So I have gone through the last seven years of Marvel movies and along the way a lot of Superheroes have been thrown into the mix. From a man in an iron suit to a raccoon in space people have accepted the fact that Marvel, no matter how big or small the characters were could turn them into beloved sensations. So along comes Ant-Man and one would wonder how Marvel would adapt him into a great superhero for audiences to love. I think a lot of you would agree that it was done correctly and in traditional Marvel style. But one thing I have learnt from analysing the Marvel movies is that there are recurring flaws in the traditional Marvel narrative!
But first we will start with Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) who is the man in the suit. At first audiences
questioned an Ant-Man movie, but to the surprise of many he became one of the most relatable characters in the MCU. Being a man from prison, struggling with his finance and wants nothing more than to prove he is a worthy father for his daughter. He is possibly the most down to Earth and run down hero we've come across. Yet he's incredibly intelligent and has a unique set of skills that few others possess and this is what leads him to the World of a superhero. But what keeps it believable is his hilarious approach to becoming one of the World's finest heroes and how he comes to terms with it. Paul Rudd is a very fine actor and manages to balance out seriousness and comedy well in this film, being a likeable actor and character it makes it easy to follow Scott throughout the film and keep engaged with his character!
Other great casting comments go to Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, the man responsible for the Ant-Man suit and for putting Scott in it. He has a certain level of authority about him but also a playful side which allows the audience to connect with him on a certain level as well.
Being a man who lost his wife because of the suit and then forced out of his own company, you wouldn't expect him to be like that. But the serious side falls upon his daughter Hope Pym (Evangeline Lilly), working for her father she acts as a spy by working for the man who forced her father out of his company, then feeding the information she gets to Hank. So wants nothing more than to be the one in that suit but is held back by Hank because he fears losing her the way that he lost her mother. She also connects with the audience on a certain level, making the three characters a great trio to lead the film. This is a different level of character development that Marvel have gone through with protagonists and seemed to work for them. For me this helped drive the movie forward and kept me engaged in the story when Scott fully committed to the suit!
Other elements of this film work well to keep the audience engaged, like the growing threat of the main antagonist Darren Cross, Scott's daughter being his motive, his engagement with his friend Luis
(Michael Pena) who contributes to the comedy really well and even a small fight scene with Anthony Mackie's Falcon reminds us that this is still a Marvel film. All these things help drive the film forward and divert us from the fact that the narrative is quite simple and much like the first Iron Man film. At the end of the day it's a man in a suit preparing to fight another man in a suit and although it is different in so many ways it still has a plot that has been used before and not just in the first Iron Man film. I feel that Marvel should change it for upcoming opening films because it it a very predictable plot and favours the protagonist heavily!
I feel like I'm saying this too much but a lack of Darren Cross in this film led to a lot of hate being felt for the antagonist without any justification. This bugged me for a little while but after he
senselessly killed a lamb for the sake of perfecting the yellow jacket, then I just hated him. Although in an interview with zap2it after the film, Corey Stoll said that working on the suit may have affected Cross' mind, also stating that it affected Hank Pym's mind after he lost his wife. This gives some justification and it is explained in deleted scenes of the film. But he only worked on the suit when Pym didn't give away any secrets he had about the suit, giving some reason as to why he was pushed out of the company. If this is true, then why would this be left out of the film? If anything it is quite disappointing and I feel it is fairly crucial information. Corey Stoll is a great actor as he proved in 'House of Cards' and what little of him is in this film he proves to be very formidable. Although his inclusion is somewhat lacklustre and whatever action he takes it is almost ineffective. Which is another reason why it's quite annoying that information about Hank's time at the company is not given!
The films comedy is definitely on point. Not just being quick and snappy it is also relevant and enjoyable to follow. One example would be the lip sync scenes with Luis voicing over what everyone is saying, it is perfectly timed, unique and turns serious situations with a lot of information into funny moments and they are easy to follow!
I hope I didn't miss anything out with this film, even with the simple story there is a lot of information in it and definitely a strong Marvel movie. Although in my opinion one of the better MCU movies as it never seems to escape reality, almost everything in this film seems like something that can happen in real life (I hope it isn't just me that thinks that) and I like that about this film!
I Salute you for reading! :)
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