Ant-Man (2015)

[Athena]

The film was directed by Peyton Reed, with a screenplay written by Edgar Wright & Joe Cornish and Adam McKay & Paul Rudd, and stars Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Tip "T.I." Harris, Wood Harris, Judy Greer, David Dastmalchian, and Michael Douglas

 

Release Date: July 17, 2015.

[CMH1981]

I just got back from Antman, and I agree, it flows much better than Avengers 2, and a heck of a lot funnier.

I saw it in 3D, and trust me it is not worth the extra money, I only saw it in 3D b/c it was the first showing of the day. 

I too was reminded of Adventures in Innerspace from the Disney parks during Scott's descent into the microverse. One of the best attractions ever. Bring it back Disney.

I loved seeing Hayley Attwell as 80's Peggy Carter, she is the best thing that has happened out of the MCU. I was also surprised they stuck w/ Slattery as Howard Stark. I thought they might switch him out w/ an aged Dominic Cooper.

Just an FYI there are two post movie scenes, one mid-credits and one post-credits.  Everyone left after the mid-credits in my showing, so nobody other than me got to see the post-credits.  It sets up Phase 3 of the MCU.

I really don't care for the fact that the MCU is killing off all their villains, I mean yes essentially anyone can step into the Yellowjackets suit, but I really wish they would start putting these people in prison or something. It reminds me of the Raimi Spider-Man films and the killing of all the villains.

I noticed when Scott was on his way to the microverse you could see Janet/the Wasp in shadow so we know for sure she is still alive.

I was shocked they had the Scott/Hope pairing at the end, there didn't seem to be any hints it was going that way. It really didn't feel earned to me. It was more like "Oh Scott, you saved my dad's legacy and the world, i'm going to swoon and then make out w/ you."
 
I was really hoping on Scott's journey back he wouldn't be able to stop and we would get Giant-Man. I'm guessing they are saving that for Captain America 3.

As for Hope's Wasp costume, I love the colors, let's just work on making the helmet streamlined so as to not hide Hope's pretty face ;-)

Scott's battle w/Falcon at the Avengers compound was awesome, it showed why he has what it takes to join the team.

 

I kind of wish Scott's daughter Cassie was a little bit older since we know she eventually joins the superhero community.

[Lantern7]

Saw it today. I feel bad for Anthony Mackie. Falcon looked like a punk in the fight with Scott. The after-credits scene didn't soften the impact. BTW, I get what Marvel is setting up . . . but who's the third person in that scene?

 

I thought the movie was okay. Usual Marvel stuff with nice effects and legit actors spouting ridiculous lines (this time, Michael Douglas), but I wasn't bowled over. Not like I was weeping when Anthony got killed. Ants are kinda/sorta gross for me still . . . though the idea of Cassie having a giant ant as a pet is cute. Disturbing, but cute.

[calliope1975]

I was shocked they had the Scott/Hope pairing at the end, there didn't seem to be any hints it was going that way. It really didn't feel earned to me. It was more like "Oh Scott, you saved my dad's legacy and the world, i'm going to swoon and then make out w/ you."

 

It was completely unearned and came out of nowhere. The dialogue was funny enough that I didn't hate it, but it was a complete WTF and unnecessary. 

 

Loved the Falcon/Scott fight, and how Scott was such a fanboy and polite even as he had to take out Falcon. 

 

I also liked that stepdad wasn't a complete jerk and ultimately ended up helping out Scott. (Also - Bobby Cannavale)

 

I'll repeat what I said in the Marvel thread - I'm disappointed but not surprised they held off on suiting up Hope even though she was vastly more qualified than Scott. Marvel had a great opportunity to flip the script on the same white boy hero we've had up to this point but chose not to take it. I am disappoint.

 

Still, though, I had a blast and want to see it again. I didn't like Avengers 2 as much as I thought I would and thought I might be losing my MCU stan status, but nope! Ant-Man brought me back. They own me just as much as ever.

Edited July 17, 2015 by calliope1975

[kennyab]

I loved seeing Hayley Attwell as 80's Peggy Carter, she is the best thing that has happened out of the MCU. I was also surprised they stuck w/ Slattery as Howard Stark. I thought they might switch him out w/ an aged Dominic Cooper.

 

Yeah, it's always fantastic to see Peggy, but interesting to see her on the "wrong" side in a movie. I just knew that other guy had to be Hydra, so fun to see him out of that closet in the present day.

 

Did they know they were going to have a young Howard in Cap when they cast Slattery in Iron Man 2? I'm fine with them continuing to use both actors, but I think there would be an uproar if they ever had anyone other than Hayley Atwell playing Peggy -- I know I'd revolt.

