Ant-Man the smash hit that came from nowhere
Ant-Man is awesome. Somehow Marvel have managed to turn the smallest hero into a big success!
Go. Watch. Ant-Man. I can’t believe I am saying this but it may actually be one of the strongest offering from the Marvel powerhouse, offering stunning visuals and heartfelt character development that is a treat for both fans of the comicbooks and newcomers. It’s starting to become a little scary that Marvel are able to throw out such strong movies on a regular basis.
My personal theory is that Disney have helped them track down and capture Tinkerbell but it’s equally possible they have found a way to bottle up lightning. Even after the frankly hilarious development history that has stalled this film for several years it’s somehow come out the gate swinging with the sort of wit and style of the Iron Man franchise mixed with some of the Captain America emotional weight.
Paul Rudd And His Tiny Talent
Paul Rudd is bending over backwards to make the character work - the movies success comes from his amazing performance as Scott Lang. The redemption story arc is not a new one for Marvel but the angle that the script takes reminds me of Jon Favreau’s Chef from last year. The comparison is a good one because the film feels a lot like the Iron Man franchise that Favreau worked on, with a simple structure and a strong central character. Tony Stark’s original arc and Scott Lang’s are very similar but each character approaches their redemptions in very different ways. The addition of Michael Douglas as an ageing Hank Pym also serves the plot well as both a mentor figure and a cautionary tale of what Scott could become if he doesn’t sort his life out.
The Wright Stuff
It’s rumoured that Wright left the project due to Marvel wanting to insert more references to the Avengers and other heroes into the film. If that was the reason, it is easy to see why Wright left, there are several references to other Avengers and even an appearance from one of the team members in the film. Personally, I don’t have a problem with it as all the references and cross-over scenes do service the plot and explain why the Avengers can’t just show up and save everyone, which has been a problem with a lot of the Marvel films recently.
You should go watch Ant-Man, it looks as though it’s opening weekend sales might fall a little short of its original projections and it deserves support as one of the strongest and most original Marvel films to date. Also there is an absolutely amazing post credits scene where we are shown…actually I’m not going to tell you, go see Ant-Man and remember to stick around until the end of the credits. Till then think small and dream big!
Watch the Ant-Man trailer here:
