Monthly Marvel Musings: A close-up look at 'Ant-Man'

Here's this months 'Monthly Marvel Musings' article, which will be all about 'Ant-Man' - I'll do a brief review of the film, then take a closer look at a few things which will have a bearing on what's going to be in other films.  Obviously, there will be pretty major SPOILERS!! so only read on if you've already seen the film.

MARVEL MONTHLY MUSINGS

'Ant-Man' is a small success for Marvel

At the very least you have to say that 'Ant-Man' has had an eventful journey to the screen.  It's very well publicised that, after 7 years developing the film, original Director Edgar Wright walked away due to creative differences with Marvel Studios - apparently he wasn't happy with the film having links to the MCU and wanted it to be stand-alone.  Then Peyton Reed was brought on board, and many people raised an eyebrow based on his previous films - Jim Carrey comedy 'Yes Man', 60's throw-back comedy 'Down With love', and cheer-leading drama 'Bring It On'.  The project was in danger of being written off just as filming was about to begin, simply because Wright's departure was seen as signalling the end of any chance the film had at having a distinct style or humour (as with Wright's previous films).  But attitudes began to soften when it emerged that Reed has been a life-long fan of Marvel Comics, was runner-up choice to direct 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (which has made the actual director, James Gunn, arguably as famous as its break-out cast); and he had been developing a 1960's-set Fantastic Four movie for Fox - the opening scene of which would have been based on the iconic cover of the first ever FF comic.

Now the film is here, although it is not the disaster many feared following Wright's departure, it is almost a curio in the midst of the rest of Marvel Studio's output.  It's a solid enough super-hero movie, which features many of the genre's tropes, but has flashes of some inspired comedy.  Yet at the same time it feels like it never fully commits to either being an off-kilter skewing of the genre, or a standard super-hero origins flick, or the heist movie that its structure is based off.  The story has Dr Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), creator of the shrinking technology that enabled him to carry out covert ops for SHIELD as Ant-Man after the discovery of 'Pym Particles', who has long since turned his back on the role following a personal tragedy.  Estranged from his daughter Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lily), who still works at the company he founded, he discovers his one-time protégé Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) is about to weaponise the Ant-Man technology with the development of a suit called the  'Yellowjacket'.  He enlists Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a former con just released from prison who is trying to go straight in order to get access to his daughter, to use the original Ant-Man suit to carry out a heist to steal the Yellowjacket and stop Cross from mass producing the technology.

Douglas (Hank Pym) and Rudd (Scott Lang) are both solid and effective in their roles, though not quite at the 'star-making' level of other Marvel Studios movies.

The first couple of acts of this film do feel uneven in some ways, because the times that it looks like it is going to properly parody the super-hero genre - such as the montages where Pym is training Lang in how to use the Ant-Man powers - it doesn't go as far as it could.  It's as though it pulls its punches at the last moment when you're expecting a gag at the expense of the inherent silliness of the concept, but then it jumps back to a more straight-forward portrayal of 'superhero' training.  Similarly there are times where the plot struggles to merge the disparate genres and arcs - the corporate espionage of Pym's concerns about Cross' creation, Lang trying to keep on the straight and narrow and be a good dad, prepping for the heist, and on top of it all the 'super' powers that come with the Ant-Man suit.  The consistent thread through all this is that Marvel sense of levity, but by now we're so used to these sort of super-heroics delivered with a witty one-liner, that there are times the comedic aspects don't feel as effective as they should be - which is a genuine surprise given the film's development at the hands of several noted writers of comedy TV shows and/or films.

