"Ant-Man" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Avaitor]

This July, heroes don't come any bigger.

Release Date: July 17, 2015
Studio: Disney
Director: Peyton Reed
Aspect Ratio:  1.85 : 1
Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly

Plot Summary: Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

COMMENTS?

So yeah, Phase 2>Phase 1. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Let's address the elephant in the room: yes, Edgar Wright's version would have been much better.

Putting that aside, it was still a really entertaining movie, and yes, Phase Two is now better than Phase One.

I liked AOU way more than most people give it credit for, so that's still my preferred movie for the year, but I'd put this film above Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World in terms of its quality.

[Avaitor]

Yeah, that's where I'd put Ant-Man. Below Civil War/Guardians/AOU (most of the complaints about it are stupid, btw), but above IM3/Dark World.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Civil War is already out? I had no idea!

But seriously, though, that post-credits scene has me pumped.

[The Shadow Gentleman]

This was a fun movie, which is all I really wanted. It is pretty amazing it could go through so much drama and still be good. And as one of five people who actually cares about the characters of Pym and Lang I was glad they were done justice.

I want Luis to do recap of all the Marvel movies in the same style he told stories in this movie.

[Avaitor]

I didn't really talk about this film so much, so I think I should. It's time for a pros and cons list (and kids, they really cheered)

Pros:

-Acting. Pretty much everyone does a good job as their character. Paul Rudd takes a little time to fully become comfortable with the character, but he gets it just around the time he puts the costume on. Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly are pretty great throughout, though. And the comic relief works pretty well, too...
-Especially Michael Pena. Holy shit, he is great! I want him to recap the rest of the MCU. If Marvel is smart enough, they'd hire him to do so for the Blu.
-The humor works pretty well during the film. This is easily among the funniest MCU movies to date, and enough of Wright's influence is noticeable.
-The film's generally low stakes allow it to feel a little fresh. As it feels like so many of the other movies involve the world (or galaxy) ending, it's a welcome change of pace for Ant-Man's story to be a little more personal, and for very few civilians to be lost in the process. It also helps that the damage was severely shrunk in comparison to other movies, thanks to the Ant-Man and Yellow Jacket suits.
-The action scenes are great as always. The ending one in particular is a creative, fun little thing that works well for a climax.
-Welcome cameos. I'd rather not spoil the end credits, but it was nice to see John Slattery back as Howard Stark for the first time since Iron Man 2, and I'll never turn down a Peggy Carter appearance. Even if she doesn't talk... And the Falcon was awesome, too!
-There are some nice references throughout, but there's a particular Zoolander tribute that is amazing in hindsight.

Cons:

-There's no reason that Hope couldn't have put on the suit. Either one.
-There was also no reason for her and Scott to hook up at the end.
-And it's shitty that Janet couldn't have made it into the movie. But now I understand why Feige had Whedon write her out of his first draft for Avengers. Sigh.
-Frankly, there isn't much different about Ant-Man in comparison to Marvel's other origin stories. Scott's a likable character, but the studio's issues with women are all too present. I still like enough about the movie to enjoy it, but I can't say that I love it, either.

Edit: I forgot to add the villain to the cons list. But I mean, it's a Marvel movie. Of course the villain is underwhelming.