Ant-Man, Blu-ray 3D (2015)
Cast: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Cory Stoll, Michael Pena
Director: Peyton Reed
Studio: Marvel/ Walt Disney Studios127622 [12/8/15]
Video: 1.85:11 for 16:9 1080p HD (2 discs) 3D & 2D
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 7.1, French or Spanish DD 5.1, PCM stereo with descriptive narration in English
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Dubbed version: French
Extras: “Making of an Ant-Sized Heist: A How-To Guide,” “Let’s Go to the Macroverse,” “WHIH News Front,” Deleted & extended scenes, Audio commentary track by dir. Reed and actor Rudd, Digital HD copy
Length: 117 min.
Rating: *****
Marvel has really cleaned up with the turning of its various comic-book super-heros into feature films, and many feel this is their best one yet, in spite of the embarassing character of an ant as a super-hero. It possesses the right blend of fantastic special effects (made even more fantastic on the 3D version), action, family, tension and conflict. The one thing that some fans might complain about is that the shrunken-down adventures of Ant-Man don’t really begin until about 3/4 of the way thru the movie. The fight scenes are convincing and when the Ant-Man shrinks down or quickly returns to normal size there is little feeling of it being cheesy or campy. There are some references to other Marvel characters, but not knowing about them won’t spoil your enjoyment of this movie.
One reviewer pointed out that years ago Isaac Asimov said sci-fi wasn’t so much its own genre as it was a vehicle for other genres, and he wrote a series of sci-fi detective novels to prove it. That fits Ant-Man, which is built around a heist plot, though – as one character says in the film, “It’s not just a heist.” Michael Douglas is his usual skillful self and Evangeline Lilly is “the mean pretty lady.” Rudd has come out of the comedy area, and there is a goodly amount of humor in the film, with all the laughs being intentional.
The extra on the Macroverse shows the creation of the world from the Ant-Man’s perspective, then there is also a glimpse at the future of Pym Technologies (the company behind the shrinkage etc.). which was founded by the Michael Douglas character, who was pushed out by the villian of the film. It’s altogether a fun movie, and especially in 3D.
—John Sunier
