Marvel are on a roll people. Just when you think you’ve seen
it all, they do it again. And it’s fresh. And ridiculous. And it’s with ants.
Much like its size, Ant-Man the film appeared to have made a
relatively small amount of buzz so far. When you compare it to the launch of
Marvel’s previous blockbusters, it may seem small. That’s about to change.
Firstly, the premiere was one of the bigger ones I’ve attended, spotting stars
from Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and adorable family, ex-Sugababes,
ex-Inbetweeners, Keith Lemon, Jeremy Irvine (little bit in love), and of
course, Paul Rudd. The buzz of the red carpet was electric, largely down to the
lovely Paul Rudd spending such a long time chatting (properly) to fans. And of
course, you must let the film do the talking; it will not go splat.
I’ve been a keen been and watched Ant-Man twice in 3 days
(on the day in-between I finally watched Jurassic World, so it’s been a cinema
week). The laugh out loud jokes are still fresh the second time round, and probably the third,
fourth and fifth too. It has the same fun lighthearted-ness as Guardians of the
Galaxy.
So, what is Ant-Man actually about? It’s not hugely complex –
based on the comic book, a regular sized man becomes the size of an ant with a
supersuit. What’s not great about being tiny but dangerously powerful? And
being able to control ants? Turns out they are super-insects, and less creepy
than you may think, even seriously up close. You will definitely look at ants
in a different way – aptly summed up by Paul Rudd at the premiere promising he
would never squish or flick ants now on. Paul Rudd is Scott Lang the Ant-Man, guided by
mentor and scientist and Ant King Hank Pym (played by a brilliant Michael
Douglas). Throw in confused evil genius Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), a kick-ass
but conflicted Evangeline Lilly as Hope, and the most hilarious sidekick and
best friend ever played by Michael Pena.
Back to Scott, a Robin Hood petty criminal, who has just
been released from jail. He unintentionally becomes the Ant-Man and embarks on
the film’s mission: save the world. Sound familiar? There’s a touching family
spirit to it as he struggles to provide for his oh-so-adorable daughter Cassie.
Paul Rudd received a bit of stick/surprise when his casting was first
announced, but he fits the bill well enough. Gone are the rom-com funny guy
days; Rudd is now the superhero funny guy.
We have to talk about the visual effects, too. A film
partially from a tiny person’s point of view is a totally different perspective
and requires huge visual attention to detail, which it nails, particularly in a
very important fight scene. Sizing is all over the place, and it’s a bit like
The Borrowers meets Spiderman. Oh, and definitely see it in 3D. This is one of those films where it is actually necessary,
There are some surprise Avengers references (it may or may
not be the same Marvel universe) and you might even be treated to a showstopping
cameo. Also, spot the superb cameo from Marvel creator Stan Lee. Ant-Man is not
your typical Marvel movie, clearly trying to bring you the unexpected in the
expected, be it in little gestures. It doesn’t stray too far from the standard
superhero backstory, and I did see a lot of the plot coming, but you will be pleasantly surprised at the finer details.
Indeed, the little man will hopefully be making a big statement this summer.
Ant-Man is in cinemas on 17th July.
- Thursday, July 09, 2015
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