Review: Ant-Man

Be the person they think you are.

Scott (Paul Rudd) has recently gotten out of jail for grand larceny and it determined to set himself straight so that he can spend time with his young daughter. He finds it hard to get a job with his record and reluctantly takes a job offer from his friend, Luis (Michael Peña) to help rob a rich man's mansion. That rich man ends up being Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and it turns out he lets Scott break in. He wants his talents specifically to become the Ant-Man and steal back some tech Pym hid from the world, only for his former protege Daren Cross (Corey Stoll) to dig up and try to perfect for himself. 

Not surprisingly, the best parts of Ant-Man are the references made to the Avengers. Another Peggy Carter cameo, an "old storage shed" turning out to be the Avengers' new headquarters, a brief fight with The Falcon himself. Rudd is a very charismatic lead, but he's almost overshadowed by the awesomeness that is Michael Peña. While those two are high points on the acting front, Stoll and Evangeline Lilly are the lows. Stoll doesn't elevate Cross above anything other than a cartoony villain, and Lilly seems to be there only go between smirking and resting bitch face.

Still, while Ant-Man might not be the best super hero movie out there, it does well enough differentiating itself. The climax has a lot less destruction than other Marvel films, which is a bit of a welcomed change. Plus, you get to see Avon Barksdale as a cop, and there's a hell of a tease for Civil War after the credits.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "They had this Rosé that totally won me over." - Luis (Michael Peña)

Moment Brittani almost killed someone: Remember when I saw Wild and I complained about the couple I was sitting next to that kept saying "She's going to get raped. Right here, this is where it happens." etc etc? Well, I'm about 80% sure I sat next to this obnoxious assholes AGAIN. The lady gave me a weird look when I sat down, I figured it's because my assigned seat was right next to theirs and the theater wasn't full yet. (Yes, this particular theater here make you pick your seat when you buy your ticket) When the movie starts, they both kept talking to each other. The guy actually got up to answer a call, and when he came back, detailed his entire call to his wife WHILE the movie was playing. And they laughed SO loudly at the dumbest jokes. Just like the last time. 

Comments

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    1. I could seriously watch an entire film about his character here. He's perfect.

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  2. I really liked this.
    It took me half the movie to place Evangeline Lilly (she's one of those interchangeable actresses, apparently) and was disappointed that a role that seems destined to be fleshed out in further movies was so vapidly cast.
    I adore Michael Pena in just about everything and super enjoyed his detail-rich stories. Awesomesauce!

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    1. I completely agree on everything you said about Lilly. They could've found someone better.

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  3. Chatty people in the cinema are the worst! They must be that horrible for you to remember them.

    I'm hoping to see this one by this week, if my schedule permits it. Great review!

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    1. It has to be the same people. I don't live in small town, so it is a bit weird that I would be running into them again, but they were so familiar in their annoying-ness. lol

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  4. Nothing more annoying than obnoxious fellow cinema goers. There were a few kids in the screening I went to, luckily they were well behaved. One funny moment was when Lang disappears into the quantum realm and one of them said "this isn't a happy ending", it was so sweet that the audience chuckled.

    I completely agree with you on the acting front, Pena was superb, a highlight of the cast. Stoll and Evangeline Lilly were on the poor side. In fact the feel the film could have done with better female characters.

    Apart from that I liked it, preferred it over Avengers 2.

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    1. Ultron, while I had some major problems with was still better than this, IMO. I loved the new characters and the familiar faces. Pena, God I cannot stop talking about him. lol

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  5. Ugh. Obnoxious movie-goers are the worst. Reminds me of the line from Firefly about the "special hell" for child molesters and people who talk in movie theaters.

    Ant Man looks worth seeing. It's a shame the female actors aren't stronger, but it still sounds like fun. Seeing Paul Rudd as a superhero is worth the price of a ticket, right?

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    1. Yeah, Hope was not memorable at all. I suppose the only good thing is she won't take away from the more interesting, fleshed out females like Natasha and Wanda in future movies if she shows up again.

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  6. So...Paul Rudd doesn't get raped? I'm confused...and suddenly less interested.

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    1. How could this happen to him if I'm not in the movie?

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    2. LOL. No Paul Rudd was spared. He was just cracking jokes in prison here. ;)

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  7. This wasn't the very best of the MCU, but I preferred it to Age of Ultron. Fortunately, I had a much better viewing experience than you did. ;)

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    1. Ha. I didn't have a bad experience! I have a soft spot for Ultron even though I was kind of pissed at it.

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  8. Saw it today! I was skeptical about Lilly but in the end I liked her performance and character because her arc with Douglas was really damn strong. They should have added a bit more romance to the movie, though. But I won't argue the logic of them making out after she checked him out when he was shirtless :D

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    1. LOL I can't argue that logic either. I've never been a fan of Lilly, even when I attempted to watch Lost. I have this memory of her at (I think) the Golden Globes, where she didn't win and she had the bitchiest losing face I've ever seen. That just forever rubbed me the wrong way. I liked those emotional moments with Douglas, but they felt so out of place. Like they'd really be having this conversation in front of a random like Scott?

      I'm glad you liked it though! And that Rudd's abs in 3D were perfect.

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  9. I had a blast with this film. After the large scale, global spanning epic that was Age of Ultron, it was nice to have a smaller scale and more self-contained movie. The fight between Ant-Man and Falcon was a great way to show how good a hero who can shrink can actually be and was fun to watch.

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    1. Absolutely agree! Plus, I like that it was Falcon they picked for him to spar with. I love that guy.

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