ANT-MAN - review

ANT-MAN
Director: Peyton Reed
Cast: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Evangeline Lilly, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer

Synopsis: Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burgular Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Alright, a bit behind the times on this review, I went on opening weekend and it's taken me a couple of weeks to get my butt into gear to pen this review, and although most of you have probably all seen this, I wanted to put my two-cents out there anyway.

I, along with plenty of other people, weren't convinced that ANT-MAN was the right choice for the next MCU film, although Ant-Man was one of the original Avengers in the comic book universe, he is much lesser known in the wider world of superhero appreciation. I also had some concerns regarding where they were picking up the Ant-Man story...the origin of the suit of Ant-Man is not covered and picks up a good 40 or so years after the suit is developed. You get a tiny glimpse in the first few minutes of the origin of the suit and then we pick up in current day with a much older Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and our soon to be hero Scott Lang (Paul Rudd). The concerns I had about all those things disappated fairly quickly into the film, and that made me happy.

Scott Lang discovers the suit

image via Marvel Studios

ANT-MAN is exactly what Marvel need right now. The only variation from their standard formula in a while, ANT-MAN is stripped back, down to earth, funny and with real world things at stake. It's not going to be a huge money making machine for Marvel, but for me, it's right up there with the cream of the crop of the MCU films. It has a slightly more realistic take on super heroes and villains, and yes, what Ant-Man acheives by the end of the film does in theory save the world, it's not in a high end, city-being-destroyed fashion. ANT-MAN is subtle, humourous and much more relateable than some of the earlier MCU films, and I liked it. There are still some very 'Marvel' characteristics about ANT-MAN - the villain has equal power to the hero, there is still a love interest, there are plenty of fight scenes - but it is essentially a heist movie, with some humour, fight scenes and serious kitsch thrown in.

The casting is wonderful, Paul Rudd is perfect for the role of Scott Lang aka Ant-Man, funny, charming, attractive, and yet unassuming, awkward and not super doooper buff. I'm a pretty huge fan of Paul Rudd, but I would tell you if I thought he was rubbish, but he wasn't, in fact I think he's a perfect fit for the Ant-Man character. Michael Douglas was an interesting choice for Dr. Hank Pym, and I would seriously like to congratulate the make-up artist who made Michael Douglas look like he was 20-something again! Cudos to you my friend, that is some talent you have got going on there! I forgot how much I actually liked Michael Douglas until I saw him in ANT-MAN, he's got good comedic timing and seems not to take the film too seriously which is a benefit to the film and to the role he is playing. The supporting cast in this film is well put together, and it is an instance of a true supporting cast - no one outshines anyone else, and they all have a great on screen chemistry.

Scott Lang and Hank Pym discussing the science of the suit

image via Marvel Studios

The cinematography and fight scenes are really well done, seemingly normal environments become extreme fight scene settings the instant Ant-Man shrinks down. A computer server room is a veritable array of high rise towers, the backyard is an extreme jungle setting, Thomas the Tank Engine is the equivalent of a giant freighter that would squash you in an instant. It's funny and refreshing, and the tiny fighting was thought to be all too hilarious by the Red Haired Amazona's sonofagun #2 (age 6) who couldn't get over how hilarious it was when a tiny ant was increased to the size of a golden retriever.

Ant-Man heading into battle through the carpet jungle

image via Marvel Studios

All in all, I think ANT-MAN was refreshing and hilarioius while still fulfilling all the requirements of a great superhero movie. If you haven't already I recommend spending the 20-something dollars on a ticket and seeing it on the big screen. And, as if you don't already know this about a Marvel film, stay all the way to the very end of the roll credits for a sneak peak at the next installment. There are two sneak peaks in ANT-MAN - one at the end of the graphic credits, and one at the end of the roll credits, so make sure you stay for both.

4 out of 5

xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell

SPY - review

SPY
Director: Paul Feig
Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Jason Statham, Allison Janney, Bobby Cannavale

Recently I've found Melissa McCarthy to be a little bit type cast in the stupid funny comedies, and I was thinking that SPY would be much the same - a bit of a stupid funny comedy. It was a stupid funny comedy, but it was a GOOD stupid funny comedy and McCarthy was wonderful in it.

In their last movie together Feig took a mostly male dominated genre (buddy cop) and put a female spin on it. THE HEAT was a bit of a flop for me, a stupid funny comedy that didn't hit the mark. This time round Feig has put a female spin on the spy movie genre that is again a mostly male dmoniated genre, and this time round it worked.

SPY starts off with a little nod to the traditional nature of spy movies, the woman is desk bound and the strapping young lad is off in the field doing all the dirty work. McCarthy plays the desk bound woman Susan Cooper who is the desk jockey partner, guiding her strapping partner Bradley Fine through his very exciting field missions. She has spent her entire career in his shadow, and when he goes MIA, she gets the opportunity to step up and take her place in the field. She's trained for it, she went through the academy, was quite successful, and then ended up plonked behind the desk of her mentor.

Cooper and Fine at a celebratory dinner 

The film has some amusing parodies about the very unglamours nature of the CIA office, where Cooper is located in the building's basement, and other reviewers are claiming it's a little metaphor for the way Hollywood treats actresses. Now I didn't get that at all, and I did plenty of film analysis and theme studies as an English major, and I did not pick up on that at all, and I don't know that the majority of other people would either.

Cooper is very obviously in love with her partner, Fine, and when he goes MIA, and the rest of the film follows the basic premise of FACE/OFF, in fact they make a little joke about it in the script. There's a super nuke hidden somewhere, and the only person who knows where it's hidden is the daughter of a now dead international arms dealer Rayna (Rose Byrne). Somewhow she has all the identities of the top CIA agents, and the only person left to go after her and save the world is our lovely little desk jockey Susan Cooper.

Crocker giving Cooper her first mission

Cooper's boss, Elaine Crocker (Allison Janney) gives her a 'track and report' mission, but somehow Cooper cannot help but get far more involved, leady to a serious of comedic hijinks and spy escapades. She assumes a new identity and infiltrates Rayna's circle and does her best to get to the bottom os the missing and very dangerous nuke. Cooper is surrounded by naysayers who keep telling her she can't do it and biggest of all the naysayers is Agent Rick Ford (Jason Satham) who surprisingly is a comedic genius - who knew?!

the moment of infiltration and an acid martini 

The hilarious hijinks carry on throughout the movie and McCarthy and Statham play off each other beautifully. I didn't think he had it in him to be the funny guy, but he even steals some scenes from McCarthy throughout the film. It was quite a glorious thing to watch. I'd pick a favourite bit, but I can't, it really was an all round funny movie, a little spoofy at times, but I think that was the point.

The film was wonderfully directed, Feig has done an excellent job, and the rest of the casting is great. Byrne, Law, Hart and Cannavale make for a super supporting cast, and the script is full of excellent one liners. There are some super fight and chase scenes, a few SFX, but nothing too OTT. Oh, except maybe the helicopter thing, that might have been a little OTT, but I enjoyed it anyway.

I won't go much further into it, because I want you to enjoy the film for yourself. Don't get me wrong, I don't know that this film is going to be an award winning film, but it's certainly one of the more enjoyable comedies I've seen this year and I would recommend that you go and see it if you get the chance. It's got at least 20-something dollars worth of laughs in it, if not more.

3.5 out of 5

xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell