We’ve got a sweet mega-review for Ant-Man, Marvel’s opening act for Phase 3 of it’s Cinematic Universe and the debut adventure for Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) in the Ant-Man costume.
The basic story is that Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), the original Ant-Man, has grown old and has discovered that his former pupil, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), is very close to replicating his secret shrinking technology. Pym then recruits former criminal Scott Lang, masterfully played by the unaging Paul Rudd, to use the Ant-Man suit to thwart Cross with the help of his estranged daughter, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly).
Read on to see how four members of the Sub-Cultured team break down the film as well as their feelings on how this stands against previous films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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To say I entered Ant-Man with minimal expectations is putting it lightly. I wasn’t quite sure how the whole Hank Pym/Scott Lang story was going to fit in the MCU. Since announcements that Ultron would be Iron Man-created instead of the brain child of Pym, I had been feeling bitter; production issues added to the sour taste in my mouth. Luckily, Marvel has churned out another hit with the charmingly handsome Paul Rudd in the title role. Although the villain is laughably cheesy (seriously, Marvel, write your villains better), and the one female lead is frustratingly sidelined (but there’s Hope for the future), there’s still a lot of really good heart in the film.
Toss in a few cameos, and a scene stealing side character, and I was entertained enough to leave the theater grinning. Also, minus the handful of swear words, Ant-Man is definitely friendly for the whole family. But be warned, all viewers may leave with a soft spot for the ants themselves!
Leia Calderon
Editor
@ladyvader99
The second most prominent feature would is been the fight scene with the Falcon. It sort of felt stuck in, but it was used quite effectively when Hydra became involved in the story and of course in the second post credits scene showing how Ant-Man is going to be drawn into Captain America: Civil War. Not only did that fight give Ant-Man an informal introduction to the rest of the Marvel franchise, it was a great demonstration for how powerful the Ant-Man suit is and helped develop another point in the plot: Hydra is coming back.
There were two things that did annoy me in Ant-Man, not that I’d refuse to see it again, but are big enough for me to mention them as problem areas. The first would be that the humor I appreciated so much during the film sometimes made characters into unflattering caricatures. I am talking mostly about the side characters Lang works with for the heist scenes and to a lesser degree Darren Cross as a villain. It’s tough to create minor or opposing characters that aren’t punch lines in some way, but it might have been nice to give them some depth beyond their respective skill sets and roles. The other, which is more pressing, is a huge lack of Hope. Aside from the generic training montage, we don’t actually get to see much of her in action and that’s disappointing. Throughout the movie we are given a first rate education on how she’s so much better at controlling ants and being in charge of the suit than Lang. It’s even a huge part in the dialogue that she’s more qualified in every way to stop Cross than Lang, but the plot and Hank Pym prevent Hope from doing so. Alas all we get is a post credits scene and the vague promise she’ll be in a future film; not even her own film.
I liked Ant-Man. I liked Paul Rudd, especially when he was wearing his hoodie. I think the cinematography was the best part of the movie. I haven’t read any Ant-Man books, but I thought that this fit well into the MCU. I wish that there had been more for Hope to do, or that she had actually been trained after her fight with Hank, instead of just agreeing to train Scott. It felt like a strong attempt for a feminist hero, but ultimately a failed one. I hope that the final scene means that the next movie will be called “Wasp” –but realistically that’s not going to happen.
Sam Wilson’s extended cameo was fan-fucking-tastic. The post-end credits scene certainly wasn’t long enough–I miss me some Bucky on the big screen. In conclusion, Bucky.
Jen Schiller
Staff Writer
@jenisaur
While Ant-Man was an enjoyable movie, in my opinion it was the worst Marvel movie to date. Hank Pym was a weaker character and not at all like the Hank Pym from the comics that I know. I would have like to see them push the envelope and show a bit more of his aggression/ego issues. Especially since he isn’t the main character. Darren Cross was incredibly flat as a character, which made him a super one dimensional villain which annoyed me and felt he could have been done significantly better.