 

I'd love to one day have a Michael Douglas/Robert Downey Jr. face-off. I would totally see MCU Hank being on the anti-registration side in Civil War. There are so many rich characters connections in the universe, and it feels like we have so many wasted opportunities. Heck, other than a line in Avengers, they've never really gotten into the fact that Steve probably had a much better relationship with Howard than Tony did. Oh well, plenty of fodder for fan fiction, I suppose.

 

I was shocked they had the Scott/Hope pairing at the end, there didn't seem to be any hints it was going that way. It really didn't feel earned to me. It was more like "Oh Scott, you saved my dad's legacy and the world, i'm going to swoon and then make out w/ you."

 

It wasn't totally out of nowhere. Hope was, um, admiring, Scott when he had his shirt off, and he had definitely taken notice of her.

 

I kind of wish Scott's daughter Cassie was a little bit older since we know she eventually joins the superhero community.

 

She's like, what, six here? Give it 10 years. Heck, they have half of that planned out already, at least that they've announced publicly. I'm sure they already have ideas sketched out beyond that. Young Avengers could come around late phase 4, early phase 5. That'd give them time to set up the others. I mean, they already have Wanda and Vision making eyes at each other. If they introduce Mar-Vell in Captain Marvel, that's got Hulkling taken care of.

[CMH1981]

 

Yeah, it's always fantastic to see Peggy, but interesting to see her on the "wrong" side in a movie. I just knew that other guy had to be Hydra, so fun to see him out of that closet in the present day.

 

I didn't even think about her being on the "wrong" side, but I forget that she and Stark hadn't know at that point that Hydra had infiltrated SHIELD.  That being said, I'm getting really tired of Hydra in the post downfall of SHIELD.  I can't remember, isn't there some other evil organization they could be using?  Why does everything have to tie back into Hydra?

 

 

BTW, I get what Marvel is setting up . . . but who's the third person in that scene?

 

It was Cap, Falcon, and Bucky/Winter Soldier.  They have tracked him down and he is/was captured by someone else.  I read we will get this entire scene in the Civil War movie next year.  I guess they shot this scene in a different view for the post credits Antman film.

 

 

I'll repeat what I said in the Marvel thread - I'm disappointed but not surprised they held off on suiting up Hope even though she was vastly more qualified than Scott. Marvel had a great opportunity to flip the script on the same white boy hero we've had up to this point but chose not to take it. I am disappoint.

 

I agree.  Marvel seems to be really scared about breaking their track record when it comes to the women in the MCU.  I get from a storyline perspective why Hank wouldn't let Hope suit up, but at this point it's looking really bad not fully showcasing the women of the MCU.  Yes, I know they have told us that Captain Marvel is coming, but again why sideline a Black Widow film when it's already proven we want that film.  I wouldn't be shocked if Captain Marvel is pushed back at some point.

 

So if Hank is able to find Jan in the microverse, will she still be younger than Hank?  It was already said that time moves much differently there.  It would be funny to bring back Jan and she is the same age as her own daughter Hope.

Edited July 17, 2015 by CMH1981

[MadyGirl1987]

Really enjoyed the movie. Funny and action packed. Enjoyed seeing what they did with the size and perspectives of it all. Loved how something at the ant-level would look so epic, such as the toy train crashing, but then they cut to normal proportions  and it barely registers.

 

They did a good job of showing just what the hero the size of an ant could do and how formidable they could be.

 

The biggest geek out moment for me was when Scott is heading to the Avengers compound and Pym is all "abort!" Then you see the flash of Falcon before he come in... It was a great sense of "it is going down."

[CMH1981]

I was thinking that along the lines of Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a callback to a political thriller from the 70s, this really did seem like a buddy heist movie ala Ocean's Eleven, but more like Ocean's Twenty Thousand due to the ants involved.

[VCRTracking]

Just got back from seeing it. It's a fun movie. Has my favorite third act of any MCU movie. Rudd was a good everyman and I like his intertaction with other characters. MIchael Pena was the highlight along with T.I. . Loved his flashbacks where he would get bogged down in detail. Loved the fight with the Falcon. I'm one who couldn't stand Kate on Lost but like Evangeline Lily in other roles like Real Steel and The Hobbit and now this movie. Her scene with Michael Douglas reconciling made me cry. I'm also happy

Janet's not technically dead, but lost in another dimension. That means she can come back! Also that she was a hero's sacrifice

 

 

An article on how they convincingly de-aged Michael Douglas in the opening scene:

 

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/07/ant-man-michael-douglas-young?mbid=social_twitter

Edited July 18, 2015 by VCRTracking

[Lantern7]

Thanks, CMH1981. I was racking my brain trying to figure out who the guy was.

 

And yeah, the Scott/Hope thing came out of left field.

