Film Review- "Ant-Man"

Ant-Man
Directed by Peyton Reed
Starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, and Michael Douglas

Not just two months after Avengers: Age of Ultron took the Marvel-loving world by storm, here comes Ant-Man. The actual end to Phase Two, though it almost feels like the beginning of Phase Three in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's in an odd spot in the franchise, but it's an odd film…an odd film that proves to be another strong entry into the Marvel canon.

The film opens on Scott Lang (Rudd), a recently released con-man, trying to do right by his daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson). Unable to find steady work, he agrees to pull off another heist with his old partners. Stealing what he believes to be an old motorcycle suit, Scott discovers it's the technical wonder, that we the educated know as the Ant-Man suit.

It is then revealed the heist was all a test, orchestrated by Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas). Pym tells Scott he needs him to pull off a heist unlike any he's pulled before. Pym's former protege, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) has successfully recreated his formula for the Ant-Man suit, and is planning to sell his own version of the suit, the Yellowjacket, to the highest bidder. Armed with the Ant-Man suit, Scott is tasked with breaking into Cross's lab and stealing the Yellowjacket technology, before he can sell it to the wrong people, and unleash utter chaos. With the help of his con buddies, and Pym's daughter Hope (Lily), Scott sets out to save the world, and become the Ant-Man.

Ant-Man is probably one of Marvel's most unique outings, from the zany visuals, to the outrageous humor. It definitely pushes some envelopes that haven't been pushed before by Marvel, from a climatic battle atop a toy Thomas The Tank Engine, to a slightly disturbing scene with a sheep that I'm sure PETA will have something to say about. The film probably also has the most swear words dropped in an MCU film, just a fair warning for people bringing younglings with them.

It also has a bit of "anti-MCU" tone to it, poking fun at other Avengers (One in particular, in probably the best scene of the film) and events in other films. Again, an odd film, but Ant-Man is an odd hero with odd powers, so it all blends together. Somehow Peyton Reed manages to blend his vision for the film, Marvel's vision, and Edgar Wright's vision (This is the one and only time I'll be bringing Edgar Wright up here, got it?) into a balanced, entertaining film.

Paul Rudd is almost playing to type as Scott Lang, but still gives a very engaging performance. Michael Douglas is a great addition to the Marvel universe. I would like to have seen Evangeline Lily's Hope Van Dyne get a bit more depth as a character but she still works the role. Corey Stoll is deliciously smug as Darren Cross, but like some other Marvel villains, doesn't get much development. Michael Pena steals every scene he's in as Scott's partner Luis, and Bobby Canavale gets a few good scenes as Scott's ex-wife's new fiancé Paxton.

If I had to pick one bad thing about the film, I guess I found the first act to be a bit slow. I almost found myself getting bored, and arguing with my subconscious "Is this it? Is this Marvel's first dud?" Thankfully I was proven wrong, because once Scott gets the Ant-Man suit and things start getting weird, that's when the fun begins. I guess you could say Ant-Man falls victim to the tropes of any origin story, but hey if you're gonna tell an origin story…

With the release of both Age of Ultron and Ant-Man this summer, Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come to a close. Consider this, if Age of Ultron is like a thick, juicy steak with all the trimmings, than Ant-Man is the light but delicious dessert that follows it. Strange, funny, and a feast for the eyes, it's one of the most endearing and unique entries into the franchise.

Now, how many months until Captain America: Civil War? Nine? Shit…

Film Review- "Avengers: Age Of Ultron"

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Directed by Joss Whedon
Starring Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and James Spader

It's hard to believe that a sequel to The Avengers could live up to all the hype. It did what no superhero film had done before, teaming up multiple characters from multiple films. It became beloved by fans and critics alike, and is now the third highest grossing film of all time.

So after the months of epic trailers and juicy gossip, how does Age of Ultron stack up alongside Avengers, and other films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? After seeing the film for a third time in theaters (Judge me), I say it falls in the…upper-middle of the pack. Let's begin.

After going their separate ways for another round of solo films/adventures, Tony Stark/Iron Man, Steve Rogers/Captain America, Thor (and the rest!) have reassembled to take down Hydra (Who you'll remember reemerged in Captain America: The Winter Soldier). While raiding one of the last Hydra facilities in Sokovia, Tony (Downey) makes a startling discovery, and shown a very grim hallucination via Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). This leads him, along with Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to jumpstart an artificial intelligence, word-peace keeping program Ultron (Spader).

Unfortunately, Ultron becomes a little too smart for his own good. The menacing machine soon sets out to put an end to The Avengers, and all of mankind. The team sets out on an worldwide mission to stop Ultron, while also dealing with the super-powered siblings of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (Aaron-Taylor Johnson) aka Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

It may not seem like it based on that short summary, but there's a lot going on in this film. A lot of story, and a lot of characters. A heavy burden falls down on Age of Ultron. It has to act as a sequel to not just The Avengers but in some respects to Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Then it has to continue to set-up this ever expanding universe, as we prepare to go in to a huge Phase Three of the MCU, which will culminate in the third (and fourth) Avengers film, Infinity War.

Age of Ultron manages to balance a lot of its story elements...for most of the film. Some things at times are left unattended or under developed. There's so much going on you might find yourself scratching your head saying, "Wait when did that happen?" or "Wait how did we get here?" That being said, there's so much awesome, fan-pleasing moments here you might forget your concerns, because you're so enamored with what's on screen. The action scenes are some of the best in the franchise. Your eyes will be glued to the screen in awe.

Somehow, all the characters old and new, get their proper chance to shine. The one exception would have to be Thor, who halfway through the film is subjected to an underdeveloped subplot that factors into where this massive franchise is heading. Hawkeye truly get his due in this film, and is one of the best parts of it. What they've done to explain where he's been through all of Phase Two is beautiful. Hulk and Black Widow are given a romance this film. You wouldn't think it'd work, but it really grows on you, and it gives some great material to Ruffalo and Johansson. The new characters, The Vision (Paul Bettany) in particular, are great additions. I won't go into everyone's individual performances, because I think you all know by now how great this ensemble is.

Some people would say Ultron succombs to the cliche that Marvel can't make a good villain. I am not one of those people. Much like Ronan in Guardians of the Galaxy, while his motivations are one-dimensional and his character development is rushed, the actor behind the performance accelerates the character to a higher level. James Spader is at his very best as Ultron.

It's already been revealed that Joss Whedon's original cut of the film was about three and-a-half hours long (That means we missed out on an hour of footage, for those trying to do the math.), and that an extended cut will be featured on the Blu-Ray release. Hopefully this extended cut film and Whedon's original cut are one and the same, because I really feel like adding some of that hour's worth of footage would really strengthen the film.

Let me be clear, I really do enjoy Age of Ultron. It's as funny, action-packed, and fan pleasing as Marvel gets, and is arguably one of the better films in the cinematic universe. I loved it the first two times I saw it, the third time I was starting to see the cracks in the foundation. Another draft of the script, another hour in the editing bay, something could have been done to flesh the story out a bit more.  That being said, do not let that dissuade you from seeing it. It's still a wonder to see all of your favorite characters together again, and the good outweighs the bad here. No doubt Age of Ultron will still become one of the best films of the year.