Jeremy Harris
Contributor
Images and video courtesy of Marvel.com
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If you’ve paid attention to what Marvel’s been up to, you’ll notice the words “Phase 2” lurking over the collective films coming out from 2013-2015 which include Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Captain America 2, Avengers 2, Ant-Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy. While this might be the first time we all squeal over impending sequels and trilogies, the fangirl within can’t help but look off into what the future might hold as this is the best time to be a comic geek. Hundreds of heroes are waiting in the wings with years of story telling just begging to be brought to the big screen. While I would personally LOVE a buddy cop type of flick with Nick Fury and Agent “Cheese” Coulson, I’m going to try to be realistic in my wish list below. These are in addition to whatever other installments of Thor, Captain America, and Avengers Marvel decides to have greenlit, so let’s take a look, shall we?
1. Doctor Strange
Destined to become the occult master Sorceror Supreme, Stephen wasn’t the same after the death of his younger sister, and although he accomplished much in the medical field, his talents and withdrawal from everyone made him arrogant. More family tragedy led to a smaller personal tragedy, but this one left him unable to utilize his considerable medical talents, talents that had given him a vast fortune. He turned to drinking and soon squandered his money in hopes of finding a way to re-enter medicine. Whispers of the Ancient One led him to Tibet and he began studying every bit of the occult he could. He eventually teams up with the Fantastic Four, Thor, and in time, became a valuable member of the Avengers. All that magic and tragedy brought to screen would be fascinating to watch and I can’t help but hope that this sad little doctor gets his chance to shine. The fan favorite casting choice for Stephen seems to be a man already well versed in playing a doctor, one Patrick Dempsey.
2. The Runaways
What about the children!? It’s a glaring oversight in comics everywhere. Yes, heroes save the day after pummeling villains, but don’t they ever reproduce? The Runaways revolves around the pre-teen/teen offspring of Los Angeles’ most ruthless gang, The Pride. Thinking their parents were just organizing a charity fundraiser, their way of life is shattered when they stumble upon their parents sacrificing innocents to further their evil. Each kid has powers or a talent that are wonderfully explored through vibrant writing and even more awesome art. As they try to atone for their parents’ evil doing, they come across some very familiar faces (Captain America, Cloak and Dagger to name a couple) and help out in the crossover events like Civil War and Secret Invasion. Development was already underway in early 2010 and when the last bit of news surfaced late last yeat, it was tentatively scheduled for 2015 after Marvel decided to focus on the Avengers. With magic users, aliens, and a badass bio-engineered velociraptor, I definitely think The Runaways could make a fantastic flick.
3. The Hulk
I feel like it is safe to say that everyone’s issues with Mark Ruffalo being cast as Bruce Banner were utterly destroyed upon watching The Avengers. An actor I felt was mediocre at best in rom-com after rom-com was not okay with me as scientist turned monster, Banner. Luckily, Ruffalo exceeded expectations from that first yell at Black Widow and I was convinced he was perfect. Now, it feels like he’ll be on the back burner for quite a while, assuming he only makes cameos in the already announced movies, before he has his very own film. I hated both the Norton and Bana iincarnations with a passion so even if Whedon isn’t helming it, I’ll be excited to see Ruffalo slip on the mo-cap outfit once more to provide us with the first fun Hulk I’ve seen since Ferrigno in the (hopefully) near future.
4. Cloak and Dagger
This duo has been in talks for a TV show and movie for so long, it’s just like COME ON, ALREADY! They’re a team not many are aware of and their origin is the perfect stuff of superhero story sure to stay with you. Rich girl Tandy and poor boy Tyrone met in New York City as runaways, each leaving a life of hardship and became fast friends. Hold your horses though as this isn’t a tale about a guy being friendzoned! Tyrone and Tandy’s mutant genes activate after a brush with a synthetic heroin drug being tested on them against their will and formed a tight bond of dark and light, becoming Cloak and Dagger. I can see this property being turned into a TV show as the war on drugs that is a prime driving force behind their stories as definitely something that could have a positive influence on kids and adults alike. As far as who I’d like to be cast in it….well, I don’t have an answer for you. I think the actors would need to be young-ish and internet searches have shown Hayden Panettiere as top choice for Tandy, but I don’t quite feel like she’s right, but what do I know!? I’m just a girl on the internet.