It's a good job then that the cast, as is usually the case with Marvel Studios movies, are fully committed and effectively portray their roles.  Douglas' portrayal of Pym as a slightly paranoid, traumatised, at times manipulative mentor/father is perfect for the role (especially if you know anything about the character's history in the comics - though don't expect any references to spousal abuse).  Rudd is highly likable as the thief with a conscience, trying to do the right thing to get access to his daughter, and learning about the Ant-Man powers with a mix of wonderment, semi-disbelief and excitement that are quite believable.  The supporting cast are solid, Lily making the most of her arc as the angry daughter who softens when she learns the truth about her mother; and Lang's ex-con associates Luis (Michael Peña), Kurt (David Dastmalchian) and Dave (T.I.) - who get most of the more effective comedy beats.  The only slight weakness is the villain Cross - despite Stoll's visible efforts to give him nuances beyond the usual psychopathic corporate madman, the script doesn't quite do enough to make his motivations convincing beyond stereotypical villainy.

The scenes where Ant-Man is miniaturised are impressively realised, and are one of the film's best aspects

There are probably still a few people that will forever lament the Edgar Wright version of this film that we never got to see.  However, whilst it is likely you'll watch this trying to spot Wright's influences on the story and script, this is far from a journeyman effort from Reed.  In fact, some of the moments that feel like they could have been from Wright actually came from Reed himself.  It is pleasing to say that probably the two best scenes in the film - montages where Peña's Luis rambles almost stream-of-conscious about 'tips' he's gotten about potential 'jobs' for Lang - feel like the sort of thing Wright would have brought to the film, as they are energetic, expertly cut, and the funniest moments in the film.  But these were actually put in from Reed's own ideas - he has put his stamp on this film very effectively.

None more so than the attention to detail and technical aspects of this film, which it has to say offer some truly impressive visuals, and mark this film as another achievement milestone in CGI special effects.  The most striking and immediately impressive is the de-ageing of Michael Douglas for the film's opening scene, set over 25 years ago - here the use of digital effects to make Douglas look like he did in his 1980's prime is the most convincing use of the technology on film so far.  As gob-smacking as that is, the other effects really deliver where it most matters, that is when Lang shrinks and we get to see the world from his 'ant-sized' perspective.  All the scenes and shots when he is in 'ant-mode' are impressively detailed and capture a realistic 'micro-photography' look.

This film will also make you look at ants with a new-found respect..!

'Ant-Man's biggest achievements are in its effects work; and in how Director Reed took what could have been a poisoned chalice or a 'Journeyman' gig and actually fashioned something that bears flashes suggesting a talent for comedy, drama and a tremendous grasp of emerging technology in effects and film-making.  In many ways the film feels as though Marvel Studios are playing safe and not straying too far from their formula - whilst it is never a total detriment to the film, there are moments you can't help but feel they could have done more to make it more subversive and genre-skewing.  That said, it is typical of the entertainment and fun audiences have come to expect and enjoy from Marvel releases, and delivers in that respect.  What at one point looked as though it might be the studio's first failure is far from it; but it will be welcome to see their films take some more risks with tone, narrative and structure in the future.

So what does 'Ant-Man's arrival mean for the MCU?

While long-time Marvel Comics fans may still lament the absence of Hank Pym from the MCU until now, and the resulting story changes (in the comics it's Pym that creates Ultron, not Tony Stark), we now have technology that shrinks - and enlarges - objects and people.  Going forward, whilst Pym himself might not be a player in future cross-over movies such as Infinity War, Scott Lang will more than likely be (he's already confirmed for 'Captain America Civil War', though I'll discuss that below).  In the comics Pym 'reverses' his shrinking technology to become Giant-man, or Goliath - given that in Ant-Man we see the technology 'embiggening' an actual ant and a Thomas The Tank Engine Toy, it's pretty safe to say that at some point Lang will apply that to himself.  There are rumours we may see this in Civil War, though it's a safe bet it will have happened by Infinity War, and if not,  during those films.

Whilst Pym isn't the controversial character he has been in the comics, this portrayal shows him as slightly paranoid, and there's something almost Machiavellian and manipulative in the way he gets Lang to enact his Heist plan.

