And so, the second phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come to a close with the much-delayed Ant-Man, and it couldn't have come at a more interesting moment where superhero fatigue has already begun to take shape. Avengers: Age of Ultron - while still being a huge financial success - failed to live up to the momentous hype or to break many of the records set by its predecessor, with the bigger surprise being that more would rather see the revival of the Jurassic Park series than the continuing adventures of Iron Man and co. Not helped by some of Hollywood's comments following Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)'s Oscar campaign and later win and the ever-growing relay of superhero movie announcements, Ant-Man is the first film since to have to face off the criticisms against the genre. Not helping it is the fact that it had such a troubled production run that original director Edgar Wright dropped out of the project after working on it for eight years, and a year before it was scheduled for release. Add numerous cast members dropping out and some comments made by both in-house and out-house alum on Wright's original script, and you have what may be Marvel Studios' first major stumble. But does this only shrink expectations to enjoy it more? Or will it be a flop that the studio won't be able to carry with all the ant-powered strength it has?
Following an unfortunate incident in the late 1980s, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) vowed that he'll hide the technology from both his own company and S.H.I.E.L.D that gives people the ability to shrink in size and increase in strength. Fast-forward to now, and his former protégé (Corey Stoll) reveals to Pym, Pym's daughter Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lily) and multiple investors that he's close to perfecting the technology himself and plans to create an army of suits known as Yellowjackets. Horrified by this fact, Hank and his reluctant daughter take it upon themselves to destroy Darren Cross' work and hire an unwilling Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) - a criminal made famous for his Robin Hood act years prior and was recently released from prison, only to have financial difficulties and be unwanted his ex-wife and her cop fiancé (Judy Greer & Bobby Cannavale respectively) despite his devotion to daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder) - and later his select band of fellow criminals, consisting of the excitable Michael Peña, tech guy David Dastmalchian and blank canvas T.I to work with them, with Lang becoming the new Ant-Man - a hero who's interactions with ants and his interchangeable size is taken out of retirement.
As mentioned beforehand, the departure of Edgar Wright and co-writer Joe Cornish just before production was meant to start lead to a number of rewrites from Adam McKay (writer of a number of Will Ferrell films) and actor Paul Rudd, and the somewhat messy screenplay is the result of that. A couple of insights are quickly hinted at and dropped; the psychological effects of Cross' formula gets a single mention despite how it seemingly makes up his antagonistic turn; and some of the character-driven moments such as a heartfelt duologue between Scott and Hope come across less as a moment od development between the two and more of the case of 'obligatory romance' - something which is a practical necessity for superhero films but is rather forced in this case. That being said, it doesn't make the story bad, as following a somewhat slow start comes some fun training sequences and a third act which does make the price of admission worth it. And while its attempts of comedy could be considered the weakest and most prominent of some of the more recent Marvel Studios films, it does certainly have its moments with the biggest laughs usually coming from the charismatic Peña.
Director Peyton Reed is someone you'd least expect to direct an action film, seeing as the biggest films on his resume are Bring it On and Yes Man, but considering how big the blow of Edgar Wright's departure was and how so many of his contemporaries opposed to replacing him out of respect, it is admirable of how well a job he does. Certainly, there are moments such as an expository scene midway through which has some questionable camera operating choices, but each shrinking sequence is marvellous and looks good enough for an IMAX screen (I saw it in 2D so I can't comment there), and the visual effects done for said sequences is stellar enough stuff that it makes up for the occasionally cartoonish ants. But Reed nevertheless does a fine job.
