Star Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michael Pena, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale
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Director: Peyton Reed
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What’s Bad: Coming from Marvel, one would expect bigger things, but this tiny superhero comes with his shrinking abilities, that work on the film’s enjoy-ability quotient too! Unfortunately, even the two hours seem long enough.
Loo break: Yeah! You could shrink and get two!
Watch or Not?: Not a must watch! That may sound strange for a Marvel film but as they say, the truth is always bitter. A goofier super-hero and his heist drama is definitely not what you expect from a studio that gives you Avengers.
User Rating:
Taking off from the past, the film commences in 1989 when scientist Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) resigns from SHEILD after learning about replication of his shrinking technology without his permission. To save it from falling into wrong hands, Pym leaves with his formula thus protecting any adverse uses of it. Cut to present day, Pym has been forced out of his own company by his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) and protege Darren Cross (Corey Stoll). Cross has now cracked Pym’s code and come up with Yellow-jacket, a similar technology of Ant Man.
Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) on the other hand has just been acquitted from jail after his famed ‘burglary’ as he calls it. Lang is divorced and has a daughter whom he can’t visit without paying for child support. Determined to see his daughter, Scott decides to commit another burglary, only this time his fate is about to change as he chances upon not gold or money but the Ant Man suit.
Thus, what entails is a journey of Scott embracing the duty to become Ant Man and well, like any superhero, saving the world.
What is that one thing you enjoy in a superhero film the most? Well, I’d say when the villain is getting his ass kicked. Surely, nothing of this sort happens in Ant Man and one derives no sadistic pleasure, watching the villain die. Why? Because Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish fail to gives us a loathsome villain. This is one of the biggest loopholes in the script. While I completely love the wit and a goofier nature that the film dwells on, it lacks the power packed nature of Marvel. The fun filled elements are scattered and thus in parts, the film stretches. It’s as if the shrinking quality is a metaphor to the writing which escalates from good to boring and keeps zooming in and out of the same. A juicier plot and a meatier villain is what the film lacks and eventually turns drab.
The only savior would be the end where Marvel do their signature. Watch it right till the end. P.S: Let all credits end!
Paul Rudd may be the last person one can imagine as a superhero but as Ant Man, he is a perfect fit. It is like Paul has some inherent innocence that he enthuses in his character and hence in spite of all his stupidity, you are still rooting for him.
Michael Douglas may be 70 something but the actor has some innate style and unfortunately, the film misses that. In spite of getting a character like Pym, the director fails to make maximum usage of Douglas’ presence. A poorly written character makes Michael’s contribution seem insufficient.
Evangeline Lilly does a fine job as Hope. The actress seems well versed with her action bits and fits the bill well.
Corey Stoll as Cross seems like the most unfortunate character in the film. The lead antagonist is highly underrated and hardly makes a lasting impression.
Michael Pena as Louis is one of the best characters in the film. He underplays his comic antics and is perfect to give you those tiny laughs.
Ant Man comes off like a ship that does not have captain. It sails through certain parts with immense ease while otherwise it’s a shipwreck. Peyton Reed does not do full justice to the film and one reason for that could be the fact that originally, the film was Edgar Wright’s pet project. Hence, Reed does not take over completely as though his own. In 3D, the film does not exploit its full potential. Most of it is zoom in and zoom out and at several points it is a reminder of Honey I Shrunk The Kids effects which now seem age old. The final action sequence between Scott and Cross is crafter well as both shrink and fight it out at the toy train track. The background score is a winner for this film.
Problems arise as it remains undecided on its pace. It gets mellow in certain portions and rushes otherwise for example in the Avengers base break in sequence.
Just like the tiny ants in Ant Man, the film holds your attention minimally. The shrinking superhero may not prove to be your best weekend watch. I am going with 2.5/5 for this film.
Ant Man releases on 23rd July, 2015.
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