Ant-Man

Hey everyone. I wanna start this post off with telling everyone how surprised I am that I haven’t written about any Marvel superhero movies yet. Other than comedies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is my secret obsession. Make fun of me if you want, but I’ve read all the comics and seen all the movies multiple times, and no series even comes close to being as bad-ass.

Ant-Man cover courtesy of http://www.imdb.com)

Today I will be reviewing Marvel’s Ant-Man (2015). Although receiving mixed reviews, I’ve come to realize that most of the people who make fun of the movie are people who have never even seen it before. I’ll admit, the name “Ant-Man” doesn't sound that amazing, but an ex-burglar receiving a suit that can shrink his size, increase his strength and control an army of ants from a scientist trying to stop bad guys from replicating his work definitely does. This is one of my all-time favorite movies and one of my favorite from the MCU.

Like usual, we will start with the actors. Paul Rudd starred as Ant-Man (Scott Lang), playing a character much different than what we are used to seeing. Rudd is more well-known for his comedies, such as Anchorman, Wet Hot American Summer, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Even though his role as Ant-Man was a little out of his comfort zone, I think he did an amazing job. I wouldn’t be surprised if this movie was the catalyst of his non-comedy movie career. He did a great job acting really well in the all the serious and dramatic scenes, while also letting his true personality shine in some of the funny scenes. I am really excited to see Rudd in future MCU films.

The plot of this movie was fantastic. In my opinion, it was one of the best story lines of all 12 movies in the MCU so far. To make a long story short, Dr. Hank Pym was forced out of his own company by his protégé, Darren Cross. Cross was infatuated with replicating Pym’s formula for the mysterious Pym Particle, which could decrease the space in between atoms while still maintaining strength. To save the world from Cross’ technology, Pym recruits the talents of master thief Scott Lang, who was just released from prison. Dr. Pym trains Lang to become the Ant-Man, teaching him how to shrink in size, possess superhuman strength, and control on army of ants using the Ant-Man suit. Using his new powers, Lang must pull off a heist to prevent Cross from perfecting the same technology and using it for evil. This story was jam-packed with amazing effects, laughs, and scenes that send chills down your arm. I also loved how they tied Ant-Man in with the Avengers. We saw cameos from Chris Evans (Captain America), Anthony Mackie (Falcon), and Evangeline Lilly (Wasp). We also heard references about Spiderman, Iron Man, The Mandarin, S.H.I.E.L.D and Hydra, and The Avengers in Sokovia.

5. First Time in the Suit

This scene has to be on the list. It’s Scott Lang’s first experience with the suit. After breaking into Dr. Pym’s house and stealing the Ant-Man suit, he tries it on and has quite the adventure. Escaping bathtubs, fights with “giant” rats and navigating through the neighbor’s party makes this scene one of the best.

4. Prison Break

After wanting nothing to do with the suit, Scott tries to return it to Dr. Pym’s house. While trying, he gets caught by the police and ends up back in jail. To help him out, Dr. Pam orders an army of his ants to deliver the shrunken Ant-Man suit. Being forced to put it on, he slips into the suit, shrinks, and escapes just in the knick of time. The rest of the scene includes his first experience with ants up close and his first time riding his flying ant, both things that make this movie amazing.

3. Infiltrating Pym Technologies
After planning the heist, the first thing to do is to break into Pym Tech. Using the water pipes, Scott breaks in with the help of an army of various ants. This scene is action-packed with plenty of amazing fighting scenes and special effects.

2. Ant-Man vs. Falcon
I couldn’t decide to make this scene #1 or #2. It’s the first time you get to really see Ant-Man in action. It takes place right after his training when Dr. Pym asks him to retrieve a piece of technology from an old facility. He flies to the building, only to realize that it’s the Avenger’s facility. There he engages in a full-fledged battle with The Falcon. Sorry for the spoilers, but Ant-Man kicks his ass.

(Ant-Man vs Yellowjacket courtesy of http://www.hollywoodreporter.com)

1. Ant-Man vs. Yellowjacket

This scene just has to be #1 on everyone’s list. It’s the final battle between Ant-Man and Yellowjacket. It mostly takes place in Scott Lang’s daughter, Cassie’s room. They fight, switching between man-size and insect-size. I love the special effects in this scene. They fight mostly in insect-size, using Cassie’s toys such as a Thomas the Train train set to fight in. Also, Scott's first time in the Quantum Realm is fun to watch. It’s really cool.