ANT-MAN (2015) MOVIE NEWS & REVIEW

ANT-man (2015) movie

Genre             |  Action Adventure

Classification   |   M

Running time   |   117 minutes

Released         |   16 July 2015

cast

Paul Rudd ... Scott Lang / Ant-Man
Michael Douglas ... Dr. Hank Pym
Evangeline Lilly ... Hope van Dyne
Corey Stoll ... Darren Cross
Bobby Cannavale ... Paxton
Judy Greer ... Maggie Lang
Abby Ryder Fortson ... Cassie Lang
Anthony Mackie ... Sam Wilson

director

Peyton Reed

writer

​Edgar Wright ... (screenplay by) &
Joe Cornish ... (screenplay by) and
Adam McKay ... (screenplay by) &
Paul Rudd ... (screenplay by)
 
Edgar Wright ... (story by) &
Joe Cornish ... (story by)
 
Stan Lee ... (based on the Marvel comics by) and
Larry Lieber ... (based on the Marvel comics by) and
Jack Kirby ... (based on the Marvel comics by)

cinematographer

​Russell Carpenter ... director of photography

music

​Christophe Beck

film editor

Dan Lebental
Colby Parker Jr.

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box office result

Worldwide             $​​​​519,311,965  ​  

Australia                 $​​​​​​10,901,077

North America       $​​​​180,202,163

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the best dialogue

Scott Lang: My days of breaking into places and stealing shit are over! What do you need me to do?
Hank Pym: ...I want you to break into a place and steal some shit.
Scott Lang: ...makes sense.

Hank Pym: Scott?
Scott Lang: Yeah?
Hank Pym: You're full of shit.
Scott Lang: Oh yeah.

Scott Lang: I think our first move should be calling the Avengers.
Hank Pym: I spent thirty years protecting that technology from a Stark, I sure as hell don't intend to give it to another! This isn't cute technology like the Iron Man suit! This could change the techs of reality! Besides, they must already have their hands busy throwing cities out of the sky...

ANT-MAN (2015) MOVIE IMAGES

Images

Posters

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Posters

ANT-MAN (2015) STORY SYNOPSIS

​Forced out of his own company by former protégé Darren Cross, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) recruits the talents of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a master thief just released from prison. Lang becomes Ant-Man, trained by Pym and armed with a suit that allows him to shrink in size, possess superhuman strength and control an army of ants. The miniature hero must use his new skills to prevent Cross, also known as Yellowjacket, from perfecting the same technology and using it as a weapon for evil.

ANT-MAN (2015) MOVIE REVIEW

Reviewed by Mark Geraghty   |   Review date 13 July 2015
​Pop Movee Rating ⭐⭐⭐½

There will be people looking to find a way to talk down Marvel Studio’s latest offering: ANT-MAN. They may be unhappy fans or cynical critics looking to capitalize of the movie's protracted journey to the screen, which included the departure of its creative champion – Edgar Wright – from the Marvel fold in early 2014. There will be naysayers looking to herald that the king of the comic book movie jungle may finally have a bon-a-fide flop on their hands. Having now seen the finished product (in all its IMAX glory; no less), it’s safe to say that Peyton Reed, the director-for-hire who took over when Wright departed the project, has delivered Marvel its most intimate, engaging and enjoyable Earth-bound Superhero film since 2008’s IRON MAN.

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is an ex-con looking to get back into the real world, but just can’t seem to cut a break. The self-described “burglar” is trying to do the right thing to win visitation access to his daughter but his ex-wife Maggie (Judy Greer) and her San Francisco PD fiancé Paxton (Bobby Cannavale) aren’t making it easy. Lang finally caves to the cajoling of his small-time crime buddy Luis (Michael Pena) and gets sucked into pulling a break-in on the home of an old, retired rich guy who turns out to be Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). Lang doesn’t realize it, but by pulling the burglary, he’s bitten off more than he can chew and embroiled himself in a game of technological terror against Pym’s one-time protégé Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), who is seeking to weaponize Pym’s most prized research. Things go really pear-shaped when Pym’s daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) has Lang arrested for stealing a piece of old, but very valuable technology; setting in motion a chain of events for Lang to become the Ant-Man!