[benteen]

I just got back from it and I really enjoyed it.  The film was a lot of fun and featured terrific performances by Paul Rudd and especially Michael Douglas.  Michael Pena was a lot of fun and I enjoyed Scott's crew.  Corey Stoll managed to do a good job as the villain although Marvel films still struggle in this regard.

 

The Ant-Man vs Falcon battle was awesome and I totally didn't know he would be appearing.  It's nice to be surprised.

 

Really great FX and fun use of the giant Pym particles as well.

 

I liked Evangeline Lilly in this and I liked the way they handled the Janet thing.  I agree Marvel has dropped the ball on not doing a Black Widow movie already and the Captain Marvel movie can't get here soon enough.

 

A few things about the opening scene...

 

-I know I'm getting old now when 25-30 years in the past is now 1989.  Bah!

 

-Nice to see Peggy although they didn't really bother with the old age make-up because Peggy should be pushing 70 at this point and still looks unbelievably youthful.  Atwell always looks great.

 

-It's great that the technology exists that you can see actors again as their younger selves.  They did good work on the Douglas CGI although when they lingered on him at the end of that scene, you could really see the unnatural digitalness of it.

 

-Slattery was a riot as Old Howard.

 

-Loved what we learned about Pym and Janet's past in Shield.

Edited July 18, 2015 by benteen

[Actionmage]

Just here to echo the lovely humor and general lightness. As I told family members after seeing it this afternoon, if your big fight involves Thomas the Tank Engine, it's not going to be that dark! *G*

 

I also was:

 

* Happy that Paxton, Bobby Cannevale's fiancé cop character, wasn't a thorough asshat ( "... I said 'hat"), was a decent cop, and was about as brave as Scott when it came to Cassie and  her mom. That actually helped me enjoy everything.

*Surprised, and happily so, that Falcon  showed up. I will be waiting to see him kick some bad guy ass in his next appearances, but this was the classic Good Guys Fight Each Other cliché. It just happened to have a super cool kicker after Scott and Ant-ony got free.

*Hopeful that Scott would find Janet while he was subatomic and bring her back. Still, the door is open for one of the most kickass ladies of the Marvel Universe to triumphantly return. Even if she decides to be retired or semi-so.

*Squeamish with the literal Sacrificial Lamb. A bit too on-the-nose, and Mr. Cross cemented his villainy with thwacking the poor thing after it was miniaturized.

*Amused with Scott's gang. Technically, Luis' gang, since he assembled them, but Scott was a good leader. Luis' stories and his segments in the big heist were wonderful. Plus, he had more than a handful of good lines!  T. I. as well;  I loved how direct his character was when the cops almost blew their heist.  The hacker was great, in his frustration with Our Driver at Pym Tech.  Then again all three rolling up to the ex's house and their reaction was great!

 

 I was gushing about this to family and hoping to see this again. It was a fun movie and one that happily surprised me plenty!  If Marvel keeps this up, DC may never get a good cinema footing. Which is weird and ironic.

Edited July 18, 2015 by Actionmage

[VCRTracking]

An interview with Peyton Reed the director at AICN:

 

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/72397

 

I like that Edgar Wright provided a huge bulk of what was onscreen in his early drafts but Peyton Reed and writer Adam McKay(ANCHORMAN) actually contributed a lot of things that I really enjoyed in the movie as well.

[Zuleikha]

I get from a storyline perspective why Hank wouldn't let Hope suit up, but at this point it's looking really bad not fully showcasing the women of the MCU.

I haven't seen it yet, but based on what I've read about the story, it's a perfectly good set up that drops the ball on follow through. If she were a male character, I'm nigh positive that plot point would have been resolved by writing the script in such a way that male-Hope is given a suit prior to a final mission and male-Hope does something critical to lead to mission's success. It bothers me that this all-male creative team would see her storyline resolved with the reconciliation but without us, as the audience, ever seeing her use it. Since I haven't seen it, I don't know if that's the fault of Edgar Wright's original story not leaving space for Hope to suit up or a shared fault, but either way, I don't think Wright would have written it that way with a father/son conflict.

[VCRTracking]

I think it's like Rhodey in the first Iron Man who didn't get to suit up then(because Tony had to face the bad guy alone for his arc), but got the chance in the sequel. I just hope Evangeline Lilly isn't replaced, like Terrance Howard was by Don Cheadle. Don't ask for more money Evangeline!

[benteen]

You're right.  If she's asks for more money, she'll never be in a Marvel movie again!

 

I definitely want to see Wasp in a future movie, whether it's Hope or Janet.

[SeanC]

I really don't care for the fact that the MCU is killing off all their villains, I mean yes essentially anyone can step into the Yellowjackets suit, but I really wish they would start putting these people in prison or something. It reminds me of the Raimi Spider-Man films and the killing of all the villains.

