Review of Ant-Man (2015) by Chester N — 31 Jan 2018

This review was previously posted on my blog, so sorry if bits of it are odd!

Recently, I've been watching the MCU films again. This is mostly due to the run-up to Avengers 3. I haven't felt the need to do reviews for most of them, but since my last post was semi-related to this film, I thought I might as well review it.

As mentioned in my previous post, Edgar Wright was briefly involved in this film. As a fan of his work, this naturally elevates the film for me. While I can't know exactly what the director was involved with, you can still clearly see his fingerprints on the finished product. The editing is also brilliant at times, keeping the pacing of the film quick. A great soundtrack is present, and some comedy moments actually work, unlike my usual experience with recent Marvel movies.

Unfortunately, the OST is a disappointment. This seems to be a frequent problem with most Marvel films. Can you, dear reader, remember an original song from a Marvel film? The only one people seem to be consistent with is the Avengers theme, which is rather odd; you have a cast of such varied and unique characters, and the music could really reflect that. Instead, songs feel like they could be taken from one film and added to another, and nobody would notice a difference.

The cinematography is decent enough. There's rarely anything mind-blowing. Most of the highlights come from various jokes relating to the ever-changing size of the protagonist. Sharp cuts to reveal how mediocre the events occurring actually are happen frequently, and almost always to great effect.

The dialogue was middling. The film falls into a painful trap, where the mentor character dumps a full scene of exposition onto our uneducated protagonist. It's rather frustrating given the fact that most viewers have already pieced the plot together. We don't need a recap. Also, there's various moments where lines are clumsily delivered. I don't know it's that's due to the actors or the writers, but regardless, parts simply don't work.

The actors in this film are also interesting. There's very few poor performances, but at the same time, the writing can often let people down. Evangeline Lily is probably the most consistent of the performers, and Corey Stoll (ignoring the dodgy dialogue and poor writing) is perfectly fine as our antagonist.

Also, rather oddly, the film seems to slip between originality and cliches rather easily. Ant-Man relishes in the standard scenes of a 'shrunken person' film, with small things being scarier, almost being stepped on and apocalyptic baths all being present. At the same time, however, moments are peculiarly mature. The protagonist isn't much of a hero. He's a convicted criminal who's just gotten out of jail. His partner has separated from him, and found a new lover, who is now acting as the father figure for their child. When I first watched the film, I expected it to end with Scott Lang (Paul Rudd)'s wife realising she really loves our protagonist, and has done all along. They'd get back together, and Scott would get full custody of his child again etc. Instead, it takes a far more mature route, and Scott finds a romantic interest of his own, while still remaining on good terms with his previous partner and her new lover.

Typically, the film has quite a few random issues. There's a jarring absence of blood, despite characters being shot. There's also moments where it's clear we're meant to be feeling some sort of emotion (and perhaps I'm just a sociopath) but I felt little to nothing at the 'sad moments'. Also, the villain is simply awful. Again, however, this is annoyingly common with Marvel movies. Still, was a villainous Jeff Bezos the best they had to offer?

The film is ultimately bland, but perfectly serviceable. It's an incredibly average Marvel movie, with depressing glimpses of real inspiration. I'll give it a 6/10. If you're a Marvel fan who's yet to watch it, and are curious as to how important it is to the overarching MCU plot, I imagine you can skip it. The next film in the series, Captain America: Civil War does feature elements of this film, but it's not really mandatory viewing. Still, if you have the time, there are worse ways to spend it.