ANT-MAN ticks all the boxes if you’re a fan of the Marvel movies. It references the comic book canon, accommodates the current events of the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe, introduces new & interesting characters (along with some already established ones, as well) and adds a dimension to the overall cinematic mythology that didn’t previously exist. Like 2014’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, ANT-MAN makes a big effort to provide diversity and show that Marvel can tone down the “end of the world” premise without losing its core comic book appeal. While some of the humour injected by Reed and Adam McKay (his co-contributor to their version of the screenplay) is played a little too broadly, there remains an element of Edgar Wright & Joe Cornish’s original screenplay that moves ANT-MAN into territory that is different and refreshing for a Marvel film. Lang’s first foray in the Ant-Man suit is a lot like watching parts of SCOTT PILGRIM vs THE WORLD, as the under-sized superhero comes to terms with his completely disorientating transformation and, in order, is forced to run for his life from a freshly-run bath, a makeshift apartment disco and one of the biggest rats to ever grace the Silver Screen (relatively speaking)!

Paul Rudd and Corey Stoll are both fine as the duelling Ant-Man and Yellowjacket, but it’s the supporting players who really turn ANT-MAN into a film worth watching. Many younger viewers won’t really associate with Michael Douglas the Movie Star, but the veteran delivers a great performance that grounds the rest of the film’s fantastique carry-on in some sort of relatable reality. It’s easy to forget just how good an actor he is, but, despite some recent real-life battles, Douglas puts it all behind him and shows why he was such an important addition to the cast of ANT-MAN. Evangeline Lilly is not quite as strong as Douglas, but she’s pretty close. Potentially, Lilly’s Hope van Dyne was a weak link in this film, but it turns out she brings a combination of kick-ass and sex appeal that makes Rudd’s performance appear a whole lot better than what it actually is. There’s a scene about two-thirds of the way through the film (between Douglas & Lilly) that is truly fantastic, but, is let down by some silly writing that all concerned should have known better than to allow to happen. (You’ll know it when you see it…)

The stand-out performance of ANT-MAN, despite the presence of Douglas, belongs to Michael Pena. While Edgar Wright’s departure form ANT-MAN was seen as a loss at the time, Pena may have been the single biggest beneficiary of his departure. Peyton Reed presents Pena as an expository character and but uses a unique third-person narrative framing for him to deliver huge chunks of information in flashback format that allow the viewer pick-up what the hell is going on and run with it. The bonus is that it’s exceptionally funny! Without ever knowing, there is a suspicion to argue that an Edgar Wright-directed version of ANT-MAN would have used Pena in a far more extreme manner and may have run the risk of alienating the viewer. Yes, it’s supposition, but it’s worth considering the pros and cons that Wright’s version of the film would have thrown up. Regardless, in the finished cut, Pena shines and his comedic timing is one of ANT-MAN’s genuine pleasures.

It’s a tribute to the team who were brought in by Marvel to take-over from Wright and get ANT-MAN to the screen that they have mounted as successful an outing as they have. There are some great moments of emotion, levity and quirkiness to be found in this film. It has a very different and unique visual aesthetic that is a product of its lengthy development process, but is the better for it. It helps deliver a more differentiated Marvel movie, just when it seemed all the Earth-bound adventures were feeling were much the same. In a lot of ways, ANT-MAN is the perfect way to put the exclamation mark on the end of Marvel’s Phase Two films. An old superhero makes way for a new superhero at a time when the need to fight the real enemy has never been greater. In spite of the circumstances, Scott Lang has started down the path as a superhero, but he has a long way to go before he can match the heroics of Hank Pym’s original Ant-Man. The great thing about ANT-MAN the movie is that it’s the beginning of the journey; not the end.

ANT-MAN (2015) USEFUL LINKS

​Ant-Man (film) - Wikipedia
​Ant-Man (2015) - IMDb
​Ant-Man (2015) - Rotten Tomatoes

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