I don't think the MCU is nearly as kill-happy as many such franchises; Loki, obviously, but also Nebula, Red Skull (though they haven't made any move to bring him back), Justin Hammer (ditto), Abomination (ditto).

 

Saw it today. I feel bad for Anthony Mackie. Falcon looked like a punk in the fight with Scott. 

I thought the opposite.  I was really confused by how Falcon was going to fight Ant-Man at all, but he got some good hits in.

 

I don't think I'd rate this among the top MCU films, but it's very entertaining, and it does an impressive job of clearing the hurdle of justifying its own existence and making the Pym technology seem both relevant and significant (which it is, when you think about it, but it's common to write off shrinking technology).

 

If there was one point I thought was kind of muddled, it was Scott's starting point. Given all the talk about "redemption", I don't get why they made his initial crime a Robin Hood-type thing where he was just trying to help people. Lang in the comics just became a thief because he wasn't making enough money to support his family, which is also a somewhat sympathetic motivation, but ultimately a self-centered one. It's especially odd given that they have him plot to steal for profit later anyway. That said, I liked the character overall, and Paul Rudd is surprisingly plausible as an action hero (albeit one with a comedic bent).

 

Michael Douglas was terrific as Hank (and, incidentally, the CGI de-aging they did on him in the opening scene was amazing).

 

Evangeline Lilly's Hope was an unexpected strong point of the story. There's been a ton of controversy around the way Janet was going to be handled (or not) in this adaptation -- which also gets unexpectedly addressed -- but Hope is actually a really well-realized character. Indeed, of all the MCU female leads, I'd say she has easily the most backstory and the character arc most separate from the male lead (until Peggy got her own show, but that's not in the movies); her real story is with her dad and the legacy of her mother. I know some people have called it a token romance, but the hookup between her and Scott at the end is underplayed to the point where it comes across very casually and not like a big deal (romance plots don't need to be at the center of every story).

 

Michael Pena's unexpectedly-sophisticated and enthusiastic thief was another highlight. As a Young Avengers fan, I was also pleased with little Cassie, too (there are some nice character touches, like her being thrilled with the ugly doll and adopting the giant ant as a pet at the end).

 

They did a really good job of making the action and aesthetic stand out from other films in the universe, and not just because of the size-changing; Pena's rapid-fire monologues complete with a lot of swipe-cuts really stand out.

Edited July 18, 2015 by SeanC

[CatMack]

It was OK.  It was entertaining.  It had a tighter narrative than Avengers 2, more cohesive (which makes sense given it’s much smaller scale - no pun intended).  Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang was a good generic white dude, amusing and attractive and inoffensive.

 

But the movie had a major problem, and that problem was that Hope Van Dyne was clearly the hero the movie both needed and deserved.  They point out repeatedly that Hope is better qualified in every way to be the hero here, but can’t be because her dad has emotional issues because they fridged Janet Van Dyne, aka the only female original Avenger in the comic books. 

 

And there’s something to be said for how self aware the movie was about this.  I’ll certainly take that over just not including Hope or not acknowledging how competent she is.

 

The problem is though that Marvel is entirely responsible for its ongoing issues with the women in its cinematic universe being sidelined for the men, and this feels patronizing, like they want a pat on the back for finally acknowledging the problem while not actually fixing it.

 

Like, if Marvel had a perfect track record regarding women, or even just not a really shitty one, this could actually be a good story, and the end certainly sets Hope up to come into her own as a super hero in subsequent stories.  But they don’t have a good track record.  So instead of feeling like a critique of the state of women in comic movies, it feels like a weak attempt to placate feminists without actually having to give a woman a lead story. 

 

So yeah, Ant Man is fun, entertaining, a perfectly serviceable comic books movie, but would have been 10X better if they’d actually let Hope be the hero she was clearly meant to be, instead of just pointing out that she should be the hero while not actually letting her do much beyond train another generic white guy.  Setting her up to be a hero next time around isn’t good enough any more.  I’m over waiting for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get around to making women a priority.

[Bruinsfan]

An article on how they convincingly de-aged Michael Douglas in the opening scene:

Although the shinking/growing effects were merely fun, that one dropped my jaw. For a few seconds I was trying to figure out if they were somehow splicing in Wall Street era footage of Michael Douglas and just CGI altering his lips to match the audio, but then he started interacting with the other characters in the scene. That scene would get my vote for the Special Effects Oscar over anything else I've seen this year.

 

There were some plot holes where I felt like scenes were missing, like when Maggie Lang's boyfriend and his partner are suddenly on scene at Pym Industries trying to arrest Hank, when Hope yells about Pym particles having an effect on Cardboard Villain Man's brain before he'd shrunk for the first time, and when he apparently teleports across town to menace Cassie Lang while Scott is still in the squadcar. But overall, the movie was a lot of fun. And I left the theater on the high note: "About damn time!"

