Ant-Man |
  • USA / UK • 2015 • 117m •   • Directed by: Peyton Reed. • Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Anthony Mackie, Judy Greer, Abby Ryder Fortson, Michael Peña, David Dastmalchian, T.I., Wood Harris, Hayley Atwell. • Music by: Christophe Beck.      Biochemist Dr. Hank Pym uses his latest discovery, a group of subatomic particles, to create a size-altering formula. Though his first self-test goes awry, he develops an instrument that helps him communicate with and control insects.
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As a cinephile and a resolute fan of super-hero movies and action flicks alike I can forgive a meaningless plot focused once again on a dysfunctional family unit where a well-meaning male protagonist finds himself at odds with a morally bankrupt society, a teary-eyed "I only want the best for our daughter" token mother, and a cliché domineering "replacement father" with a skewed perspective of our hero's motivations. The daughter managed to swim a little higher than the bottom of the barrel but only just enough to reach the "I'm a smart sassy kid with more self-awareness than the adults think and I'll express that with a few endearing one liners" level.
I can forgive the generic antagonist meglomaniac who used to "hold so much promise" until he effectively "turns to the dark side" using his abilities for evil andor personal gain and in a way designed to convey as much sensitive information about his intentions to his enemies as possible thereby giving them ample opportunity to thwart his every plan. I can look past the incredibly cliché nameless "investors" representing the greed and hunger of a capitalistic world for domination as this amazing, new, and world changing technology is sold to the highest bidder despite the fact that this approach is a clear step below the ability of an motivated antagonist who intends to put their potential to personal use. (Predictably, despite the best efforts of our hero's, our antagonist still finds an opportune time to don his suit to give us our much anticipated climatic battle scene.)
I can even forgive the stereotypical "wizened" scientist with emotional baggage who can never allow his creation to fall into the wrong hands, a sondaughter with resentment and abandonment issues, and, surprise, the mysterious death of their spouse illogically requiring them to lie about the details to "protect" their loved ones until the right "time."
But, in addition to every stereotype, cliché, and generic element of this movie, I am incredibly annoyed at also being expected to lower my intellect to the point where it is assumed I will pay no attention to anything but the most shallow details of a movie so that ifwhen the producers violate their own in-universe laws I won't care or notice.
Specifically, the suit functions simply by reducing or increasing the distance between atoms of an object. This in turns makes an object more or less dense without altering it's total mass, hence the multiple characterizations of Antman as still weighing and having the strength of a 200 pound man, being able to kill with a single punch, being much faster, stronger, etc. Apparently these details only matter when it's convenient for the producers. As many have already stated, how in the Hell does Antman ride an ant when he is effectively a 200lb man in compact form? If I reduced the earth to the size of a marble I can tie it to my dog but he still won't be dragging it around anytime soon. How is he able to stand on the shoulders of his friends? When he runs he should be exponentially faster, when he struggles to lift things (toy blocks) they should be several times heavier than an object that can be lifted by a 200 pound man or go zinging away like a bullet. The whole purpose of the suit is to reduce the spread of force over a relative area thereby increasing it's overall impact and strength. Think of the Human body like a cannon and the ant suit like a focused laser. Time and time and time again within the movie these in world laws of physics are ignored or turned on and off at whim to suit the needs of a given scene. The enlarged train should have still weighed no more than a toy train, the enlarged ant no more than a normal ant, and the damn tank on the scientists keychain should have been nigh immovable. How in the world is Antman denser upon shrinking and yet a tank appears to weigh about as much as a couple pencils.
Obviously this is a movie. Clearly it isn't meant to simulate the laws of our own universe. However, it's hard to sit back and imagine that either the director and producers are so stupid and profit driven they are unable to take the time to produce something that even appears to try and conform to the rules and expectations given to the audience, or apparently I, as an audience member, am considered so intellectually challenged that I'm expected to focus on the bright lights, cool sounds, and pretty pretty colors at the expense of any clear story-line at all beyond the cliché "oohs" and "aahhs" we all get when our own personal stories and imaginations are confirmed through the lives of these on screen characters.
I will say, I thoroughly enjoyed the film style associated with the token comedic relief characters monologue scenes. They were beautifully executed and I could probably watch hours of them.
Review by Darren Wolf
from the Internet Movie Database.
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