Thoughts on Ant-Man
Jul. 26th, 2015 06:32 pmI went back and forth on whether I was going to see Ant-Man in theaters. I knew I wasn't making an effort to go opening weekend, but other than that, it was up in the air. Then S mentioned that she was interested, so I decided why not, and I got together a group. We watched it last night, at a local theater that has a bar. Just in case. (For the record, I ended up not getting a drink -- the line was too long before the movie, and the showing ran late enough that the bar was closed by the time we got out.)
Short verdict: it was fun. I was entertained and amused. I'm sure I laughed out loud more times than at any other Marvel movie, including Guardians of the Galaxy. Paul Rudd charmed me, as expected. Michael Douglas set my teeth on edge a little bit, also as expected. (Which perhaps makes him an appropriate choice to play Hank Pym.) Evangeline Lilly was great, and I hope we see Hope Van Dyne in future films. Yellowjacket was yet another cookie cutter "titan of industry looking for power and revenge" type, as seen in the Iron Man movies, without the excellent acting of Jeff Bridges or Sam Rockwell to bring a higher level of interest to the character. (I was a little more intrigued by the former SHIELD agent, and I wish we'd gotten more on him.) But I don't expect much from an MCU villain who isn't Loki, at least not in the movies. (The "Agents" shows, at least, are much stronger in that regard.) The visuals and effects were very well done, big screen-worthy if that kind of thing matters to you. I'm actually sort of curious about the 3D version, and I never watch movies in 3D. At its core, Ant-Man is a heist movie, and I do enjoy a good heist movie. It was worth seeing.
But of course I have quite a bit more to say. There have been three main problems dogging Ant-Man since it was announced and throughout the development process: Edgar Wright leaving the project, the absence of Janet Van Dyne, and Marvel's choice to make an Ant-Man movie at all. And all three of these issues also appeared on screen, to greater and lesser degrees.
( Behind the cut, for length and spoilers. )
Short verdict: it was fun. I was entertained and amused. I'm sure I laughed out loud more times than at any other Marvel movie, including Guardians of the Galaxy. Paul Rudd charmed me, as expected. Michael Douglas set my teeth on edge a little bit, also as expected. (Which perhaps makes him an appropriate choice to play Hank Pym.) Evangeline Lilly was great, and I hope we see Hope Van Dyne in future films. Yellowjacket was yet another cookie cutter "titan of industry looking for power and revenge" type, as seen in the Iron Man movies, without the excellent acting of Jeff Bridges or Sam Rockwell to bring a higher level of interest to the character. (I was a little more intrigued by the former SHIELD agent, and I wish we'd gotten more on him.) But I don't expect much from an MCU villain who isn't Loki, at least not in the movies. (The "Agents" shows, at least, are much stronger in that regard.) The visuals and effects were very well done, big screen-worthy if that kind of thing matters to you. I'm actually sort of curious about the 3D version, and I never watch movies in 3D. At its core, Ant-Man is a heist movie, and I do enjoy a good heist movie. It was worth seeing.
But of course I have quite a bit more to say. There have been three main problems dogging Ant-Man since it was announced and throughout the development process: Edgar Wright leaving the project, the absence of Janet Van Dyne, and Marvel's choice to make an Ant-Man movie at all. And all three of these issues also appeared on screen, to greater and lesser degrees.
( Behind the cut, for length and spoilers. )
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