[JessePinkman]

Ah the benefits of lowered expectations.

 

I liked it! And that after months of hating the marketing and the very *idea* of this movie. But it was fun. Ish. Michael Pena is MVP, followed closely by Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly. Honestly, I like Paul Rudd (who is 46 years old! He looks fantastic) but that character could have been played by anyone. I think they could have tried a bit harder to differentiate it from a generic superhero movie. This is the first Marvel origin story that felt truly generic to me, Cap was set in the 40s, Tony Stark is an asshole and Thor is a god. All things that make those movies unique even if the story follows the same basic path. This felt very by the numbers. But it wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined it would be.

 

Loved seeing Peggy. I let out a small yelp when I saw her. Don't judge me.

 

There were some plot holes where I felt like scenes were missing, like when Maggie Lang's boyfriend and his partner are suddenly on scene at Pym Industries trying to arrest Hank, when Hope yells about Pym particles having an effect on Cardboard Villain Man's brain before he'd shrunk for the first time, and when he apparently teleports across town to menace Cassie Lang while Scott is still in the squadcar. But overall, the movie was a lot of fun. And I left the theater on the high note: "About damn time!"

 

We saw the cop stepdad's partner show him a picture of Hank at the police station. But the plot hole there is that he showed him this before Scott started training...so they waited until the night of this big announcement to question him? He was in his house for weeks.

 

Speaking of Maggie, here's another summer blockbuster that completely wastes Judy Greer. But keep getting those paychecks, sis.

Edited July 18, 2015 by JessePinkman

[VCRTracking]

I wondered why Garrett Morris from SNL and Two Broke Girls had that random cameo in the movie until somebody online pointed out this classic sketch from when Margot Kidder of Superman hosted Saturday Night Live in 1979:

 

https://screen.yahoo.com/superhero-party-000000500.html

[bluvelvet]

Saw this today and surprisingly really enjoyed it, it wasn't on my top list of movies to see. I thought it was lighthearted and fun and it gave me a few laugh our loud moments.

Loved seeing the Falcon probably because it was unexpected and I didn't mind that we only found out about Scott and Hope until the end, I didn't mind the lack of the romance sub story.

Look forward to the Wasp in future installments and also liked that the step dad wasn't a jerk in the end and they all reconciled.

[Rick Kitchen]

Does this mean Crossfire will be showing up sometime soon?

 

I guess there's no Hank, Jr., huh?

 

I really enjoyed this, the humor was entertaining, and the fights were human-sized and not city-dropping-from-the-sky size, like the film mentioned (humorously).

 

"I know a guy."  No, you don't, you know of a guy.

[Zuleikha]

Setting her up to be a hero next time around isn’t good enough any more.  I’m over waiting for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get around to making women a priority.

Especially because we know the general timeline for the next set of movies, and there's no Wasp or even Ant-Man II: Now with Wasp planned in the near future. Feige is going on the record saying we'll see Hope suit up in a Phase 3 movie, but unless they do another push back of the planned slate, it won't be as a lead. So that means the earliest she could lead or co-lead a movie is 5 years from now. This is on top of the movie costing us the Janet van Dyne Wasp being included in the Avengers movie (per Whedon's original plan), which meant a major female superheroine got written out of her important role with founding and naming the team.

[CMH1981]

 

and there's no Wasp or even Ant-Man II: Now with Wasp planned in the near future.

 

Well to be fair, when they were laying out Phase 3 films I really think Marvel didn't know how this film was going to turn out.  So much controversy over Wright leaving the film plus you have a lower tier character.  They didn't want to pre-announce Ant-Man 2 and then have to backtrack if the movie bombed like I have the feeling FOX will be doing w/the upcoming Fantastic Four film (I can't believe they already announced a sequel to that film as early as they did ).  I could totally see Marvel fitting a sequel in their plans that doesn't have to be fully connected to the overall lead up to the Infinity Guantlet/Thanos showdown.  After the Civil War film we could have Scott head back to the west-coast and have another adventure w/Hope and the crew.  Why can't we get three or four MCU films a year?  

Edited July 19, 2015 by CMH1981

[JessePinkman]

Anyone catch the Spider-Man mention? The reporter in the very last scene before the after credits scenes mentioned a guy that's swings from buildings and crawls up walls. I guess that's confirmation that Spidey will already be active in Cap: CW.

[CMH1981]

Who was the third superhero they were talking about in that scene?  They mentioned/described Ant-Man, Spider-Man, then some other guy who can jump/leap really far...or something like that.  I wasn't sure who the third person was supposed to be.

[Racj82]

I'm personally just tired of female characters in these movies not getting a chance not be judged to death. Every time i watch these movies, it never even crosses my mind even once, the problems others end up having with them. Hope is a strong, smart woman who doesn't need anyone help to defend herself. It's great.

