Movie Review: Ant-Man (2015)

Courtesy: Marvel

Starring Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lily, and Corey Stoll

Directed by Peyton Reed

Rated PG-13

My Rating: ****/5

In the wake of the massive success of "Avengers: Age of Ultron", it's clear that Marvel can now sell its lesser-known heroes in a manner that makes them accessible to not only the built-in audience of the comics; but also to the average moviegoer in a manner that appeals to both. Nowhere is that more apparent than with the newest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, "Ant-Man."

The story begins in 1989, when scientist Hank Pym (Douglas) is voted out of his own company by protege Darren Cross (Stoll) for refusing to relinquish the secrets behind the technology of the Ant-Man suit; which can shrink the wearer to the size of an ant and give them the abilities one possesses.

In the present day; Scott Lang (Rudd) is a thief who has been newly-released from prison and given a new chance to do great things when Pym catches him trying to steal the suit. Along with the help of his daughter Hope (Lily); they train him to use the suit to pull of heists as Cross is attempting to weaponize the technology in the form of a suit known as the Yellow Jacket.

If the above premise sounds silly, you'd be right. While the character may not be familiar with the general public the way Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and the X-Men are (to the point where the film occupied the spot the former two would have had for Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice, now on track for March 25, 2016); the film is unabashedly self-aware of the ridiculousness of the concept, and bathes in a modern-day origin story for a hero with roots in Silver age comic book ludicrousness. Cross even mentions the "Tales to Astonish" line that the character was first published in.

The result is a film that's in a world all its own. While there are some sprinkled Easter eggs for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the form of dealing with the climax of "Age of Ultron" (watch for a cameo from Anthony Mackie as Sam "The Falcon" Wilson); the film is largely at its best when it works as fun escapism. Seeing Lang trying to get the gist of how the suit works leads to some of the most creative action scenes and special effects of the movie; recalling 1950s classics such as "Them" and "The Incredible Shrinking Man." Marvel easily got their money's worth of their $130 million budget; with a plethora of innovative camera work and scale, from when Scott first puts on the suit to when he faces Cross in a climactic battle against him as Yellow Jacket- in the presence of his daughter's Thomas the Tank Engine train set, no less.

One admitted flaw is the pacing. While the film does have a very fanciful tone; it also uses editing in a manner that rarely gives the viewer a moment to breathe before the next scene happens. That said, it does at least take every opportunity to poke fun at the fact, since the characters also react in a manner anyone would at a setup like this.

With the film being a surprise hit; dropping less at the box office in six weeks than the infamous "Fantastic Four" reboot did in three, the character is expected to play a large part in Phase 3 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; which the film helps set up. In the vein of the first "Iron Man" or "Guardians of the Galaxy," "Ant-Man" is a big surprise as Marvel's biggest little movie ever. With a sense of childlike wonder and thrill in the film's 115-minute runtime; it's the most fun I've had at the movies in a long time.

Movie Review: Fantastic Four (2015)

Courtesy: Fox/Marvel

Starring Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, and Toby Kebbel
Directed by Josh Trank
Rated PG-13
My Rating: ***1/2:5

Much like the "Terminator" franchise, the Fantastic Four have had an interesting film history behind them. The first attempt to make a movie out of Marvel's first family in 1994; produced by B-movie master Roger Corman, ultimately went unreleased officially (the film, in its entirety, can be seen on YouTube for those curious). Despite a modest success of two films in the mid-2000s by Tim Story; they ultimately never reached the "Spider-Man" or "X-Men" level grosses that Fox was expecting, leading to this new film by director Josh Trank (whose low-budget film "Chronicle" was a sleeper hit in early 2012, making back its modest $3 million budget twenty times over).

Yet, despite the hype for this entry and the vitriol critics and fans have lambasted it with (the film currently holds a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it objectively worse than the likes of "Batman and Robin" and "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace"), this version of "Fantastic Four" does mark a slight improvement over Story's duology even if it never truly lives up to its namesake.

The film begins with a young Reed Richards and Ben Grimm (Teller and Bell) trying to find the key to inter-dimensional travel; but their efforts are met with derision from the public (including a skeptical science teacher played by Dan Castellaneta, conveying qualities normally reserved for his role as Homer Simpson). Undeterred, they find a backer in the Baxter foundation; and allies in Johnny Storm (Jordan; who managed to give a calm response to less than sensitive criticism leveled against his casting) and his adoptive sister Susan (Mara). Victor Von Doom (Kebbel) is also enlisted to help perfect the portal to a barren wasteland known as Planet Zero; despite his misanthropic attitude and reputation as a cyberterrorist in his native Latveria (his introductory scene shows him playing Counter-Strike and listening to classical music; blending his comic portrayal with elements of WikiLeaks founder and rogue journalist Julian Assange with Alex de Large of "A Clockwork Orange").