As the titular hero is Paul Rudd in a role which is very outside his comfort zone, and yet is perfectly suited to him. While Rudd is no stranger to some of the more serious films than his typical fare, this blend of the two does lead to some great acting from him. Some of his ADR is a little poor at times - all taking place during scenes in which he's in the full Ant-Man gear - but this straight-faced approach is a surprising success. Mentor Douglas does a fine job too even if his sole purpose is to lead Rudd, while Lily as Hope van Dyne has a bit of a short straw. As the sole major female castmember aside from a barely-present Judy Greer and having an ongoing feud with her father about not being chosen to wear the suit, and done so only to have some form of satire on the lack of female superheroes in the Marvel roster which has been criticised by many, being limited to being a love interest to both Scott Lang and Darren Cross is a bit of a low blow. However, Lily is clearly having fun with the part. As are all three of Lang's lackeys, with a stand-out performance from Michael Peña and two fine roles for the other two who aren’t as memorable. They do have their moments though.
Meanwhile, poor Corey Stoll is certainly lacking in his role. While he does try his hardest, the writing does leave him as nothing more than a paranoid megalomaniac with a confusing reason by his villainous turn outside of a one-off comment about his sanity. He comes across more as a pantomime villain if anything, and could be considered as being similar to Jeff Bridges' Obadiah Stane from the first Iron Man. Another semi-villain is Martin Donovan as someone with a grudge against Hank, and it isn't really explained until a surprise reveal near the end, and even then it's only a presumed reasoning as opposed to a confirmation. There's also a cameo from another Marvel character (who if you managed to not discover at this point via TV spots, than consider yourself lucky) that could be counted as a antagonist to Scott, and he does a great job in a segment which is immense fun. Finally, Scott's family deserves some form of mention, with Ryder being a great child actress with great lines, Greer being as underused here as she was in Jurassic World, and Cannavale being the stereotypical clashing step-father protecting Cassie from Scott. He can be a little aggravating early on, but he does grow on you.
As a film that has struggled through an eight-year production process, Ant-Man is a miracle on its own. As a film part of a larger universe of superhero films and as the closing instalment to a strong run of movies, it's an iffy conclusion. While rarely dull, it doesn't gather speed until the heist preparations come to play, and the choices made in terms of character development are certainly debatable. But with an imaginative boss battle at the end and a surprisingly great leading performance by the usually off-putting Paul Rudd, and you have a film which can be considered some form of success. But instead of a sequel, let's just leave the character to appearances in other films like the upcoming Captain America: Civil War. It'll be better suited to him. 6/10.
Oh Pixar, how I've missed you! After taking a gap year to sort themselves and The Good Dinosaur out (it's now been rescheduled for later this year), Pixar have now returned with one of their most prestigious directors Pete Docter in an attempt to revitalise their appraisals for being the kingpin of animation studios. The cause of this? A long string of huge worldwide hits culminating with 2010's Toy Story 3, which not only became the first animated film to break $1bn mark but the third to be nominated for Best Picture (Up was nominated the year before). By then, the studio could be deemed unstoppable, but ended up shooting themselves in the foot with Cars 2 a year later - the first Pixar film not to be nominated for any Oscars since the Best Animated Feature category was created in 2001. It made a big profit, but helped begin a tirade of comments stating that the studio was no longer king. Brave won an Oscar the next year but was considered to be undeserving, while Monsters University failed to be nominated again. Add stronger competition thanks to the likes of Despicable Me 2, Frozen and The LEGO Movie, and the studio has a lot riding up on them. But with Docter behind the brains of Inside Out, and a strong set of vocal talent accompanying him, can this be a return to form for the once applauded studio?
In the mind of 12-year-old Riley Anderson (Kaitlyn Dias) - and indeed everyone - lives the five anthropomorphic emotions Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Anger (Lewis Black). Joy tends to take the most control on the young girl, but when the Anderson family move to San Francisco for her father's (Kyle MacLachlan) career, emotions run haywire and Sadness' overabundance of altering various memories leads to herself, Joy and the 'core memories' - memories which make up Riley - being ejected from the control room. While the three remaining emotions try their hardest at retaining Riley's character and keeping her on track without vital components, Joy and Sadness, alongside former imaginary friend Bing Bong (Richard Kind), must set aside their differences and return to headquarters before it's too late.
