Ant-Man - A Spoilerish Review

Ant-Man, not the most convincing name for a superhero is it. Of course, in a universe that includes a Norse God and his psychotic brother, a super soldier from WWII and a guy who turns green when he's angry, a shrinking man should fit right in! Ant-Man was a film I personally had a lot of hopes for because he seemed like a different superhero to any we've had before. Scott Lang (brilliantly played by Paul Rudd) is a man down on his luck. He's not got money, he's a man split from his daughter and having to watch her be brought up by an unlikable cop. He's a pitiful human being with one specific skill set, he can break into places and that is why Hank Pymm (Michael Douglas) picks him to become Ant-Man. Readers of the comic book will be aware that Hank Pymm was the first Ant-Man, a brilliant scientist who creates a formula for shrinking

Scott Lang becomes Ant-Man

organic matter. He then uses the formula within a suit so he can shrink and grow at will in order to fight crime. Within the film, Hank Pymms time as Ant-Man is explored which I loved because it adds further mythos to the Marvel universe. It was also a way of linking Ant-Man with SHIELD and we were treated to a cameo by an aged Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter! Another 'cameo' within the film was Falcon (Anthony Mackie) during a fight atop the roof of the new Avengers headquarters with our titular hero. Although this scene had been rumoured, it was still a nice surprise and a great shout out to the wider Marvel universe. All in all, Ant-Man was a fine way to end to Phase 2 of the MCU and it was also up there with the best of the MCU films we've had so far (on a par with the superb Guardians of the Galaxy IMO).

CASTING

The casting was pretty much spot-on really. Paul Rudd was a great choice for Scott Lang and an inspired piece of casting in many ways. He's still best known perhaps for playing Mike Hannigan in friends (despite only staring in 18 episodes and the show ending 12 years ago) as well as mainly comedic roles since. Although the role of Scott Lang clearly isn't meant as an absolutely serious role, Rudd displays enough to make the character believable. 

Michael Douglas is...well...very Michael Douglas as Hank Pymm. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing because it's not, not in this case. Pymm is obviously only required to bring Ant-Man into a modern setting and to link elements together and he does it extremely well. It's a role which doesn't require much effort and a role which will likely be reduced as the MCU rumbles on.

As a pretty huge fan of Lost I already knew Evangeline Lilly and she is great as Hope Van Dyne (Hank Pymms daughter) here. She displays enough metal and is a welcome female character to an MCU largely dominated by the guys. It is fairly obvious that she will become a mainstay within the MCU following a mid-credits sequence that alludes to her becoming Wasp (a role previously held by her late mother).

Corey Stoll is basically a paint-by-numbers badguy as Darren Cross (Yellow Jacket). He's Ant-Mans Obadiah Stane in that he's rounded enough to make a convincing one-film baddie but that's about it. 

PLOT

Ant-Man takes on Yellow-Jacket

Ant-Man is essentially a heist movie with the plot revolving round Cross wanting to use the Ant-Man technology to build an army of Yellow Jackets. In terms of origin story, Ant-Man differs from many superhero origin tales in that it doesn't actually feel like the beginning of something. It feels like we're coming in to a story half way through which is no bad thing. The MCU is now twelve movies long so really, we shouldn't be getting any origin stories, at least not what we got in phase 1. With Ant-Man we get a film which has a history to it, a superhero who has a time long before the beginning of the film. Scott Lang may take up the Ant-Man mantle in this movie but Hank Pymm was Ant-Man long before the world had heard of Iron-Man. 

As for the actual plot, it's good and holds its own. Ant-Man is required for a specific purpose rather than a purpose being required for him to exist. If Captain America was the war movie and Thor was the fantasy epic then this is the good old heist caper and that is what Marvel does so well with its movies. Rather than adopting a one size fits all policy as could quite easily have been the case, each hero stands alone and as a consequence their solo movies are very different thematically. 

STAND OUT MOMENTS

Thomas the Tank Engine makes his entrance

The outstanding moment for me was the most unlikeliest of cameos by a certain Thomas the Tank Engine. I will never look at that blue train the same ever again without giggling to myself!

As with many of the Marvel films, Ant-Man begs you to stay seated once the credits start rolling because it features both a mid and post credits scene. The mid credits scene involves Hope Van Dyme and Hank Pymm in a touching father/daughter moment that should have comic enthusiasts squeeling with delight. The Wasp is imminent! The post credits scene features Steve Rodgers (Captain America), Sam Wilson (Falcon) and a certain Bucky Barnes (The Winter Soldier) and is clearly designed to set up Captain America: Civil War. 

