Ant Man SPOILER REVIEW

Ant Man Spoiler Review

My spoiler free review will tell you my general thoughts on Ant Man

As for Spoilers- there were so many amazing surprises in Ant Man- ties to the wider marvel cinematic universe as well as more obscure references. As well as some stand out scenes- here's my Top 6 Ant Man Features!

BEWARE SPOILERS

6) Michael Pena-

Walking into Ant Man- you know it's a film carried by Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lily. You may also recognise the films baddie Corey Stoll from his stint in House of Cards. However you probably didn't know of Michael Pena- who plays Ant Man's best friend Luis. Luis is a scene stealing character. 90 percent of his lines are hilarious and a huge majority of the films comedy element relies on Michael Pena himself. His delivery and character are both laugh out loud funny.

The best moments were when Luis would tell a intricate and confusing story of how he's found out information from a long line of people in a quick cut style- seeing all the people that have passed on Chinese whispers about a new job through to Luiz himself. No one expects the comic relief to be a stand out. It didn't feel out of place either - and that's an achievement,

5) The Opening Scene-

We all love the fact that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is connected. Every film has some sort of tie to the avengers and beyond. It's a fresh and exciting idea- having a tied together universe on film. 

Well Ant Man is no exception. The only way that the idea of starting off with the second Ant Man instead of the first was if we had a flashback of sorts that establishes the past adventures we don't see. What better way to do this than with the opening scene. It starts out in the 80s where The Triskelion (Shields headquarters seen in Captain America : The Winter Soldier) is still under construction. We are greeted with two familiar faces and two new ones.

Our familiars are Peggy Carter (Captain America's WW2 love interest and star of her own new TV series on Fox [every Sunday at 9pm btw]) and Howard Stark (father of Iron Man himself). The new faces are Mitch Carson- who turns up later in the film as a revealed Hydra Agent (those damn guys never die) and Hank Pym- the original Ant Man. In this scene we get the knowledge that Ant Man was a shield hero in the 60s and now Pym is leaving the company in anger as people are trying to steal his science- The Pym Particle (the thing that makes other things into smaller things. You know the Ant Man thing). 

In this short opener we get lovely little callbacks to our wide universe with the returning characters as well as just enough info to set up that there's already been an Ant Man and that we can go straight on from there. Exciting from the start.

4) Hank and Janet- 

Another great moment in Ant Man is the flashback later in the film where it's revealed how Janet Van Dyme lost her life. Kept an intriguing secret for most of the film. We are shown that one of the missions Hank Pym went on as Ant Man included his wife Janet as the Wasp. Something all marvel fans had hoped to see in some form. We see that Janet sacrificed herself to stop a missile by going Sub Atomic (which basically means you shrink forever until you end up in the 5th dimension from Interstellar). It was great to see a nod to the original comics where Hank and Janet played a huge role. I always thought the implication was that Hank caused Janet's death as the comics saw him turn on her once and the movie stated that the suit had taken a toll on Pym. However that direction was not touched on and it appears that Janet died a heroic death to save the world and her loving husband. The inclusion of Wasp was well wished for and it meant we could get the Mid Credits scene I'll talk about in a minute

3) The Smaller References-

There were so many Easter eggs and nods to the fans in Ant Man. Some of my favourites being Cross' description of Hank Pym's adventures- calling them "Tales To Astonish" (a callback to the original comic series in which Ant Man appeared).

There were references to The Avengers, Tony Stark's Iron Man, The events of Avengers 2 were referenced with "they're probably busy dropping cities out of the sky"

Stan Lee had his cameo of course- this time as a bartender in one of Luiz' hilarious montages who calls a woman "Crazy Fine' in the voice of Luiz himself. Hilarious stuff,

The best little reference has to be just minutes later where Falcon (who I'll talk about later) is tracking down Ant Man via a woman with super hero connections. The woman says she has "a guy who jumps, a guy who swings and a guy who crawls up walls". And with that we have the first reference to Spiderman being in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Just a little nod to let everyone know he's on his way soon. 

