Ant-Man

This review may contain spoilers!

Marvel has produced an other fantastic original feature that has quickly taken place in my top three Marvel films of all time. I would give Ant-Man a 9/10.

This film set a similar tone to Guardians of the Galaxy in terms of how they fleshed out the comedic elements but they excelled in creating an origin story that had some brilliant originality to it. This film flowed perfectly, every scene having purpose. In fact there hasn't been a Marvel solo protagonist this likeable in their own film since Tony Stark in Iron Man. The special effects within this film are jaw dropping; the way a hero who shrinks is approached is really an incredible feat and a whole new realm of imagery for Marvel. The cinematography really compliments this, looking sleek and moving swiftly to capture the seamless action sequences. The stunt and fight choreography within this film was well presented and felt incredibly natural. Furthermore the music within this movie was perfect for the overall heist tone; and I need to give a bit of credit to 'Disintegration' by the Cure for making me crack up in a half full cinema.

Paul Rudd, who played Scott Lang, was immediately one of the most charming heroes of the MCU; it's Rudd's portrayal of a father figure desperate to connect with his daughter that really spurs the film on. Evangeline Lilly, who played Hope van Dyne, was a fiercely stubborn match to Douglas and Rudd within this film; one of the best scenes of the movie was when she broke down in front of Douglas when they were talking about Hope's mother. Corey Stoll, who played Darren Cross, is one of my favourite Marvel villains to date; his arrogance and erratic breakdowns really made him quite a great villain to watch. Bobby Cannavale, who played Paxton, was a really great cop character but also father figure; I liked that this movie wasn't afraid to show how much both a Dad and a Stepdad can care for a child. Anthony Mackie, who played Sam Wilson, was a welcome return to a Marvel feature; his no nonsense banter and solid tough fighter really worked alongside Paul Rudd. Abby Ryder Fortson, who played Cassie Lang, is one of the best child actors that I've seen; she's incredibly funny and makes some quite natural quips in the film. Michael Pena, who played Luis, is easily the funniest and most entertaining character of the film; his flashback scenes are easily some of the highlights of the film to the extent that they create the best ending to a Marvel film that I've seen. T.I, who played Dave, was another really amusing character; he's definitely quick to steal the show with some fantastic lines.

However the best performance of the film came from Michael Douglas, who played Dr. Hank Pym. Douglas introduced us to a character who was abrupt and very cynical; immediately his mentor role is established an well grounded. As the film progresses we see Douglas match the rest of the cast's comedic capacity and we see the drive he puts in all of his scenes. His chemistry with Lilly is the highlight of the film and the scenes where he doesn't know how to speak to her all the more powerful for it. Douglas has created a really interesting character in Pym and I can't wait to see where this goes in the future.

My only problem with Ant-Man was that the stakes never felt too high; there was plenty of suspense sure, but it never reached a point where you feared the outcome of the plot as a whole. The ending was clear from the very beginning.

Judy Greer, who played Maggie Lang, really lacked screen presence in the film; Greer continues to struggle to act naturally and always presents a very artificial role. David Dastmalchian, who played Kurt, just lacked the comedic talent his co-stars did; beyond that he really had very little chemistry with Rudd and Pena. Hayley Atwell and John Slattery, who played Peggy Carter and Howard Stark respectively, gave one of the more humdrum cameos I've seen in a Marvel film; seeing them again had little impact as an audience member. Martin Donovan, who played Mitchell Carson, was quite a weak antagonist; he really lacked screen presence and wasn't all that interesting.