CONCLUSION

All in all Ant-Man is one of the stronger Marvel films and it's actually better than the recent Avengers: Age of Ultron. It reminded me of Guardians of the Galaxy in many ways because not many expected it to be as good as it ultimately is. Because of the lack of any real expectation, Ant-Man excels. It doesn't pretend to be anything it's not and it's a film which doesn't take itself very seriously. It's clear that the main cast had a ball while making the film with Rudd obviously enjoying himself. On its own, as a solo outing, Ant-Man is brilliant and a great summer film. As part of the wider MCU it stands tall and begs to be offered the same respect as the more established franchises such as Iron Man or Captain America. A typically enjoyable romp! 

The Suicide Squad Trailer - A Closer Peek

Comic Con saw a number of things this year but one of the most eagerly awaited (aside from the Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer)was the premiere of the Suicide Squad trailer. I'll admit to being a little bit underwhelmed by the fuss over Suicide Squad before I saw the trailer. The casting of Jared Leto as the Joker was a big concern for me. Since the trailer my anticipation level has spiked though so I took a closer look.

00:06.40

"It's taken some work but I finally have them. The worst of the worst." explains Amanda Waller. In the comic books she has often been responsible for directing the suicide squad missions so it's no surprise to see her taking center stage here. "Let's just say I put them in a hole and threw away the hole." she then replies when asked where she has them.

00:34.57

It then becomes apparent that some of them have super powers with the first direct link to the wider DC universe being made when Waller explains "I have seen things. Maybe Superman was some kind of beacon for them to creep back from the shadows." This first glimpse at Carla Delevingne's Enchantress suggests that flashbacks could play a role in the finished film with us perhaps seeing how the 'worst of the worst' became just that!

01:04.97

Then we get our first glimpse of Margot Robbie as the deranged and damaged Harley Quinn, a haunting version of the Bee Gees hit I Started a Joke beginning to play.

01:27.67

We then see a number of other characters all locked in their cells including an angry looking Will Smith as Deadshot before the frightening Killer Croc makes his bow. Loving the Hannibal Lector look here. Also, its interesting how the characters appear to be at different levels of incarceration!

01:43.82

And here they are, the suicide squad in all their psychopathic beauty.

01:46.80

 "So that's it ah, we're the patsy's.We're some kind of suicide squad." Deadshot asks. By this point in the trailer it's becoming clear who the major players are in the squad with Deadshot and Harley Quinn receiving most of the attention.

01:57.03

At this point we also get to see the characters beyond their reputation. Deadshot hugs a little girl (almost certainly his daughter) and Rick Flagg cosies up to a woman. This is good because it shows that these traditional villains are being rounded out rather than being portrayed as out and out bad guys. They have families and this could also be one of the ways Waller controls the suicide squad.

02:19:00

Our first glimpse of The Joker, all be it just a gloved hand. This clip suggests that we'll see how Harley Quinn became who she is. Traditionally, Harley Quinn was a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum who became infatuated by The Joker. Going by the trailer, her descent into insanity could have a very dark theme with The Joker appearing to torture her!

02:23.33

And here it is, the definative proof that Suicide Squad will be cannon in the DC Universe alongside Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. Ben Afflecks Batman riding the roof of Harley Quinns (and also the Jokers?) car! This is almost certainly a flashback, possibly showing how Harley Quinn was captured in the first place.

02:43.57

And Jared Letos iteration of The Joker makes his grand entrance! Jack Nicholson was gangster, Heath Ledger was terrorist and now we have Jared Leto, the pure crazy version of Batmans greatest foe! The look is spot on, the voice is spot on and all my doubts are no more!

02:48.3

Our final shot of the trailer is notable for one thing, the absence of The Joker. This has been the case for much of the protional material though with The Joker seeming seperate from the other 'worst of the worst' characters. Does this mean that The Joker is the films big bad rather than being an actual Suicide Squad member? That would certainly mix things up considering a certain Harley Quinns devotion to him.



All in all, you can't not be excited for this film! I love the fact that it's going to be a part of the wider cinematic universe. Rather than going completely head to head with Marvel, Warner Bros are setting up a much darker world with DC. Gone is the campness and gothic nature of the Batman of old, gone is the all American feel of the Superman of old. Here we have a gritier, meatier, more dangerous world which immediately sets it apart from Marvel...in a good way I might add! Rather than endlessly discussing which is better, DC or Marvel, maybe we should be discussing their differences and celebrating them! This trailer certainly shows that Suicide Squad will be about as far from Marvel as you can get! If you need the proof, why not take a look at the whole trailer below!