Ant-man

[spiderwasp]

Okay, spoilers will come but I'll give a warning before getting there.

Let me just say that I apologize to Marvel Studios. I had serious doubts about this movie, some of which I've expressed here. However, I loved it. I can't wait for the next one or for the next appearance of Ant-man in another movie. Dare I say it, the movie was ASTONISHING


If only I could have reason to offer this kind of apology to Marvel Comics.











Now - SPOILERS------Stop here if you haven't seen the movie---- Seriously






I am especially happy to be filled with new hope that we will not only see the Wasp in a future film, but possibly even Janet herself. I hated Secret Invasion and her "death" but am thrilled that her death in the movie is so similar. It seems so obvious that Jan is alive and in the Microverse and will be rescued at a later date. I also loved seeing her brief appearance in the flashback. It may have been small but the original Wasp DID appear in a Marvel movie and looked awesome. Finally, the costume after the credits being shown to Hope was great. I don't mind so much seeing her become the new Wasp. I just hated the idea that Hope was going to be the Wasp and Janet wasn't going to exist or just be dead. Yes, she's "dead" but she was the Wasp first and is likely not really gone.

Aside from the Wasp aspect, I thought all of the performances were great and the use of Scott's family and friends (Especially those hilarious friends) added tons to the movie. I had no idea the Falcon was going to appear but it was the perfect Avenger for Ant-man to fight. I especially loved the "No way Cap finds out about this."

[humanbelly]

How in the world has no one responded on this thread??
Friends, friends-- are we not the AVENGERS ASSEMBLE board?? And I know that many of us here LOVE Hank Pym AND Scott Lang as the tiniest of Marvel heroes!

Finally got to see it last night w/ a recuperating HBSon (wisdom teeth extracted), and not a moment too soon, 'cause I think it'll be fully gone from all of our local multiplexes by tomorrow.

Formulaic? Sure-- but that's honestly a given, since the broader genre of the source material is the very epitome of formulaic entertainment. One might as well turn one's nose up at Papa John's for relying so heavily on pizza sales. . .

Transparently questionable scientific double-talk? Hoo-boy, yeah again-- even more egregious than superhero films usually are. . . but that's always the FIRST free pass you have to hand out if you're gonna enjoy this kind of movie, right?

So take those two things smack off of the critique table, and what have ya got? A WONDERFULLY enjoyable and engaging little romp of superhero movie. This may be the closest thing we've seen yet to a true on-screen representation of a comic book-style story. It completely works (for me & HBSon, anyhoo). And it's yet another genre' being checked off for the Cinematic U (well, two, actually): a romcom/heist-comedy. And considering the notoriously rough road this movie had in coming to fruition, it was immensely gratifying to see so much influence from the source material in creating all of these below-the-public-radar characters for the screen. Michael Douglas' Hank Pym is deeply rooted in our own Hank, and there are only a couple of very oblique references that convey the character's below-the-surface issues. Rudd's Scott Lang is more of a principled goof-up, but it makes me "get" how a real Scott might exist.

The effects might be taken for granted, also-- but they do a wonderful job of visually capturing the sense of a tiny person operating in an enormous environment. There's almost an intangible involved with that-- and this is the best I've ever seen it achieved. You also finally get how Antman can fight so effectively-- it's surprisingly dynamic.

Ahhh, good stuff.

Well, maybe not Evangeline Lilly's hair/wig-- but everything else. . .

HB

[spiderwasp]

HB, I was beginning to wonder if I was the only who had seen the movie (Twice now actually). I've been recommending it to other people who don't read comics and were thinking it was going to be lame. So far, I've batted 1000 in that department. Everyone I've talked to loved the movie.

[humanbelly]

Aug 20, 2015 19:16:13 GMT -5 spiderwasp said:

HB, I was beginning to wonder if I was the only who had seen the movie (Twice now actually). I've been recommending it to other people who don't read comics and were thinking it was going to be lame. So far, I've batted 1000 in that department. Everyone I've talked to loved the movie.

So many good decisions and choices were made even down in the lower regions of the priority list.

The little girl playing Cassie was just about as endearingly and genuinely enthusiastic (and real-life cute) as a director could ever hope for. She did indeed manage to stop just this side of cloying-- which is unusual for ANY kid in a film with a Disney imprint somewhere on it. Catching her in those few short weeks without her front teeth may have been a million box office $$ all by itself.

