Thoughts on Ant-Man?

[Captain Picard's Hair]

Guardians of the Galaxy worked really well, it was fun and audiences loved it. It was a somewhat risky move from Marvel studio with a streak of weirdness and some unfamiliar characters. Another Marvel film coming later this summer features another sort of odd and unfamiliar character. Ant-Man puts on a suit and shrinks to ant size, retaining the strength of a man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdKf3MneyI

[Graham Kennedy]

I thought the idea was ridiculous when I first heard it, but when I got that it's more a comedy than anything, I changed my attitude. Having seen how Guardians of the Galaxy played the comic silliness - whilst still combining that with some serious stuff - I thought Ant Man may actually turn out good. And having seen the trailer, I'm really looking forward to seeing if they can pull this one off.

I have to say, Marvel have done an incredible thing with their Cinematic Universe. It's one thing to just churn out Superhero movies, it's another to make almost all of them good... but to be able to make serious ones and comic ones, period pieces combined with sci-fi elements, incorporate magic and still have a degree of grittiness, and do it in such a way that they really do sell the audience on the idea that all these things could coexist with one another? To my mind it is without doubt one of the greatest achievements in the history of film.

[Mikey]

I agree. The way they've combined the MCU, while crossing the different paradigms GK mentions even spanning TV/web TV and remaining consistent both in the milieu and the quality, is really quite a feat. I can't say that I'm sold on the casting in Ant-Man, but then again I didn't think Vin Diesel could take a voice-acting part of four total words and impart anything to the role either.

[Atekimogus]

I am also looking forward to it. Having heard what his "powers" are..I thought its absolutely ridiculous. But seeing the trailer it seems its more of a comedy. They know he's a ridiculous hero and hence go the comedic route...and I think that is the only thing you could takle that.

I am looking forward to it. If they'd tried to make it serious and dark/gritty it wouldn't work. As a light comedy....it just might!

[Mikey]

I don't know why people seem to be surprised by a character with such a set of "powers." Ant-man was a staple member of the Avengers for a long time in Marvel history.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Heck, he and the Wasp were founding members!

I look forward to Ant-Man, too. It looks pretty cool.

[Graham Kennedy]

I know nothing at all about the comic versions of this stuff. Never read a Marvel comic in my life.

[Jim]

I figure that it will end up being a decent movie... but I always thought that the character was lame. Typical 50's/60's filler, throw away type character that unfortunately stuck.

[Atekimogus]

I don't know why people seem to be surprised by a character with such a set of "powers." Ant-man was a staple member of the Avengers for a long time in Marvel history.

I know nothing at all about the comic versions of this stuff. Never read a Marvel comic in my life.

^What he said.

[McAvoy]

I figure that it will end up being a decent movie... but I always thought that the character was lame. Typical 50's/60's filler, throw away type character that unfortunately stuck.

I don't think he was a filler character. But yeah it was a concept that stuck.

[Captain Picard's Hair]

I'm also someone who never read comics - though I must say the movie-ization of the Marvel comics in the form of the recent Cinematic Universe has drawn me in. Thus, Ant-Man is a new concept to me, and a lot of prospective movie-goers. The trailer gives a hint of how such a character works and as this is on my list of summer movies, I'll know more soon enough.

[McAvoy]

I read the comics before Marvel got big. I was a huge Iron Man fan from the early 1990's.

Spiderman, X-men. The only DC comic I read was Superman.

I did read the Star Trek comics.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

There's a review of Ant-Man's origin story on the site Atop the Fourth Wall. And basically, it is filler. It was in an anthology book IIRC, but I'll be danged if I can find it at the moment.

EDIT: Check that. It was in Tales to Astonish number 44.

[Mikey]

The problem I foresee with this film is that the original comic book character is separated from the hero persona. Ant-man's "powers" were filler - Hank Pym's main contribution to The Avengers was his scientific mind; in the film, Pym isn't even Ant-man.

[Captain Picard's Hair]

Out now, and the reviews look pretty good. I'll probably get out to see it next Wednesday