.D. back in the day. It helps to tie the cinematic universe together. I would so watch another Ant Man movie with a younger Hank working to take down Soviets or whatnot. And Hayley Atwell was in the movie! Yay, Peggy! It's a very quick cameo, and she has to wear some old age make-up, but it was good to see her as one of the heads of S.H.I.E.L.D. Even John Slattery makes a reappearance as an older Howard Stark. I do believe he's the only one in that scene who isn't wearing make-up or has been digitally de-aged. It was a little weird seeing a de-aged Michael Douglas. His face looked kind of plastic-y. Or, if they don't do a flashback to Hank Pym's days at the Ant Man, maybe they could introduce him on Agent Carter? Though maybe that's a storyline for later in the show's run.
Random: I would have liked more with Scott and his daughter, Cassie, but the focus is more on the heist. Too bad she's not a little older. Cassie is a superhero in the comics, so it'd be neat seeing her as Ant Girl or Stature. Maybe Marvel will do a Young Avengers movie further down the pipeline. At least Hope gets a Wasp suit at the end of the movie. There needs to be more female superheroes. But her and Scott together? Can Hope not be a love interest? Please? She can just be Scott's partner. And it's bizarre how she's the only female main character. Cassie and Cassie's mom are the only other female characters in the movie and they don't do much. Unless all of the ants are female? :-) Oh, and I do appreciate that they had a gratuitous shot of Scott with his shirt off. Thank you, Marvel. If you can see fit to have a shirtless Steve in the next Captain America movie, well, I wouldn't complain. In all seroiusness, I'm glad they objectify the boys. No pointless ass shots of the female heroes; I think the only time they sexed up someone was Natasha in Iron Man 2.
And, oh man, that second end credit scene. Steve, Sam, and Bucky! What is going on? Has Civil War already started? It's going to be a jam packed movie. I hope they save some time to have some meaty scenes between Steve and Bucky.
So, what's next in the Marvel pipeline? Captain America: Civil War and then Doctor Strange?
At the heart of it, Ant Man is a superhero heist movie, so it's able to put a twist on some of the tropes, but the tropes are still there. It's a good summer movie regardless, but it can't compete with the success that Guardians of the Galaxy had during its late summer run.
I think, though, you really can't compare Ant Man to the other Marvel movies. The scale is, no pun intended, smaller. I mean, look at the Avengers. You have Thor, who is a god, Steve, who is an American icon, Bruce, who turns into a giant green rage monster, and Tony, billionaire-playboy-philanthropist. They are big players. Scott is just a guy; an ex-con who's trying to hold down a job so he can see his daughter. He's not out to save the world from aliens. His stakes are much different. So it will be interesting to see Scott hitting the big leagues, so to speak.
I did enjoy the visual effects. Usually, they're not something that makes or breaks a movie for me, but here, they are really good. The shrinking stuff looks so different. Most of the Avengers can fly or leap about, and Scott can leap about, too, but it's the perspective that makes the difference. The world looks so alien when you're hardly bigger than an insect. They used his shrinking and unshrinking in clever ways, too. Though, I did spot the gag with the miniturized tank/key chain from a mile away. The shot lingers just a second too long the first time Scott grabs the key chain and then when Hank scoops up the key chain at the event at Pym Technologies, the tank is blantantly displayed. Obvious telegraphing aside, it was really smart of Hank to carry a tiny tank around.
Speaking of Hank, I'm totally on board with the idea that he was a secret agent type for S.H.I.E.L.D. back in the day. It helps to tie the cinematic universe together. I would so watch another Ant Man movie with a younger Hank working to take down Soviets or whatnot. And Hayley Atwell was in the movie! Yay, Peggy! It's a very quick cameo, and she has to wear some old age make-up, but it was good to see her as one of the heads of S.H.I.E.L.D. Even John Slattery makes a reappearance as an older Howard Stark. I do believe he's the only one in that scene who isn't wearing make-up or has been digitally de-aged. It was a little weird seeing a de-aged Michael Douglas. His face looked kind of plastic-y. Or, if they don't do a flashback to Hank Pym's days at the Ant Man, maybe they could introduce him on Agent Carter? Though maybe that's a storyline for later in the show's run.
Random: I would have liked more with Scott and his daughter, Cassie, but the focus is more on the heist. Too bad she's not a little older. Cassie is a superhero in the comics, so it'd be neat seeing her as Ant Girl or Stature. Maybe Marvel will do a Young Avengers movie further down the pipeline. At least Hope gets a Wasp suit at the end of the movie. There needs to be more female superheroes. But her and Scott together? Can Hope not be a love interest? Please? She can just be Scott's partner. And it's bizarre how she's the only female main character. Cassie and Cassie's mom are the only other female characters in the movie and they don't do much. Unless all of the ants are female? :-) Oh, and I do appreciate that they had a gratuitous shot of Scott with his shirt off. Thank you, Marvel. If you can see fit to have a shirtless Steve in the next Captain America movie, well, I wouldn't complain. In all seroiusness, I'm glad they objectify the boys. No pointless ass shots of the female heroes; I think the only time they sexed up someone was Natasha in Iron Man 2.
And, oh man, that second end credit scene. Steve, Sam, and Bucky! What is going on? Has Civil War already started? It's going to be a jam packed movie. I hope they save some time to have some meaty scenes between Steve and Bucky.
So, what's next in the Marvel pipeline? Captain America: Civil War and then Doctor Strange?