The fact of the Avengers permeates the film, obviously, but never interferes with it-- and certainly enhances the ending, yeah?

I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that I really did like Scott's inane little "gang". You wanna talk about yer heavy Disney-esque influence-- these guys would have been right at home in some sort of Herbie the LoveBug remake. And if someone had tried to simply explain that element to me, it might have kept me from seeing the film ever. But-- they were certainly integrated into the plot, and . . . they worked, and were amusing! I want there to be an AntMan 2, and I definitely want those guys in it (although I imagine they'd add at least two more to the group, including one woman, since sequels can never seem to leave an element like that alone when it's working).

REALLY liked the overall low body-count in the film. I think there were. . . 5 or 6, counting the bad guy? Plus the distressing killing of a lamb-- geeze, that was blatantly manipulative. But the few deaths represented then carry a heck of a lot more weight when they're not surrounded by several hundred other innocent bystanders being callously obliterated. Smart choice.

LOVED the fact that Hank didn't die-- just loved it. In my mind, it was a given that he wouldn't make it to the end-- the obvious resolution when a star of his caliber is involved. Man, I do hope we get to see more of Michael Douglas down the road. (How many Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated actors have been in these Marvel films, now? It's an embarrassment of riches!)

Having a non-stupid resolution w/ the step-dad caught me by surprise, too. I was not expecting that to be a high-road choice at the end. It was ridiculously refreshing. I mean, you don't want to dislike a hard-workin', responsible law-officer, y'know?

Ah, it's still got me caught in its aura, doesn't it?

HB

[bobc]

I'll go see it this weekend--you guys talked me into it. I will reveal my bold and incisive viewpoints afterwards. That is all.

[starfoxxx]

I just got back from ANT-MAN matinee....$8.50....

LOVED IT!

First off, I'm really enjoying seeing the Marvel movies and how they are re-imagining the MU and the origins. I'm a rational comic book fanatic, and realize they can't do it just like the comics, but I like how they are incorporating years and years of comic book stories and continuity into 2 hour movies! And the Hank Pym/Ant-Man history is done wonderfully in this one, IMHO! You've got Hank, Janet, Scott and Cassie, and Yellowjacket here. Also, Hank's distrust and (maybe?) inferiority of the Stark empire is a nice touch.

This movie plays as a sort-of Ocean's 11/Mission Impossible espionage/heist flick, but waaaaay better, IMO, because you've got super-heroes and GREAT actors involved! I like that Marvel has done a Sci-Fi movie with GUARDIANS, and now the heist movie with Ant-Man, keeping it fresh.

Douglas, Lilly, and Rudd were GREAT! Yellowjacket (the actor) was just OK for me, probably the worst part of a great film, but once he dons the armor....WOW!

And I'm usually not a fan of the non-super-powered ancillary characters in comics, and especially in the Marvel/DC movies, but I ACTUALLY found myself enjoying Scott's "gang" of helpers.

Pym's flashback scene gave me goosebumps, much like the heavy scenes from the Captain America movies did.

And I also liked that the "sweet" scenes weren't sickly overdone and cheesy.

FUN, FUN, FUN, another triumph, and I highly recommend ANT-MAN! Keep 'em coming Marvel!


(Milgrom Hotel, nice touch, haha!)

[humanbelly]

Corey Stoll was that actor's name, yeah? The guy that played Cross?

Really, my impression was that he's a darned fine actor (boy, nice rich voice, too), and I believed his involvement in the scenes, but I somehow never fully bought him as this extraordinary scientific genius. I'm certainly a big fan of casting and playing against type when it can be pulled off-- but there was nothing about him personally (mannerisms, habits of speech, basic physicality, whatever) that helped me believe that this guy did that science for a living, y'know? He could just as easily have been a rogue math teacher/football coach, or a body guard, or a district manager for Olive Garden.

He was indeed darned creepy, though, once he got into the suit. And I suspect that the editing room floor (laptop trash bin?) contains a few scenes where we get a clearer, more detailed explanation of the neurological issues that the Pym Particles were responsible for. That became a plot point very late w/out us having full preparation for it.