With the basic premise of the feature hastily explained within the opening 15 minutes of creative ingenious psychology alongside quick and simple character introductions of the main five, what follows is a story which may not be the most imaginative in terms of basic story making but a terrific in execution and in the way it actually goes. Not only in the overall layout of the emotions' headquarters and how it's run, but also in the journey Joy and Sadness take within the outreaches of the mind. In a sense, it's like Finding Nemo in checking off certain areas for the main characters to experience - rarely overlapping unless vital to Joy and Sadness' plight. Instead of encountering the various different species present in the ocean in Nemo, it's areas of the mind, with Imagination Land, Dream Productions with brief glimpses into Abstract Thought and the Subconscious - and each one of the areas is perfectly imagined and realised. Abstract Thought is certainly the most complex in its short appearance early on in the adventure, but is done brilliantly and is the smartest realisation of the bunch.
But bunched with the great story is some superb characters. Leading the pack is Amy Poehler's Joy, who channels Poehler's Parks and Recreation character Leslie Knope in personality but never reaches levels of annoyance. It's good of Pete Docter and co. to fluctuate the emotions with being more than just what they say on the tin (i.e Joy being nothing but happy, Fear having pantophobia, and so on), and it’s more than necessary for a character like Joy, so thankfully she's as likable as expected. Her rapport with Smith's Sadness comes across as genuine too, and it's evident in her voicework that she's having a lot of fun with her character. Also noteworthy in the cast of outcasts is King's Bing Bong, who was noticeably absent in promotional material for the clear reasoning of preserving such a great and charming character for those who see the film. King's voice is perfectly suited for the former imaginary friend (a hybrid of a cat, an elephant, cotton candy and a dolphin), and his comedic timing is on point. However, he isn't the funniest character present, as that recognition is better deserved by Lewis Black and his epitome of Anger. From his ever-changing newspaper headline to his fiery temper, Anger is arguably the best new character Pixar has created in a number of years. Bill Hader's Fear is well-executed also as being both a nervous wreck and a safety-first punchbag, while Mindy Kaling's Disgust is possibly the most underused emotion of the bunch, although she gets plenty of moments to shine and, without Joy's presence, does try her best at taking the leadership role.
Further into the mind is a whole array of characters who aren't present for long periods of time, but each is as likable as they can be. These include those in charge of forgetting, the dream director and actors (I do love that the acting in the dreams can be terrible representations of other characters because the actors are terrible), the various mind workers - including one John Ratzenberger - and childhood nightmare Jangles the Clown. Also pleasant are the representations of the other character's emotions, with both parent emotion faculties being plenty of fun and the multiple explorations at the very end and during the credits are hilarious (it should be noted that Poehler's Parks and Recreation co-star Rashida Jones makes a cameo in these sequences). Riley herself is a believable enough pre-pubescent character who's turmoil is legitimate enough considering the events going on inside her head. Parents Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlen are great too, but despite being key components of Riley's personality perhaps don’t have quite the prominence that is hinted at.
Pixar has always been known as the kings of the animation industry, and more recent films like Brave, Monsters University, and especially short films The Blue Umbrella and Lava (which preceded Inside Out and is a great little film) have proven that they only grow in quality. But while the incredibly detailed surroundings of San Francisco are perhaps a little dirtier than usual Pixar fodder, the whole film is done very well. Animation inside the mind is as wacky as can be, and the brightness of everything blended together with the vast colourfulness of everything is a superb comparison with the dark real world that Riley is suffering through. Not quite as well-detailed as previous films or, judging by the recent trailer, the upcoming The Good Dinosaur, but nonetheless a grand piece of work.
Inside Out is an emotional whirlwind of a ride. You'll laugh; you'll cry; you'll be just as out of control of your emotions as Riley is here. With an excellent cast of characters and an incredibly imaginative story, this could become Pixar's latest magnum opus against the equally grand Finding Nemo, Up, and even the Toy Story series. It may drag slightly in the middle, but that doesn't stop Inside Out being one of the best films of the year - and maybe even one of the best films I have ever seen. 10/10.
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