The film also marks the first MCU of another favourite of comic fans, the Wasp, normally associated with Pym's wife Janet van Dyne.  Although we only get to see her in a flash-back, there are suggestions that potential Ant-Man sequels could feature more of Pym's escapades as the titular hero during the '60's, '70's and '80's, so we could yet see the 'classic' comic iteration of this character.  As well as that, given the first of the two post-credits scenes reveals that Pym & his wife were working on a version of the Wasp suit for their daughter Hope, it seems a bit of a no-brainer to say we'll see Wasp in the 'current' MCU too.  Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige himself has stated we'll see Wasp in another movie before the end of 'Phase 3' (which culminates with Infinity War and The Inhumans).

It seems pretty certain we'll be seeing Wasp in a forth-coming MCU movie

With regards to storylines they could incorporate Ant-Man in to, the better known ones involving Pym have tended to be those involving his stints with the Avengers, or when he creates the Yellowjacket which turns him slightly psychopathic.  Given they've used the Yellowjacket for this film, the 'evil Pym' storyline seems very unlikely.  My bet would be on the thread the film leaves open, which has agents of Hydra taking Cross's version of the Pym Particle, and them trying to put it to use (although some believe this could feature in Season 3 of Agents of SHIELD, as Hydra Agent Grant Ward has been confirmed as the main villain of the series).  Regardless, we're guaranteed to see Ant-Man and Wasp (and maybe even a Goliath) in the not too distant future - I wouldn't be surprised to see them as part of an Avengers line-up at some point during either of the Infinity Wars movies.

Ant-Man became Goliath and was part of one of the classic Avengers line-ups in the comics.

We've had our first glimpse of 'Captain America Civil War'

The second post-credits scene has been confirmed by Feige to actually be a scene from the next MCU film, one of the most eagerly awaited comic movies of next year; it depicts Captain America and Falcon in some abandoned warehouse or workshop, with Bucky/the Winter Soldier's bionic arm trapped in a vice.  It seems they're in a quandary over their apparent captive, talking about 'the accords', which is no doubt a reference to the Laws drawn up regarding superhero activity that causes the fall out between Stark and Cap.  It seems they need someone to get something covertly, and the final line has Falcon saying "I know a guy", before it cuts to black and the message 'Ant-Man will return'.

Sam 'Falcon' Wilson's appearance in 'Ant-Man' made for a fun scene, and sets out how Ant-Man could be involved in 'Civil War'

While we're used to Marvel's post-credit scenes now, some of them being jokey-punchlines to a film, others foreshadowing events of future films, this scene is a really interesting choice for Marvel Studios.  Firstly, it's not a scene which has been specially filmed for Ant-Man, but is something from a still-filming (therefore unfinished) movie (as an aside, I'd be interested to learn how Civil War directors the Russo Brothers felt about a scene from their film hitting cinemas before they'd finished making it!).  It has been dropped in without context, so though we know the vague plot upon which the story hinges, we don't know the exact events that lead to it, or at which stage of the film it occurs.  Secondly, it is not explicitly setting up any characters, events or 'maguffins' that are part of Civil War.  It's surmised that when Falcon says "I know a guy" that it is referring to Ant-Man, and this seems very likely; Feige himself stated they chose this scene for the end of Ant-Man due to this line throwing back to something Pym himself says during the film.  Also, following the fun interlude where Lang has to steal some tech from The Avengers' base, having to unwittingly take on Falcon to do so, the final scene of the film shows that Falcon is trying to track down this Ant-Man.  So this post-credits scene does some work in establishing that Ant-Man is involved in Civil War, but it doesn't fully explain why - crucially though it seems he's at least being employed by Cap's side, even if he is not explicitly fighting alongside those against whatever Law is at the heart of the conflict.

Although their first encounter ends in a fight between the pair, will Ant-Man be on the side of Falcon in 'Civil War'?