 

What actual purpose would she serve suited up in the final act? Her arc in this movie was between her and her father. That was the bridge they decided to cross before she became a hero. But, this is Ant Man. Let him have his hero journey on his own. All of these great female characters in the MCU and it's always overshadowed because their name isn't in a title yet or they are not always in the foreground. I enjoy watching these characters. There is almost always enough going on for me to enjoy from everyone.

 

We had a straight up one on one fight in the finale. Adding another person to the party seems pointless. These movies are continued narratives. Not every story beat needs to be covered in one installment. I would have felt the same way if they through war machine in Iron Man 1. I still feel that Robin is pointless in Batman Forever. He entered into a fight he didn't add much to and could have been introduced later. Hank needed to see Scott finish the journey in this film before he could fully be on board with her entering the fight. It makes complete sense. Yes, she's a grown woman but she's still his daughter. He didn't want anyone to use the suit anymore but knowing all the risks, he damn sure didn't want his daughter to do it. He was just as worried about Corey's character getting involved in this.

 

At the end of the day, I just see characters. When I'm watching Hope, I'm not thinking about how she is being treated as a female character. Is she being short changed as a female character. I just don't care. I just want good characters. Hope was a great character. Scott and Hank were great too. So, I'm happy. I wish Scott would have gotten more beats in his arc to help us connect better with his desire to be a better man and father. But, I bought into what we did see.

 

That's just how I look at these things. No judgment on anyone else.

[nobodyyoucare]

Wasp has for the most part always been a character in a team. Not a solo act. She started off as a founding member of the Avengers. Its redonkilous that people want certain characters to have their own movie when these characters have never been suited for solo adventures. 

[benteen]

Yeah, to my knowledge Wasp has never had a solo title.  She's always been in a team, first with Pym and first with the Avengers.  She's always been a very important member of the Avengers, being a founder, an occasional leader and even the one who gave them their name.

[VCRTracking]

Thinking about it, the script was clever setting it up that the only way to defeat Yellowjacket would be to go "subatomic" and that Scott could have only come back from that because 1)he upgraded the regulator even though Hank told him not to, and 2) He heard Cassie calling for him which led him back. So Hope would have been lost like her mother if she had suited up

 

I do really, really want Hope to be central in the sequel and Janet to be found as well. The press is making hay with Ant-Man's opening weekend being small for a Marvel film, but it's still a hit by any standards and I think good word of mouth will sustain it.

[benteen]

I think Ant-Man did just find considering he hasn't even been a B-list superhero for many years (did love how the character was used in Future Foundation).  I think word of mouth will definitely help the box office even more.

[CMH1981]

 

The press is making hay with Ant-Man's opening weekend being small for a Marvel film, but it's still a hit by any standards and I think good word of mouth will sustain it.

 

Exactly, all that really matters is what Disney's expectations were for the film based off of the material.  They knew this film wouldn't be Avengers level opening weekend, but i'm betting they didn't put the expectation of GotG from last year either b/c they weren't sure how to gauge that film either which shocked everyone.

[dkb]

I really liked it. It was funny, interesting and different from the other Marvel movies. I loved the way the stories Luis told were shown on screen with the other actors mouths moving and his voice speaking. 

And Cassie was such a cutie!

[ZoqFotPik]

Would someone mind recapping Michael Pena's final conversation with Scott? The people around me were laughing at Stan Lee and getting ready to leave, he was talking so fast, and there were so many layers to the conversation I had difficulty following the conversation. All I got was Falcon was looking for Scott and a reference to Spiderman. What was the whole "He said yes." referring to?

[MadyGirl1987]

I'm personally just tired of female characters in these movies not getting a chance not be judged to death. Every time i watch these movies, it never even crosses my mind even once, the problems others end up having with them. Hope is a strong, smart woman who doesn't need anyone help to defend herself. It's great.

What actual purpose would she serve suited up in the final act? Her arc in this movie was between her and her father. That was the bridge they decided to cross before she became a hero. But, this is Ant Man. Let him have his hero journey on his own. All of these great female characters in the MCU and it's always overshadowed because their name isn't in a title yet or they are not always in the foreground. I enjoy watching these characters. There is almost always enough going on for me to enjoy from everyone.

We had a straight up one on one fight in the finale. Adding another person to the party seems pointless. These movies are continued narratives. Not every story beat needs to be covered in one installment. I would have felt the same way if they through war machine in Iron Man 1. I still feel that Robin is pointless in Batman Forever. He entered into a fight he didn't add much to and could have been introduced later. Hank needed to see Scott finish the journey in this film before he could fully be on board with her entering the fight. It makes complete sense. Yes, she's a grown woman but she's still his daughter. He didn't want anyone to use the suit anymore but knowing all the risks, he damn sure didn't want his daughter to do it. He was just as worried about Corey's character getting involved in this.

