Written by / 7/17/2015 / 1 Comment / , , ,

PAUL RUDD & MICHAEL DOUGLAS IN ANT-MAN

year: 2015 rating: ***1/2
Michael Douglas is one of those great good actors, and he not only steals ANT-MAN, but his exposition-wielding Dr. Hank Pym is pretty much everything here. In fact, before working class hero thief Scott Lang, played by Paul Rudd, conveniently discovers the suit that can shrink him to the size of... you know... there was a whole history between Hank and his wife that could have been its very own movie, shown in flashbacks during the plan and execution of a big caper against Pym Industries, now run by a nefarious short-cutter who wants... like your usual comic book heavy... to rule everything his way.

The Heist sub-genre is taken to the hilt, including funky instrumental music lifted straight from Quentin Tarantino's JACKIE BROWN (the script's written by Tarantino-clone Edgar Wright); and he's aided by a band of ragtag underdog thieves including comic relief Michael Pena, a funny enough guy who often tries too hard.

Beneath the engaging caper, a busy hybrid of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE and SPIDER-MAN yet with the origin story built straight into the central plot-line, much of the film feels like a hard sell to make this unlikely hero fit within the "serious" Marvel mainline, including one battle against the least important Avenger. In that, Lang, with a neat way of getting in and out of danger, is worthy of the canon: Unfortunately there are too many real (overly CGI) ants on board, making him more passenger than driver while turning an otherwise legitimate adventure into HONEY I SHRUNK THE SUPERHERO. Thankfully, Paul Rudd is likable enough despite attempting to be Tony Stark Light (while Michael Pena spouts way too many one-liners), and Michael Douglas really keeps things in check: helping his creation rise above expectations for both the characters and the audience.
Share This Post :
Tags : , , ,

1 comment:

  1. Another great review.

    Unfortunately I'm completely burned out on this never ending wave of super-hero movies. It is the unwanted gift that keeps appearing day after day on the front porch. After the first couple days, thanks but no thanks, and then its take the box from the front porch and throw it in the trash without looking inside.

    When is the, "Jump the shark" moment coming for comic book movies? Howard the Duck? Batman & Robin? Ha! Not for awhile I'm afraid. Oh I'm sure Superman v Batman will qualify but unfortunately DC is just getting started in this obnoxious stage play.

    Blame Sam Raimi for Spider-Man 2 or Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight? Ah if I had only hated those movies...alas I love them. Well next up is the Disney Star Wars movies, multiple trilogies and stand-alones. I can't wait...sigh. I guess I have to have something to watch on my new completely ridiculous television

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

All Time Popular

Featured Post

ROBERT WAGNER IN THE OBSCURE GOLF PRO CURIO 'BANNING'

Robert Wagner in BANNING Year: 1967 Rating: **** The extremely elusive and rare BANNING is a 1967 film about former golf pro Robert Wagner a...

WWW.CULTFILMFREAKS.COM

WWW.CULTFILMFREAKS.COM
Movie Reviews, Interviews, Articles and Pop Culture from White Heat to Blue City

RIP ACTOR KEN HUTCHISON

TOTAL HITS

Popular Trending

FOUNDED BY JAMES M. TATE

FOUNDED BY JAMES M. TATE
RANDOM QUOTE: "I don't know what it is, but it's yoga." Elliott Gould, The Long Goodbye

FILM NOIR & NEO NOIR CRIME

FAVORITES SHORTLIST

1)OTLEY 2)HELL IS A CITY 3)ROBBERY 4)THE FEARMAKERS 5)CANYON PASSAGE 6)VIOLENT SATURDAY 7)HOT CARS 8)JUNGLE STREET 9)THE CROWDED SKY 10)THE ROARING TWENTIES 11) ANATOMY OF A MURDER 12)SHARKS' TREASURE 13)SWEENEY TWO 14)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 15)HARDCORE 16)THE SYSTEM 17)WHITE HEAT 18)AL CAPONE 19)HIDDEN FEAR 20)FALLEN ANGEL 21)NIGHT CREATURES 22)THE HEROIN BUSTERS 23)ASH WEDNESDAY 24)THE BREAK 25)AIR PATROL 26)THE STONE KILLER 27)EASY LIVING 28)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 29)FRENZY 30)THE MAN FROM LARAMIE 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)STANLEY BAKER 4)MARLON BRANDO 5)CHARLES BRONSON1)VIRGINIA MAYO 2)SUE LYON 3)GENE TIERNEY 4)MERRY ANDERS 5)FAYE DUNAWAY DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)STANLEY KUBRICK 4)ORSON WELLES 5)OTTO PREMINGER 6)JOHN LANDIS 7)JOHN GUILLERMAN 8)VAL GUEST 9)JOHN CARPENTER 10)MICHAEL WINNER

BRITISH NEW WAVE CINEMA

RARITIES AND EXPLOITATION

HAMMER HORROR & THRILLER

Popular This Month

CHARLES BRONSON CINEMA

CINEMA OF DANA ANDREWS

WESTERN GENRE REVIEWS

PEAKING INTO THE SIXTIES

KICKING IN THE EIGHTIES

TALES AND REFLECTIONS

REVVING THE SEVENTIES

FOR HORROR MOVIE REVIEWS

Most Popular Last Year

RETURN TO THE HOMEPAGE