ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (Malaysia, 04 Jul 2018)

Genre: Action / Adventure

Running Length: 2:00

Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne, Hannah John-Kamen, Walton Goggins, Michael Pena

Director: Peyton Reed 

Screenplay: Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers and Paul Rudd & Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari 

What's the movie about?

As Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Rudd) is under house arrest for 2 years following the events of Civil War, Hope van Dyne (Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas) present him with an urgent new mission. Shy of two days from completing his sentence, he is tasked to go into the quantum realm to save Hope's mom Janet van Dyne (Pfeiffer) who is stuck in there for 30 years. 

Highlights!

• This time round, we have a good balance of Rudd, Lilly and Douglas. They share almost equal screentime which I feel is a nice approach. 
• Similar to the first Ant-Man, Michael Pena steals every scene he is in!

Lowlights

• After the recent grandeur of Avenger: Infinity War this movie feels like a very small movie (no pun intended). The narrative is almost made for Netflix kind, just that the effects and action pieces are more polished thanks to a big budget. 
• The villains here have very little purpose beyond providing roadblocks to our heroes' mission to save Janet.
• Not too sure if it's because of Paul Rudd's laid-back personality or just the fault of the writing team, this film lacks energy. It gets pretty boring at times even during the action sequences.    

In summary

As fun as it gets, this movie is somewhat pointless. The only scene that got me excited is the first post-credit scene (the second one which is right at the end is rubbish) which leaves behind a clue to what's going to happen in Avengers 4. 

RATING: 6.5/10

THE MARTIAN (2015)

Genre: Science Fiction
Running Length: 2:21
Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kristin Wiig, Sean Bean

Director: Ridley Scott
Screenplay: Drew Goddard, based on the novel by Andy Weir

"You solve one problem and then the next. You solve enough problems and you get to come home." Mark Watney

THE MARTIAN is probably one of the most accessible films from Ridley Scott since Gladiator. This is Castaway for today's generation; where Damon's character spends the majority of his time talking to an "audience" aka. video blogging rather than talking to himself. And his best friend is Wilson the GoPro camera (several of them actually).

The science and maths in this film is easier to follow compared to Nolan's Interstellar. Apparently it was even fact-checked by NASA. The plot is easy to follow too. Damon's character is an astronaut where he was left behind on planet Mars by his fellow crew mates due to a freak storm. They presumed he was dead. So our protagonist must use his smarts to find a way to survive on the red planet until he is possibly rescued - several years away.

Although the narrative sounds depressing, the film's tone is actually pretty positive and upbeat. Eventhough the subject matter is serious, the film is approachable thanks to several light hearted moments peppered with appropriate low-key comedy. Also, it has a good balance of how Damon's character tackles both his physical limitations and psychological challenges. So, it's not emo all the way. From the trailers, audience may think that they are in for a boring time, seeing one man going up against one complication after another but it's actually more than that. There are several stories unfolding at the very same time but shares the same mission - to bring our astronaut back home safely, thus making this an interesting watch as we witness brilliant minds around the world coordinating and working together.

As good as Matt Damon is as our everyday hero, he is no Tom Hanks. Nevertheless, his performance here is arguably one of the best in his career. The supporting cast (with very big names) is equally impressive.

I'm glad the filmmakers use practical effects to enhance the look and feel, rather than hardcore CGI. Also, the smart editing coupled with an inspired choice of disco music gives the film a good pacing. Although the ending is a little too over-the-top (and the plot involving the Chinese government seemed forced and out of place), The Martian is still a feel-good cinematic experience.

Rating: 8.5/10

ANT-MAN (2015)

 
Genre: Action/Science fiction
Running Length: 1:57
Cast: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Michael Peña, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, T.I., David Dastmalchian
Director: Peyton Reed
Screenplay: Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay, Paul Rudd

Marvel's ANT-MAN is a tight and smaller scale movie (see what I just did there...) compared to the other epic and god-like superhero movies. And it packs a lot of heart too. In fact, it seems to share the same template as last year's surprise hit Guardians of the Galaxy:

• It goes for fun over dark brooding drama. 
• It's bright and uses a similar bold color palette. 
• Just like Chris Pratt, Paul Rudd is a likeable and humorous hero (heck, there's even a similar ripped six pack abs side profile shot of the actors in their respective movie trailers)      

I was a little skeptical when I watched the first trailer and not knowing much about the comic book, I thought the name "Ant-Man" was a tad too goofy. But boy was I wrong! The ability to shrink to a size of an insect is actually brilliant and lethal at the same time. The idea is so dangerous that if this technology falls into the hands of the wrong people, it would have serious global consequences. And that's actually the premise of the movie; to break into a high security premise to steal and destroy this technology before our main villain sells it to a bigger bad-der organization. Think of it like the Ocean's Eleven heist of Marvel movies.

What worked in this movie is its great cast. Rudd's comic timing is perfect and he's generally a nice guy who's trying to do the right thing for his daughter. Evangeline Lilly gets me everytime whenever she plays a strong character with scenes where she breaks down emotionally. Michael Pena steals every scene he’s in. And of course, there's Michael Douglas. He still has charisma and he oozes personality. And the action scenes are never too loud and bombastic. The climatic fight scene between Ant-Man and the baddie is ingenious as it switches between their perspective and that of normal-size human scale (and it also involves Thomas The Tank Engine Train). And kudos to the effective use of effects. When our hero shrinks down to size, his surroundings look unbelievably detailed and real.

Indeed, less is more.

Rating: 7.5/10