At the end of the day, I just see characters. When I'm watching Hope, I'm not thinking about how she is being treated as a female character. Is she being short changed as a female character. I just don't care. I just want good characters. Hope was a great character. Scott and Hank were great too. So, I'm happy. I wish Scott would have gotten more beats in his arc to help us connect better with his desire to be a better man and father. But, I bought into what we did see.

That's just how I look at these things. No judgment on anyone else.

Word! Not that women being underrepresented is not an issue, since it is, but Marvel is doing a lot better then others on this front. Throughout the MCU you see strong women in multiple roles, from supportive girlfriend to helping found SHIELD to Avenger. One of my favorite characters of the entire MCU is Peggy. While it would be awesome to have some headliners the lack of that doesn't mean we don't have good roles for women. And frankly, whenever ANY(which is what it feels like sometimes) female role is picked apart and bashed for any fault found, what incentive is their for females to be featured? Why would they make a Black Widow movie when they get criticized, even death threats I heard, over her in Age of Ultron? When saying she is unable to have kids and is upset over being made into basically a killing machine is called sexist?

Sorry for the rant, the topic just hits a nerve for me.

[Grammaeryn]

I think the outrage/disappointment over female roles in MCU stems from the fact that in the comic books the female superheroes are a lot more prevalent and powerful. It's the movies that are neutering or fridging these women. Heck, the kids cartoons have a better handle on Carol, Natasha, Janet, Abigail etc!

On topic, I really liked the movie and might try to see it again. The surprise Falcon cameo was beyond awesome. For the second end credit scene, why can't Tony help? The corps? I missed the line.

[JBC344]

Would someone mind recapping Michael Pena's final conversation with Scott? The people around me were laughing at Stan Lee and getting ready to leave, he was talking so fast, and there were so many layers to the conversation I had difficulty following the conversation. All I got was Falcon was looking for Scott and a reference to Spiderman. What was the whole "He said yes." referring to?

Basically it was just the rehash of the previous joke in the beginning.  For the first conversation that Michael Pena was retelling Paul Rudd's character Scott made a mention to ask does Michael's character think that it was a set up.

 

For the last conversation Scott ask him the same question, meaning does he think the whole conversation was a set up to get word back to Scott, with the answer/punch line being "He said yes".  Meaning that Falcon set up that conversation with the woman because he knew it would get back to Scott and wanted Scott to come to them/make contact.  Which lead into the post credits scene of Falcon telling Captain America that he knows a guy who can help them.  Which will in turn lead to Ant-Man's role in Captain America Civil War.

[Rick Kitchen]

On topic, I really liked the movie and might try to see it again. The surprise Falcon cameo was beyond awesome. For the second end credit scene, why can't Tony help? The corps? I missed the line.

 

The "accords", it's what the Civil War is all about.

[Sakura12]

I enjoyed this movie, it wasn't the best Marvel movie but I was entertained and that's what really matters to me. I thought this would be a movie where all the funny bits were shown in the trailer, most of the funniest bits for me were not shown in the trailer. 

 

The whole cast did a great job, this was a perfect role for Paul Rudd, I hope if there is another movie Hope gets to suit up or be in one of the other movies. Michael Pena was hilarious with his telling of every single detail in his stories and having the other people mouth the words he was saying. 

 

Loved seeing Peggy Carter. I love that she's the one of the main connections in the Marvel verse. Liked seeing Falcon as well. 

 

I'll probably see it again. 

Edited July 19, 2015 by Sakura12

[Shannon L.]

Add me to the list of people who thought this looked and sounded horrible at first, but was swayed by public opinion and ended up really enjoying it.  I love Paul Rudd to begin with, but I wasn't sure he alone would make me enjoy sitting through a movie like this.  I'm so glad to have been wrong. 

 

 

Nice to see Peggy although they didn't really bother with the old age make-up because Peggy should be pushing 70 at this point and still looks unbelievably youthful.

That's exactly what I said.  But, I do love Peggy, so I let it go. 

 

My memory isn't great when it comes to these movies, but when the building exploded and pretty much disappeared, am I remembering correctly that the same kind of bomb was introduced in Agent Carter?  Not that I expect it to mean anything--if it did, I'm sure others here would be all over it--I just thought it was yet another neat link to another Marvel show.  I love how MCU does that.

 

Most people in our theater left before the last scene.  I can't believe they haven't learned by now!  Anyway, it made me really look forward to the next Avengers movie (Bucky is my favorite villain so far, with Loki a very close second). 

 

 

They own me just as much as ever

They've got me, too. 

