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026 AUGUST 2015 JB Hi-Fi
visit REVIEWS CINEMA
Originally intended to go into production
with Shaun of the Dead 's Edgar
Wright as writer and director, Ant-Man
finally hits the screen with Bring It
On 's Peyton Reed at the helm. But
that's not a bad thing; while Wright's
version would probably have looked
a lot different (and featured Nick
Frost), Reed's background in comedy
combined with Wright and Joe
Cornish's witty screenplay (with star
Paul Rudd as a co-writer) give Ant-Man
its own distinct identity as well as
slotting it neatly into the Marvel movie
universe.
Casting an established comedy actor
as a hero worked for Guardians of the
Galaxy and similarly, the genial Paul
Rudd helps introduce Ant-Man. As cat
burglar Scott Lang, who stumbles upon
a suit that can miniaturize its wearer
whilst robbing the home of scientist
Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Rudd
is the kind of guy who can deliver the
line "I'm Ant-Man" with the levity it
deserves.
Lang is recruited by the doctor and
his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly,
looking great in a black bob wig) to
stop Pym's power-mad protege (Corey
Stoll) from selling the atom-separating
technology to Hydra, resulting in
a frequently hilarious mash-up of
superhero and heist film tropes with
Honey I Shrunk the Kids/Innerspace
micro-world wonder. There's also a
trippy descent into a subatomic realm
that pays homage to The Incredible
Shrinking Man.
The film, like its protagonist, is small
by Marvel's standards, eschewing the
ubiquitous destruction of cities for a low
key caper comedy with an emphasis on
humour and character. So how super
can a hero the size of an ant be? When
it comes to infiltrating Avengers HQ or
slipping into a computer mainframe to
sabotage a server, size does matter.
Lang also has the ability to control an
army of ants, whose CGI realisation
would have benefited from a tweak in
post-production.
The visual effects offer plenty
of laughs, too – a confrontation
between Ant-Man and wasp-like villain
Yellowjacket plays out on a Thomas
the Tank Engine playset, and the suit's
ability to also enlarge objects is used for
some great sight gags.
Ant-Man is a welcome addition to the
Marvel fold, and the traditional post-
credits coda promises he will return. As
if there was ever any doubt?
Scott Hocking
Size doesn't matter.
ANT-MAN RELEASED: Now Showing
DIRECTOR: Peyton Reed
CAST: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas,
Evangeline Lilly
RATING: PG
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