HB

[Marvel Boy]

Aug 21, 2015 20:47:04 GMT -5 humanbelly said:

Corey Stoll was that actor's name, yeah? The guy that played Cross?

HB

I've liked Stoll, ever since I saw him in the short-lived Law & Order:Los Angeles TV show. He's been on the House of Cards show too, which the wife loves (mainly because of Spacey).

I'm going to dare to be different, in that, this film is the first Marvel film that I've been hesitant to watch in theater. That's not to say that I don't want to watch it, but my attachment to the character isn't strong enough for me to warrant paying even matinee prices to see.

Y'see, Ant-Man has never been my favorite of Pym's many guises. My intro to Pym was around the time of his Trial, after his ordeal with Egghead so I'm more accustomed to thinking of Hank in his guises of Yellowjacket and even Giant-Man. I've read very little of him as Ant-Man.

Also, while I like Scott Lang having assumed the guise, I've always felt that Marvel has never really done much to push him in that regard. During the '80s, he was mostly relegated to secondary status and guest-starring roles. Beyond his appearances in the Avengers, I mostly remember Scott for helping Tony during the opening salvos of the Armor Wars. So I've never taken a real opportunity to try and attach to the character.

So that's why I wasn't all too keen in seeing this movie at the theater. I'm glad that it's gotten great reviews and it's certainly made a great impression on you all here, which is fantastic. So when it drops down on pay-per-view, I'll definitely check it out.

[humanbelly]

Hank as Ant-Man is really a back-story element of this film, which goes a long way to giving the plot some needed depth and consequence-- but it's not really the thrust of the film at all. Definitely Scott's picture, no question. But y'know, MB, it's funny-- I don't mean this as a negative comment whatsoever, truly, but I think this was the most "television-like" of all the Cinematic U films so far, which means it may transfer to the small screen in a very friendly fashion if you do indeed decide to wait it out. From what I've tried to glean online (and it's been tough to figure out), the whole 3D option for this particular film didn't yield as many $$ as the studios seem to expect. Folks (myself included) are more than happy to see it all traditional-like and not spend an extra 3 to 5 bucks to wear glasses that inherently darken the image.

I could certainly see this working as an ongoing TV series if they ever gave that option a thought.

Just. . . still, they'd HAFTA get Evangeline Lilly outta that hairstyle stat. . .

HB

[Crimson Cowl]

Yeah, thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

Thumbs up.

[starfoxxx]

Yeah, I've always been a Marvel comics guy, with DC in second place, love Who's Who and classic Justice League, and pretty much anything George Perez did for DC in the 80s....

but when it comes to movies, Marvel is sooooo superior to DC.
I don't like ALL Marvel movies (Deadpool and Iron Man 2 & 3, I'm looking at YOU),
but both AVENGERS, Capt Americas, Thors, Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, the last 2 X-men (took a while for them to get good), the first 2 Tobey Maguire Spideys....I love these fun, well-acted super-hero movies.

I have very little interest in seeing Superman/Batman, I didn't like any of the new Superman, Batman, Green Lantern movies, and the DC TV shows just don't do it for me. (Neither does Agents of SHIELD, though)

Being such a huge comic book fanatic, it wouldnt take much for DC to produce movies to entertain me.....but they have failed miserably at capturing the spirit of the comic books like Marvel has.

[spiderwasp]

Mar 30, 2016 14:59:46 GMT -5 starfoxxx said:

Yeah, I've always been a Marvel comics guy, with DC in second place, love Who's Who and classic Justice League, and pretty much anything George Perez did for DC in the 80s....

but when it comes to movies, Marvel is sooooo superior to DC.
I don't like ALL Marvel movies (Deadpool and Iron Man 2 & 3, I'm looking at YOU),
but both AVENGERS, Capt Americas, Thors, Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, the last 2 X-men (took a while for them to get good), the first 2 Tobey Maguire Spideys....I love these fun, well-acted super-hero movies.

I have very little interest in seeing Superman/Batman, I didn't like any of the new Superman, Batman, Green Lantern movies, and the DC TV shows just don't do it for me. (Neither does Agents of SHIELD, though)

Being such a huge comic book fanatic, it wouldnt take much for DC to produce movies to entertain me.....but they have failed miserably at capturing the spirit of the comic books like Marvel has.

