STACK NZ Aug #65

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36 AUGUST 2015 JB Hi-Fi
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ALSO SCREENING
IN AUGUST
Never one to pass up the opportunity of doing
his own death-defying stunts, Tom Cruise swaps
Dubai tower-abseilling for dangling from a plane
during take off in M:I number five. Billed as
"the most impossible mission yet", Ethan
Hunt and the gang take on the Syndicate;
an international organisation dedicated to
destroying the IMF. This new mission, should
you choose to see it, commences July 30.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE –
ROGUE NATION
The fourth movie to feature Marvel's awesome
foursome already looks like it's going to be the
best (although the Silver Surfer one was kind
of ok). Flame on and clobberin' time Aug 6.
FANTASTIC FOUR
A dying billionaire (Ben Kingsley) transfers his
consciousness into the body of a younger man (Ryan
Reynolds). But of course "immortality has some side
effects". Out now.
SELF/LESS
Guy Ritchie brings the sixties' spy series to the big
screen, with Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer as the
titular agents sent to infiltrate an international crime
organisation hellbent on global destruction. Out Aug 13.
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
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