Of course, the origin story proceeds as follows; with the experiment going awry and the Four getting caught in the crossfire. What begins as a sort of character study of what might happen if four college kids gain superpowers suddenly becomes a haunting and horrific thriller that; while never reaching the heights that The Dark Knight Saga or the Marvel Cinematic Universe have with comic book superheroes; manages to distinguish itself from Story's duology and craft a unique version of the Four that explores how their powers affect them as people and not just vehicles for clever dialogue or explosive action.

Even so; it's understandable where most of the criticism is coming from. Despite the script being co-written by Trank along side "X-Men" alum Simon Kinsberg (with Jeremy Slater later being brought on); the way the film treats the Four as outcasts can get a bit ridiculous at times, as can the way the side characters behave towards them (certain scenes before the cosmic storm and afterward caused unintentional laughter in the theater were this film was being shown). While not abysmally bad as its reputation might suggest; it also lacks the bigger thrills and more elaborate action setups of other dark re-imaginings of superheroes that this film is clearly trying to emulate (notable strains of "The Dark Knight," "Man of Steel;" "X-Men: Days of Future Past" and the bulk of the Marvel Cinematic Universe seem to have been cribbed by Fox for this film).

Inevitably, the Four unite despite their initial rough start in time for the climactic final battle against Doom in Planet Zero. What should have been the ideal way to closeout a summer that featured the Avengers clashing with Ultron in Eastern Europe instead cements the film as a glorified after-school special with a budget of $122 million. Each of the Four somehow have their familiar powers rendered in an even more cartoonish manner than Story's duology despite roughly 8-10 years of advances in special effects. With the combined might of Reed's elasticity, Susan's invisibility, the Human Torch's flames and the Thing's stone body whaling on Doom (whose final form appears to be a cybergoth dancer stolen from "The Matrix" trilogy); it's easily the most overstuffed way to spend 100 minutes in a long time. The CGI starts to wear so thin with each passing minute; it's comparable to a game of "Marvel VS Capcom."

While the Four and Fox remain optimistic at the film's end that they will be there to defend the earth from evil; reality is far less so. Although Fox is confident they will be able to make a planned sequel by 2017; the film has infamously made less than either of Story's films in their respective opening weekends, thus opening up talk of the rights being sold back to Marvel (the film is currently on track to lose at least $60 million of its budget). The saddest thing; however, is that the filmmakers definitely tried to make a distinct take on Marvel's original ensemble, yet ultimately failed to entertain fans of the comic or moviegoers in the way that "The Avengers" or "Guardians of the Galaxy" have; with DC looking to follow suit with the likes of "Suicide Squad" and "Justice League" in the coming years.

Even so, this take on "Fantastic Four" can definitely serve as a teaching tool to any future film versions and directors who might be interested in another reboot in the coming years. Much like Story's films have an aura of products of their time; this film may very well be used as an example of what not to do for future incarnations of the characters. Just as Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and the X-Men have undergone much revision over the past few decades of comics and film (with further re-imaginings of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Power Rangers" also on tap in the coming years); this could very well become an unintentional period piece in another 10 years or so. If that is the fate of a film which many are claiming is as bad as the Halle Berry "Catwoman" film; then so be it. It could very well represent a time where Johnny Storm is an African-American street racer; Susan listens to Portishead; Ben Grimm is an automobile junker, Reed Richards jerry-rigs a matter transporter out of old Nintendo 64 consoles; and Dr. Doom is a cyberterrorist who blacked out half of Latveria with a keyboard. While by no means fantastic, it's at least marginally better than Story's duology or "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" (which also led to that character being sold back to Marvel for the highly anticipated "Captain America: Civil War"). It's merely that for all its efforts; this new take on "Fantastic Four" still bears the failures of its prior film versions on its shoulders. It's not as bad as its critics would suggest; but it's still ultimately a superhero film with an identity crisis. With only the basic elements of the Four in play in favor of trying to emulate other superhero films; it's a film that has many ideas borrowed from prior versions of Batman; Superman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men but masters none of them. With no identity of its own (not helped by Trank now distancing himself from the film in the wake of Fox allegedly compromising his vision); it's OK, but still much less than fantastic.