2) The Credits Scenes

As always the credits have a surprise or two in store. This time it was two.

The mid credits scene showed Hope Van Dyme and her father Hank Pym. Hank reveals to her a prototype Wasp suit he'd made for his wife Janet. He finally tells her it's time to suit up and Lilly says to Hank just what was on everyone's minds; "it's about damn time". It's great to finally have another female hero join the ranks of the marvel universe. Even if it did take a whole movie to actually see her get her moment.

The post credits scene is one hell of a tease. A scene taken straight out of next year's Civil War. It sees Falcon and Captain America finally come across Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes- who's trapped and defeated by someone. In the scene Cap decides against telling Tony Stark of his find- the first sign of tension and mistrust between our avengers that will lead to the ultimate battle of battles in March. Falcon tells Cap he knows someone that can help- meaning our hero Ant Man himself. This acts as the ultimate teaser to get us roaring for next year's movie. Which will undoubtedly be a cinematic event.

1) That Falcon Scene-

Halfway through the movie the biggest stand out moment of all happened for me. Ant Man has to go to an old Stark Industries warehouse to retrieve some tech. A lovely little way to tie in more of the universe. But that's just the start. Upon arriving at the location- he finds it to now have changed its layout. Ant Man has ended up right outside the new headquarters of The Avengers (the HQ seen at the end of Age of Ultron), what ensues sees New Avengers Falcon step up for a fight with Ant Man. A long fight that tickles the inner nerd. Ant Man wins the fight and leaves- with falcon hoping that Cap doesn't find out about it. Funny and exciting- it served as a great tie in to the Avengers movies and a way to push things forward both in Ant Man's plot and the plot of Marvel's Civil War.

All in all - Ant Man didn't disappoint. Some are complaining it didn't feel grand enough. But this wasn't a Hollywood blockbuster as big as Avengers, it wasn't supposed to be. It's a heist movie. A heist movie that takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And it's a welcome addition to the series- introducing us to essential Marvel characters with a rounded stand alone story while also being immensely important in the build up to the next Marvel Movie- Civil War.

Ant Man was amazing. A little hero- with a huge way ahead of him. I hope to see more of our insect sized super hero.

Ant Man Review

Ant Man Review (Spoiler Free)

This Years second Marvel Movie is smaller in scale than Avengers Age of Ultron (Pun intended)- yet it feels like a big new step in the road to Civil War. Being the last film we will see before 2016's crossover movie - Ant Man gives us one more new story and character to know and love- Ant Man.

This idea of the movie is potentially ridiculous- A guy who can shrink and communicate with ants? 

Believe it or not- this movie not only makes that believable; it makes it enjoyable.

The Films director Peyton Reed does a great job at capturing the wide lore of Ant Man from the comics- tying it into the marvel universe with Shield, the Avengers etc and also taking the original ideas from Edgar Wright- who left the project before directing. 

A funny, exciting and enjoyable ride for comic book fans and the average movie goer. 

Characters- Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is an interesting and emotionally layered main character- being a criminal with a conscience who we really root for as a good guy. 

Michael Douglas does a great job as Hank Pym- the original Ant Man. He acts as a great mentor figure to Scott with a morally ambiguous character to him. 

Evangeline Lily is a badass heroine. I must say YellowJacket is a good villain for a marvel standalone movie.

Some great cameos and references to the marvel universe are strewn throughout. 

All in all- Ant Man is giant fun (Pun intended again)

If you have seen the movie and don't mind spoilers- Check out my Spoiler Review where I get to talk more in depth about the film. 

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice- POST COMIC CON THOUGHTS

Devils Don't Come From Hell Beneath Us...

They come from False Hope.