Finally, I'd say this scene is a positive move for Marvel Studios - something that 'Avengers Age of Ultron' was criticised for was the way in which there are a number of references to things which didn't really serve the story in that film but are setting up elements of future films.  Whilst there was much of this in the first 'Phase' of MCU films leading up to Avengers, I can accept the criticism - it made sense there, but now we've an idea of what things are going to happen and where the stories are going, we don't need that level of foreshadowing - just tell us the story!  Including this scene at the end of Ant-Man avoids the name-dropping of characters or Maguffins, but still indicates where the ongoing MCU is heading and how certain characters are going to be involved.  We know that the next film is a Captain America one, we know that it encompasses a great number of other characters, but it is important that it still continues the arc established in Cap's previous films involving his friend Bucky.  This scene suggests that Civil War is going to be a lot more personal and intimate, in terms of key character stories, than we may be anticipating based upon the cast and the comic story which it is partly taking inspiration from.

It wasn't just this scene that pointed towards the future of the MCU without waving Maguffins around or introducing new characters - one moment at the end of 'Ant-Man' very cleverly sets a precedent for an element of Marvel comics which is likely to be very important during Phase 3...

Our glimpse of the 'Quantum Realm' is the first step in introducing the 'weird' to the MCU

In order to defeat Darren Cross and his 'Yellowjacket' suit, Scott Lang has to break the most important rule of being Ant-Man - he turns off the regulator that controls how far he can shrink, and eventually goes sub-atomic before entering the 'Quantum Realm'.  It's described by Pym as being a place where the laws of physics - or at least, our capacity to understand them - are no longer applicable.  This scene, as well as being visually stunning and offering a an exciting finale that doesn't rely on something falling from the sky, is arguably the first step for the MCU in to the realms that are going to be a key part of next year's 'Doctor Strange' movie.  That film will see 'supernatural' threats being addressed, a staple of the comics, but something that so far is beyond the hard(ish) sci-fi underpinning much of the MCU thus far. Feige has suggested that there will still be some scientific basis to the threats faced by Doctor Strange, so as to lend them a sense of plausibility - and Ant-Man's trip to the Quantum Realm is arguably the stepping stone towards this. 

In order to defeat villain Darren Cross, Lang takes us on a journey to a whole new area that the MCU will explore in future films...

Although not explicitly stated, when Ant-Man goes to the Quantum Realm it is strongly implied the technology has crossed him in to another universe or dimension that is beyond our current scientific knowledge and understanding.  Multi-dimensional travel is a staple of the comics, where there are parallel universes, or far stranger places.  If this scene establishes there are these universes or realities beyond our current scientific understanding, there is a basis to introduce Doctor Strange, his mystical abilities, and the threats he takes on - and not have it seem like a stretch for audiences to accept.  What if, for example, the inhabitants of one of these alternate universes, dimensions, etc already have the knowledge and technology to cross in to our universe - and these are the beings that Doctor Strange - and the Sorcerers before him - have been keeping at bay?

Doctor Strange will hopefully take us to even more bizarre and weird places than the 'Quantum Realm'...

This is a thread that will enable Marvel Studios to introduce this element from the comics and not have it seem, well, ridiculous and far-fetched, even in a universe including alien invasions and super-science.  It will also be an important thread that would enable stories allowing Fox and Marvel Studios to collaborate in bringing the Fantastic Four or even the X-Men in to MCU movies (which I've already talked about previously).  As well as that, I wouldn't be surprised if alternative dimensions, universes and realities feature in the Infinity Wars movies.  Either way, Ant-Man's journey to the Quantum Realm is a fascinating and exciting glimpse of an important part of future MCU films.  Going on how trippy and weird and visually amazing this scene was, it sets a high bar for Doctor Strange - which hopefully will be the weirdest and most unique film that Marvel Studios will make.

That's it for this month, next time I'll be examining the 'rivalry' between the Marvel and DC movies, and most likely having a look at Fantastic Four and any other exciting Marvel movie related news.  Thanks for reading!