GothamGal on Knowing a Guy: A Review of Marvel’s Ant-Man
I need to preface this review with a note. I am not a huge Ant Man fan. Apart from the research I did for Age of Ultron and a few other projects I have done here and there, I was very unfamiliar with one of Marvel’s tiniest players. So we chose the IMAX 3D showing (our first!) for this particular film purely because of the timing and it worked out perfectly. The theatre was not completely busy and there was a good mix of families and comic fans–although the family who brought the baby should have taken the baby outside the two times that the baby was crying loudly and for a few minutes.
Scott Lang needs a break, just released from prison after his heroic Robin Hood-esque heist, he is having a rough time meeting his ex-wife’s requirements of getting the job and securing an apartment so he can see his daughter. Deciding he only has one choice, he gets back with his best friend and two other ex-cons who pull a job. It seems simple enough, especially with his degree in electrical engineering. But using all the tech to break into a safe, he only finds another safe–and behind that safe is an old ‘motorcycle suit.’ Looks can be deceiving, and soon Scott is working with Dr. Hank Pym and Pym’s estranged daughter, Hope, to stop the corporation Pym started (and was forced out of) from militarizing and weaponizing the technology that could save the World. But, with the police hot on Scott’s tale, and some shadow forces at work, with Scott be able to save the day and get to his daughter, or is he headed back to jail?
I thoroughly enjoyed Ant-Man, much more than I thought I might. As I am not too familiar with Pym, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read a bunch of comics before the movie (as I normally do, via Marvel Unlimited) in order to color the experience. I wanted to walk in with no expectations. And I did, which served me well. This is, by far, the most family-friendly of the Marvel Universe. There was Thomas the Train, giant bugs, and very little language–but a TON of great comedy.
Paul Rudd, as Scott Lang, had the perfect balance of comedy, heart and action. I was so happy that he was in the role as Scott, and I really could not see another actor in Hollywood pull this off, with the balance Rudd has. I would almost say this was written for him! Secondly, though there were no badly-written characters (Special nod to Agent Carter!!!), Michael Pena almost stole the show, with his storytelling and the way he always seems to know a guy.
We even got a free souvenir (A giant ticket) from the showing, so it was totally worth having a memento of the day–I most DEFINITELY enjoyed the IMAX 3D experience–the only motion sickness I got were from the animated scenes before the movie (the theatre advertising it was IMAX and that the movie was starting). Marvel and everyone associated with the movie did such an amazing job. Go see Marvel’s Ant-Man today–even if you are not a comic fan, you’ll find this to be a fun movie, perfect for the summer!
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