Frankly I was at a loss about which movie to report on for this edition. My editors crack the whip on deadlines, eliminating any hope of Mission Impossible, which will most likely be my next column. One of my neighbors said “well there is always Minions,” (I’d rather resign). So out of desperation I narrowed the field down and decided on Ant Man, and while I periodically report on comic book movies, they are seldom my first choice, unless of course they include Superman. My decision was helped some as I do like Paul Rudd, who turned out to be sterling as the amazing Ant Man. Take my word for it, good things do come in small packages!
Rudd plays Scott Lang, an ex-convict stumbling around trying to establish himself and find gainful employment. Through a series of circumstances far too complicated and boring to explain, he crosses paths with Dr. Hank Pym, played quite well, thank you, by Michael Douglas. Regardless of what you might have heard, he’s still on top of his game. Pym is a scientist who discovered the “magic formula” enabling one to don a special suit and shrink down to the size of an ant. It took a lot of hocus pocus, far- fetched scientific mumbo jumbo, and other (seemingly) wasted moments to finally get the “rubber to meet the road.” But when it does, buckle your seat belts, you are in for a fantastic ride.
Ant-Man
Entertainment Rating: ★★★
Rating: PG-13, lots of comic strip-type action and destruction, one or two minor profanities.
Possible Oscar Nominations: Visual Effects, any film that uses 640 (count ’em) technicians to produce the spectacular visual effects in this movie deserves a nomination. They are sensational, and if there was an award for Creative Thinking, this would win hands down, just like the film ”Boyhood” from last year. Alas, there is no such award.
When our hero finally figures out how to use the suit properly, how to enlist the aid of legions of ants to help him, and understands the mission, the action is non- stop. The creativity applied to the action scenes had to keep the special and visual effects folks on their toes, as in my opinion these scenes rank with the best I’ve seen. Jurassic Park, Mad Max, The Avengers and their ilk are all bigger than life and the special effects are spectacular. When you shrink down to the world of the Ant, that’s a whole different genre of thinking, and they work it to perfection.
Part of the delight in this story is watching the average guy learn how to be a super hero, and Rudd is very convincing, just as Toby McGuire was in Spider Man One, and even Robert Downey Jr, in the original Iron Man. If you like action-oriented films you will find this one is right up your alley. Thumbs up all the way from me.
