Review of Ant-Man (2015) by Theapplegnome — 21 Jul 2015

Marvel’s first anti-mainstream movie in a smaller scale is here, and it totally stands out as a completely separate continuation of the MCU.

Ant-Man is a movie that perhaps is going to be one of Marvel’s smallest films from a box-office perspective. But even though the storyline is just as tiny as the Ant-Man himself; is the whole concept something entirely new to the superhero-genre. Sure this isn't a big, somewhat epic and an all knowing Avengers flick; no this is something completely else and it stands on its own, flawless ant-legs. My expectations were mixed before entering the cinema; yes both the Wright-predicament and the box office-performance did worry me, but the reviews did sound generally positive so I entered Ant-Man with a big-high expected smile. And after seeing it; well it’s definitely a great and almost flawless start of this new character into the MCU. My only concern about the movie are small things that could have been even greater, but let me first mention these aspects that should make you go and watch it, because it’s worth your time!

+ The heist genre is one big aspect, I really love these kind of movies and it gives the movie tempo and a real feeling to it. Just the excitement is excellent! From the look of the trailers may some people, including me, be concerned that Ant-Man might be a silly movie; I thought so but I’m glad I was wrong! It’s not silly at all, if it’s something well it’s definitely awesome with its unique concept and action! Another aspect is the characters; Hope van Dyne & Hank Pym is especially superb in this movie! Characters are one of Marvel’s biggest strengths and Ant-Man is no exception! The actors are just as stunning, not to mention the charming and non-forced dialogs that fits perfectly, even the jokes fits perfect! Ant-Man is also beautifully shot and visualized, not to mention the great CGI. Many do say that this is one of Marvel’s funniest movies, and I can agree that it’s funny, but not as hilarious as what the general public thinks. But sure the smart Marvel meta-references are hilarious and it really is a comedy from time to time.

- It might be flawless, but there are some things that could have been greater. First of all is the tempo. The first act felt a bit too slow and yes I did enjoy all the humor and character introductions, but I wanted to see more than that; more Ant-Man and even more action-sequences throughout the whole movie. I therefor wanted more speed, even though it still worked great for me. It’s the same with the climax; I wanted more and even more unique visuals than what we saw in the trailers. But it really is a hilarious movie with many unpredictable events! But some parts of the movie had too much clichés, especially the bad-dangerous-company-villain that we have seen in so many movies before. The soundtrack is another aspect; I never felt that the music defined Ant-Man and make the whole movie magical. Music can make everything greater, and with a stunning soundtrack that could define Ant-Man and make him epic, that's what's missing! But other than that isn't Ant-Man that bad really.

Sure it could have been better as certain places, but the aspects that really makes this new Marvel flick great is the (but sometimes overrated) jokes, the stunning characters, unpredictable and great plot and the (but perhaps too few) action-sequences. It might not be as hilarious as Guardians of The Galaxy, but Ant-Man stands out like no other Marvel-movie out there with its random nuanced jokes and a greatly unique plot. And even though it didn't live up all the way to my expectations, I'm still giving it a score of 8/10.