The Sunday Mail
I would like to think that I have built myself a reputation as that guy whose word, when it comes to film and television, is almost always on the money. My ability to wait, analyse and then comment, even if my opinions go against the grain, is my best quality and as such I make no apologies when I tear down people’s favourite actors or movies. When I am correct, which is a lot of the time, events usually always validate my claims, after all, who else could have predicted Olivia Davis’ historic Emmy win a couple of weeks ago besides me? Well a few other people did, but that is neither here nor there. Remember I wrote that the Emmys would be an historic night — that “Game of Thrones” would pale in comparison to that of last year and that the gong for lead actress in a drama series would be a toss-up between Davis and Taraji P Henson. The reason I have decided to blow my own trumpet and bring this up is mainly because I am about to make one of those assertions again and then drop some knowledge. Of all the big money spent, blockbuster releases and Oscar nod performances to come out this year, “Ant-man” is arguably the find of the year. Ordinarily, I would come out and just call it the best movie of the year but I have seen a couple of promising trailers with the latest Bond movie “Spectre” and Tom Hardy’s “Legends” both looking good while I still have not made up my mind yet on just how good Mad Max-Fury Road was. Back to “Ant-man”. For a better understanding on just how good the movie was, one needs to fully understand the broader picture at play. Marvel studios is by far the best thing to happen to cinema. Their marketing strategy is second to none, they have made some sound business over the years and the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a stroke of genius. Today, it is the highest grossing movie franchise of all time eclipsing the likes of the “Bond”, “Harry Potter” and even “Lord of the Rings”. They have single-handedly been responsible for people waiting up until the very end of the film, as their post credit snippets have become a thing of legend and used to great effect in storytelling or just connecting stories. Since its creation back in 2008 with Robert Downey Jnr’s “Iron Man”, every film that has been released has served a purpose in unravelling the bigger picture at play. The releases have been divided into three phases, all of which will culminate in a two-part mega blockbuster release “Avengers-Infinity Stones Part One and Two in 2017-18. For now, at least! As such, “Ant-Man” is no simple story and should be viewed in its proper context, otherwise how else would a billion dollar studio like Marvel explain making a movie about a guy who can shrink and communicate with insects. The film tells the story of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a thief who upon release from jail is recruited by the original “Ant-man” Dr Hank Pyn (Michael Douglas) to take up the mantle. His first assignment is to break into a heavily guarded laboratory and steal a piece of technology Pyn’s former protégée Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) has created with the intentions of selling to the enemy. With that alone, to the average movie goer “Ant-man” looks like a lousy film and the fact that it is littered with terrible CGI does not help their cause. It also has an absurd premise and some unconvincing performances, but all these do not really matter. Firstly, “Ant-man” is an origins story of the small superhero character from the Marvel gallery of heroes. The purpose of this character from my assumption will not go further than the release of next year’s Captain America-Civil War. The story-arch is one of the biggest in the entire comic book collection, second only to maybe the Infinity Stones story. There, a group of Marvel Cinematic Universe heroes will come at odds and divide into two warring factions led by Tony Starks’ “Iron Man” and “Captain America”. This film now mainly serves to introduce the character, Ant-man, who from the looks of things will be on Caps’ side. I especially liked how this film deviated from your ordinary superhero movie as it turned out to be a heist movie masquerading as comic book film wrapped in comedy. It had all the ingredients of the three aforementioned genres giving each an equal share and screen time. The decision to give the lead role to Paul Rudd was an inspired choice and the best piece of casting I have ever seen since Johnny Depp accepted the role of Captain Jack Sparrow. Rudd, is not what most would call an ordinary comedian — he is a natural in the genre, combining the physical presence of let’s say Chris Delia and the charm and wit of Stephen Colbert. He has impeccable timing, delivery and a knack for the craft, all traits he brings to this film that without him would have come out blunt and without colour. He leads a host of inspiring performances, with the most notable individuals being Douglas, Evangeline Lily and Judy Geer and little Abby Ryder Forston. Special mention goes out to the comic styling of Michael Pena and Clifford Jones “T.I” Harris. Yes, you read right, rapper T.I actually has a sense of humour.