And I hope for the life of me that Batman V Superman doesn't disappoint.
Many people have expected failure from the outset- certain Anti-Zack Snyder-ites (A phrase I've literally just made up) hated Man of Steel greatly and thus didn't want a sequel of any sorts.

It's undeniable that DC is lacking in the races right now. It's that horse with the gammy leg struggling at the back of the line. That metaphorical gammy leg being the negative attitudes toward Man of Steel (which I don't think is that bad a film by the way). But like all underdogs (or under-horses); DC has its strengths. Namely Christopher Nolan's beautiful Dark Knight Trilogy.
Marvel has stormed ahead in the Comic Book Movie Race and it appears unbeatable. They're churning out two blockbusters a year and none of them miss the mark too much (they're all great or good or in-between). No one can beat Marvel now- its too late lets be honest: But what if they can be equalled?
DC set their phasers to stun on Comic Con week with a panel featuring Dawn of Justice's three minute long official trailer, paired with footage from Suicide Squad.
Dawn of Justice has had questionable moments in its production. For instance- the very first casting announcement of Ben Affleck as Batman caused an internet stir but two years ago. I think we can all agree now that he was a good choice- as seen in the trailer he has the cruel and calculating look of the comic book Knight. Next was the inclusion of Wonder Woman, Aqua Man and Cyborg- leading many to believe this movie was rushing the building of the Justice League in order to catch up with Marvel (who are already nearing a third outing of their Avengers).
The final controversy I shall refer to later (Here's looking at you Zombieland)

So what did the Dawn of Justice Trailer at Comic Con do?

It concluded suspicions and raised all new ones. As any good trailer should do.
It's no where near as beautifully minimalist and magical as the latest Star Wars The Force Awakens Trailer but it does have pros that in my opinion outweigh cons.

Here's my list of 6 notable features from the trailer:

6) Bruce Wayne has a motive

For every big throw down in history there needs to be a good motive behind it. Otherwise what's the point? Rocky 4 gave us a reason to want that Russian sun' bitch get clobbered after the death of Apollo Creed. There was a motive for the big fight. Marvel's Civil War will see Cap and Iron Man on two sides of politics and important themes of security- forcing them into a heated team on team battle in 2016. There's a motive for the fight.
Alien V Predator- Alien... kinda pissed of Predator and then they had a fight for 90 minutes.
There needs to be a motive for an audience to invest in the fight.
What we see in the new trailer is that Bruce Wayne is angry at Supes for a reason.
We see him in Metropolis during the climax of 2013's Man of Steel - shot for shot inserted into the ground zero chaos of Zod's City wide destruction. Not only did one of his expensive satellites get taken down- but a whole tower falls right next to him. Bruce has lost a lot of staff and a lot of business. All because of a powerful alien invader squabbling with his Dad's old mate.
Basically- Bruce wants to rid the world of this threat- a worrying superior being who in Bruce's mind is responsible for many deaths already and many more yet to come.
We can rest assured when the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel have their big showdown next year. It ain't no break dance. This is a passionate, brutal and testing battle.

5) Jesse Eisenberg is... Lex Luthor?

Here's that other controversy I mentioned. Jesse Eisenberg as Lex.
I was one of many who personally wanted to see Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston regain that shaven head in order to play Superman's more mature, scary and smart arch nemesis Lex Luthor.
Joaquin Phoenix was rumoured to have bagged the role early last year and I saw that decision as a good one. He had the experience in acting that was required and I imagined that he could pull of bald without looking silly.
Then they announced this guy. The kid from Zombieland and the Social Network.
I, with many, was not pleased.
But I keep an open mind. People slammed Heath Ledger for his casting of Joker and yet he is now the greatest cinematic villain and arguably the greatest cinematic performance of all time. Even 1989's Batman Michael Keaton was met with great uproar upon casting (The guy from beetlejuice as Batman?) and he was great in the role.
I therefore will not completely disregard Eisenberg as Lex.
However- when you see him in the trailer that is not Lex Luthor. Yeah he has money- the company name, the kryptonite, the unconvincing wig. But this is no Gene Hackman. This isn't even a Kevin Spacey. He looks and sounds like many would have guessed- Jesse Eisenberg trying to be Lex Luthor. Heck for all I know he could end up being the next Ledger but I don't think that's likely. I just hope when the wig is off and the big baldie comes face to face with our heroes;  he holds his own.