[CMH1981]

 

My memory isn't great when it comes to these movies, but when the building exploded and pretty much disappeared, am I remembering correctly that the same kind of bomb was introduced in Agent Carter?  Not that I expect it to mean anything--if it did, I'm sure others here would be all over it--I just thought it was yet another neat link to another Marvel show.  I love how MCU does that.

 

I didn't think of the Agent Carter / bomb connection...I thought it was more that Hank thought far enough ahead that he had Scott set the explosives as well as those discs that were triggered to shrink everything as a matter of public safety but also to prevent anything else surviving.    In other words he sent the building/explosion to the microverse. 

 

 

 

Nice to see Peggy although they didn't really bother with the old age make-up because Peggy should be pushing 70 at this point and still looks unbelievably youthful.

 

I thought she looked about right.  I think Pegg as someone who probably has always been taking care of herself inside and out, plush she does have all kinds of stuff available via SHIELD labs/scientists.  I think when she started down the road of alzheimer's is when she probably her age caught up w/ her.

 

To be fair why hide the stunning Atwell behind old age makeup though...she is such a stunner, and my favorite part of the MCU.

Edited July 20, 2015 by CMH1981

[VCRTracking]

I think some people can retain their vitality into the 70s. Then when they hit the 80s old age really hits. Like Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Sean Connery were still seemed virile, but just 10 years later they looked like they needed a nurse everywhere they went.

 

The movie also made me miss Baskin Robbins! There used to be one in my neighborhood but it closed down years ago.

[Bruinsfan]

I didn't think of the Agent Carter / bomb connection...I thought it was more that Hank thought far enough ahead that he had Scott set the explosives as well as those discs that were triggered to shrink everything as a matter of public safety but also to prevent anything else surviving.    In other words he sent the building/explosion to the microverse. 

When I saw that scene I thought to myself "You son of a bitch, you left the bodies and you only moved the headstones!"

[AimingforYoko]

The "accords", it's what the Civil War is all about.

Well, that and Bucky killed Howard Stark, but Tony probably doesn't know that.

[wingster55]

^ I didn't know that either. Was that told in Winter Soldier?

[CMH1981]

Yes.  In CA:WS, when looking at the mysterious past of the Winter Soldier, Zola pulled up an old newspaper article showed that would be connecting him w/the car crash of Howard Stark.  I'm guessing that's the main reason why Steve doesn't want Tony knowing anything yet.

Edited July 20, 2015 by CMH1981

[InsertWordHere]

The movie also made me miss Baskin Robbins! There used to be one in my neighborhood but it closed down years ago.

Perhaps they had too many employees who applied there under false names? Baskin Robbins always finds out. Baskin Robbins don't play. 

[Actionmage]

the only way to defeat Yellowjacket would be to go "subatomic" and that Scott could have only come back from that because 1)he upgraded the regulator even though Hank told him not to, and 2) He heard Cassie calling for him which led him back. So Hope would have been lost like her mother if she had suited up

 

According to  my husband, what enabled Scott to reboot the regulator was the new discs that Hank had recently invented. Discs that were not available to Janet when she went subatomic.

 

The second is stupid; the reason, not you. The implication of that is:  Janet couldn't hear Hank- nor think of Hope- and therefore their love wasn't enough to pull Janet back. Or that Janet's love for them wasn't enough to get her back. I have thought about how heinous that thought is and it angers me a lot. The only acceptable way to read Scott's ability to come back when Janet hasn't  is down to the new inventions of Hank's making. Otherwise, you are saying that Science isn't triumphing, but Love, which isn't fair because the situations were just that hairsbreadth different. And that Janet doesn't love Hank and Hope as much as Scott loves Cassie. That is...not a conversation for heroes to be having. Who loves who more.

 

For the person upthread: I think the reference to the one that leaps? Was supposed to be Daredevil, which is nice in that it acknowledges the Netflix side of the MCU. I could be wrong,of course, but that is who came to my mind.

Edited July 20, 2015 by Actionmage

[Raja]

I had a great time coming off with the immediate post movie high I would place it second in the MCU behind The Winter Soldier. As an origin story it does not hold the universe's importance of Iron Man but Ant-Man was more fun and I would place it ahead of X-Men First Class for the recent all comic universes origin stories.

I didn't think of the Agent Carter / bomb connection...I thought it was more that Hank thought far enough ahead that he had Scott set the explosives as well as those discs that were triggered to shrink everything as a matter of public safety but also to prevent anything else surviving.    In other words he sent the building/explosion to the microverse. 

 

 

I was thinking that once again SHIELD agents were not much different than the Hydra within their ranks when the entire building went up. Everybody wasn't in on the secret plan nor was there anyway to insure the evacuation of everybody even if it was represented by one security guard being rescued by a crook turned hero.