I agree with the movie analysis completely (With the exception that I actually did like Deadpool and the first 2 X-Men). I notice you didn't even bother to mention Fan4stic, which is probably wise. The DC movies just haven't cut it for me. I hated "Man of Steel" so much that it has stopped me, so far, from seeing Superman vs. Batman. I'll probably wait for DVD, and even then I'm not excited. I also agree that "Agents of SHIELD" has been underwhelming. Sometimes it has been very good but that's less than half the time. "Agent Carter" on the other hand has been excellent and "Daredevil" and "Jessica Jones" were both both fantastic. Where we do disagree, however, is DC TV. I love all of the DC Shows (Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Gotham). I wish DC could do half as well on the big screen and I do include the Dark Knight series in this which I thought was okay but not as impressive as most people seem to think (Only my opinion). I wish DC would connect it's universes like Marvel has done. They have excellent actors already portraying Flash, Green Arrow, Atom, Supergirl, Hawkgirl, Black Canary, Firestorm, Martian Manhunter and more. If they just used the movies to introduce Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Green Lantern (Although with better versions than I've seen of any of them) and then tie that to the TV universe, a Justice League would be ready to go. Marvel, especially Marvel Studios, just gets it.

[starfoxxx]

Mar 31, 2016 23:21:41 GMT -5 spiderwasp said:

Mar 30, 2016 14:59:46 GMT -5 starfoxxx said:

Yeah, I've always been a Marvel comics guy, with DC in second place, love Who's Who and classic Justice League, and pretty much anything George Perez did for DC in the 80s....

but when it comes to movies, Marvel is sooooo superior to DC.
I don't like ALL Marvel movies (Deadpool and Iron Man 2 & 3, I'm looking at YOU),
but both AVENGERS, Capt Americas, Thors, Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, the last 2 X-men (took a while for them to get good), the first 2 Tobey Maguire Spideys....I love these fun, well-acted super-hero movies.

I have very little interest in seeing Superman/Batman, I didn't like any of the new Superman, Batman, Green Lantern movies, and the DC TV shows just don't do it for me. (Neither does Agents of SHIELD, though)

Being such a huge comic book fanatic, it wouldnt take much for DC to produce movies to entertain me.....but they have failed miserably at capturing the spirit of the comic books like Marvel has.

I agree with the movie analysis completely (With the exception that I actually did like Deadpool and the first 2 X-Men). I notice you didn't even bother to mention Fan4stic, which is probably wise. The DC movies just haven't cut it for me. I hated "Man of Steel" so much that it has stopped me, so far, from seeing Superman vs. Batman. I'll probably wait for DVD, and even then I'm not excited. I also agree that "Agents of SHIELD" has been underwhelming. Sometimes it has been very good but that's less than half the time. "Agent Carter" on the other hand has been excellent and "Daredevil" and "Jessica Jones" were both both fantastic. Where we do disagree, however, is DC TV. I love all of the DC Shows (Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Gotham). I wish DC could do half as well on the big screen and I do include the Dark Knight series in this which I thought was okay but not as impressive as most people seem to think (Only my opinion). I wish DC would connect it's universes like Marvel has done. They have excellent actors already portraying Flash, Green Arrow, Atom, Supergirl, Hawkgirl, Black Canary, Firestorm, Martian Manhunter and more. If they just used the movies to introduce Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Green Lantern (Although with better versions than I've seen of any of them) and then tie that to the TV universe, a Justice League would be ready to go. Marvel, especially Marvel Studios, just gets it.

To be fair, I haven't watched DC Legends yet, I have a DVR full of them to watch whenever I get a chance.
I tried Arrow, Flash, and Supergirl.....wasn't impressed. I DID DVR the Supergirl with the Flash guest star, haven't watched that yet, either.
I watched the first season of Agent Carter and liked it, again, DVRed and haven't watched the 2nd season yet.

I watched the first ALIAS....got really bored, although I liked Kristen Ritter from Breaking Bad.....maybe I'll give it another look.
Haven't watche Daredevil yet, but have heard good things.

Our tastes have always been similar, spiderwasp, so I have to get my butt in gear and check out the DC Legends show soon.