Ant-Man

An excellent Marvel movie and for me personally a more than worthy patch on the disappointment of the second Avengers. The film doesn't play games, it flows naturally, it's pleasantly (not at all costs) funny, Paul Rudd surprised me in the lead role and Michael Douglas' participation pleased me immensely. The trailers definitely didn't give away all the jokes (the key ring definitely leads the way for me), the action has ideas and is still clear, and the special effects are a chapter unto themselves - they took my breath away in the opening scene. I had fun, fun and fun. (26/07/2015)

Given the longstanding delays and considerable creative difficulties, I can hardly believe how inventive and lively Ant-Man ultimately turned out to be. The era of comic books on every corner can shine in full force, but Scott Lang and Hank Pym are not ones to suffer from audience saturation. Surprisingly, the script precisely balances action sequences with a non-violent family storyline, and Paul Rudd's natural acting (not to mention his cheery chemistry with Michael Douglas and the rest of the cast) smooths out even the biggest rough edges, such as the shaky and disjointed opening act. Creating a superhero appetizer (not to mention one placed between an Avengers film and a Captain America film) is harder than it seems, which is why I'm truly delighted by its successful start. Especially since this character is tailor-made for future teamwork. (23/08/2015)

This is the least uniform Marvel movie material, with the original creator peeking out at you from every other scene. It’s in the hands of an old hand fulfilling a studio assignment that clearly meant stepping on the gas in family values and withdrawing his hand on a miniature goofing around (the parrot model run and the train finale literally scream for extra minutes). The protagonists, pure as lilies (the scars from the past are more so cosmetic, without the need to dissect them more), are quite boring, and Michael Peña's sidekick is the best. 3 ½. (08/11/2015)

It's the same thing over and over again, only with family values coming more to the fore, as well as clearly defined characters and more humour, especially provided by Michael Peña. If there's anything new to talk about here, it's the central character's perks, as the visual antics are carefully staged and the zooming in and out is handled in a brilliant, dynamic, and entertaining way. Sadly, though, Peyton Reed is otherwise pretty much a routine man, because a script this leaky can't be in a movie with any ambition, and that goes for Marvel's save-the-world movies as well. (15/12/2015)

Marvel saves the world for the thirty-sixth time, in the same story template, just by slightly different means and with more jokes. And that’s what they want to keep serving us for the next years. There’s nothing wrong with this movie, it just has nothing new to offer me. But the acting’s pleasant and the technical aspect perfect in the traditional Marvel fashion. The de-aged Michael Douglas is even better than the de-aged Schwarzenegger was in Terminator Genisys, it’s chilling. (17/07/2015)