5. Iron Fist
Danny Rand is one of my all time favorite characters in t he Marvel Universe as he’s one of those “believable” characters that have a superpower that isn’t really a superpower (or is it?). Already an accomplished martial artist, Danny was lucky enough to plunge his fists into the heart of a dying dragon and was infused with its mega energy which, paired with his ability to channel his chi to boost up his sense to extraordinary levels, makes him quite formidable to go up against. His origin story is a sad one, but I think those Asian influences would work beautifully in a feature length film, and not just because I want to see a dragon and general kickass-ery. Okay, fine, you caught me in a lie, but this could be an amazing action type film with fights everywhere so someone like actor/pro fighter Scott Adkins would be perfect to deliver those blows in real time against unsuspecting goons. Yes, this has the highest potential to be cheesy as hell, but it also provides the perfect opportunity to introduce:
6. Luke Cage
An experimental procedure gone wrong left Carl Lucas with skin impervious to harm and enhanced his muscles, strength, and durability, something that boosted his street fighting to a fearful force to be reckoned with. After becoming a “hero for hire”, he teamed up with Iron Fist for a while and went up against Doctor Doom in one of his first fights before finally teaming up with the Avengers. This is particularly interesting as Doctor Doom is included in some movie rights that just made its way back to Marvel. The fans with the internet at their fingertips all seem to yearn for Mekhi Phifer to don that yellow shirt!
7. Black Panther
He’s been hinted at in Iron Man. He has had a movie in the works since 1992. In case you can’t do math, that’s TWENTY years ago. As recently as July 9, 2012, rumors are still rampant, with the latest being Raw Leiba cast as Black Panther nemesis, Erik Killmonger. I feel like it’s safe to say that Black Panther is the most certain out of every property on this list to hit the big screen. As for T’Challa himself, King of Wakanda, I would LOOOOOOOOOOVE an established actor like Djimon Hounsou to portray him, but the biggest outcry I fear would be over his age, to which I say: “SHUT UP.”
8. Namor
Namor is probably one of the least known heroes on this list, so think of him like the Marvel version of Aquaman, except…much more arrogant and willing to sleep with any lady of the Marvelverse. He’s arrogant royalty at its best and routinely strikes first and asks questions later. With villains like Tiger Shark (who Vin Diesel could play WONDERFULLY) and Attuma (here, I’d cast Tom Hardy), Namor could potentially be a LOt of action-filled fun. When I started to think about who would play the leading man, I came up blank several times. I thought over the usual dark haired actors who are popular and dismissed each one. Who could possibly pull off the haughtiness, that sneer of entitlement? Then, as I was watching previews on a movie I rented, I saw Johnathan Rhys Meyers. He’s played an asshole more often than not so it’d be a believable role, but he’d have to buff up significantly, a feat many actors have accomplished. All that aside, I think Namor is the least likely on this list.
9. Daredevil
I don’t like Ben Affleck. I didn’t like the Daredevil movie. I feel that maybe if Marvel is behind this hero and gives him proper movie justice, maybe I’ll be more into Daredevil as all I’ve read is 7 issues of Kevin Smith’s run, which I liked, but haven’t continued. I only ask that maybe Sean Astin be cast as Foggy.
10. Fantastic Four
I know these rights haven’t quite reverted back to Marvel (or have they?), but please, PLEASE can I get a real movie and not this two movie travesty that had a swirling cloud of doom for Galactus?! They got it right with Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm, but holy cow was Jessica Alba sorely miscast. Again, I’m not the biggest F4 fan out there, but I enjoy their rogue gallery so it would be great to have those show up in a potential trilogie.
Well, you’ve seen my list, so what’s yours?
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