Ant-Man (2015) (English Language)

Review

117min

Genre:    Comic-Book, Action, Sci-fi

Director: Peyton Reed

Cast:      Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly and more

Writers:  Joe Cornish, Edgar Wright , Adam McKay and more

 A convicted cat-burglar is given a chance at redemption in the eyes of his estranged daughter when he’s recruited by hero scientist Hank Pym to wear a suit that shrinks him in size, while blessing him with dynamic abilities and the help of an ant army, together they must pull off a caper to save the world from Pym’s megalomaniacal former protégé.

Bringing a character not well known outside of comic-book fandom into the Marvel Cinematic universe is a risk particularly considering the unique powers that ‘Ant-Man’ brings to the table scale-wise, but what it lacks in grandiose spectacular set-pieces this movie makes up for with its very grounded comedic tone.

 In part ‘Ant-man’ feels rather fittingly like a typical Paul Rudd comedy which happens to involve a heist and people dressing like superheroes which is where it’s at its most effective, but parallel to this runs a formulaic Marvel origin story that ticks all the necessary boxes without offering anything particularly memorable.

 It seems like Marvel’s careful planning to ensure a family-friendly tone and narrative that adequately bleeds into the rest of the Marvel universe has resulted in a film that doesn’t take many risks, perhaps this is the cause and consequence of ‘Ant-man’s’ many production problems involving replacing directors and constantly changing scripts.

 When risks are taken you get unique action sequences based on the comedic value of shrinking characters along with the heart of the film in Paul Rudd’s lead performance, backed up hilariously by his “Three Stooges-like” companions.

 The Bottom Line…

Safe and sometimes clichéd, ‘Ant-man’ lacks the punch of some other Marvel outings but what it lacks in scale it makes up for in humour and charm, given all its production issues it seems like Marvel have done a commendable job in introducing a character that can quite literally slot into any space in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Iron Man (2008)

After billionaire playboy arms manufacturer Tony Stark escapes his terrorist kidnappers using a hastily constructed “super-suit”, a change of career and moral focus pits him against former allies and dangerous foes around the world as he tries to protect the innocent and those he loves.

Directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges among others.

Comments

comments

Comments are closed.