4) Wonder Woman is Badass

Gal Gadot was a questionable casting choice. However from recent stills, the posters, the statements- its become apparent that Wonder Woman will not disappoint. In this trailer we finally see her in action- seemingly part of the fight between Gotham's Guardian and Metropolis' Man of Steel.
She undoubtedly looks the part. For her brief screen time we can see that she has captured the look well. However there's no dialogue from her in the trailer so for all we know she could talk like Uma Thurman in Batman and Robin- all melodrama and over expression. I doubt it but its still a possibility.
I have no fears with Wonder Woman. She kicks ass from the looks of it.

3) Batman is Batman

Affleck is the Batman everyones been waiting for.
People complained Keaton wasn't playboy Bruce Wayne enough. Val Kilmer wound up in the wrong movie playing a good Bruce. George Clooney never played Batman okay don't say those things.
Even Christian Bale had complaints. While he was in the best batman movies- he had that raspy ass voice, the magical robo knee brace etc. I liked him.
Ben Affleck should settle all complaints. He's Bruce Wayne (he looks the part- being heroic even without the cape and cowl as he dashes through the ruins of metropolis). And my God is he Batman. The suit is beautiful (Taking that classic grey and black of the comics, Arkham Games and toys and bringing it to life on screen). The big armour for the fight takes its cues straight out of Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns.
I must also say the visual style Zack Snyder has brought to this film is undeniably going to excite- there will be visual homages to many great comic storylines. Such as the trailers brief recreation of a muscly Batman flying through the air as lightning strikes (the front cover of Dark Knight Returns first issue).
Batman looks like Batman. I think they've finally covered all the areas.

2) There's Secrets left for the Cinema

While many things have been shown to us its good to know that the majority of the film is unspoiled and mysterious still. Good. I can't wait to see it at the cinema and I know there will be so many geek out moments they've kept from us the whole time.

1) Red Hood is that you?

A blink and you'll miss it moment in the trailer is the presence of a used and displayed Robin suit bearing the graffiti of Jared Leto's Joker.
Undoubtedly a reference to Jason Todd- the ill fated second incarnation of Robin who died at the hands of the Joker in the late 1980s. Todd is now known for resurfacing in the comics as Batman's ally Red Hood (having been resurrected by Lazarus Pit). Todd is yet to appear on film despite appearing across all other manners of Batman media. The suit looks burned or tainted in some way and the graffiti is a taunt from the clown prince of crime himself.
This to me means that the Red Hood storyline is coming onto the big screen. A newspaper seen early in the trailer tells Bruce Wayne he let his family die- written in red (not by joker but perhaps by The Red Hood?)
We will have to wait and see but I for one am greatly excited!


So Batman V Superman comes out in March. You can see the trailers online
Comment below and tell me what your thoughts are on the whole thing
And take part in my Poll too on the reactions to the trailer,

- Elliott Griffiths

The Re-Launch

It's been a good 2 years nearly since I last posted on this blog.
I never really got off my initial footing.
However- I feel its time now (3 billion GCSEs later) for me to continue this pursuit of writing on film.
So here's what you can expect from here for the foreseeable future:
FILM REVIEWS (I watch a lot more at the cinema than before- there are some cracking films on their way)
TELEVISION REVIEWS (This also includes Netflix recommendations- how modern)
Maybe even some Videogame Reviews (Maybe)
Anything Else
A regular Poll

Thanks for support
-Elliott (Teenage Film Buff)