Ant-Man (Review) - Small Hero, Big Success

Perhaps one of the most unknown additions to the Marvel cinematic universe, Ant-Man revolves around the character of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd). Scott's a fairly regular guy who rarely sees his daughter anymore due to a split from his ex-wife, and has recently been released from prison after being caught and tried for burglary. Once out, Scott quickly gets himself back into trouble again after robbing a house and discovering an enigmatic red and black suit. This is, of course, the Ant-Man suit belonging to its original creator, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). Conditions arise that lead Hank Pym to enlist the help of Scott in order to break into a heavily guarded facility and steal a similar suit, so that its power cannot fall into the wrong hands. 

At its heart, Ant-Man is a comedic heist movie which contains superhero elements. Sure, there's plenty of ties to the larger Marvel universe -- a plot line that takes place at the new Avengers HQ, for example -- but otherwise this is a much smaller affair. And that's not exactly a bad thing. One of my issues with Age of Ultron was that consequences were constantly being upped to the point where the film just felt silly and far too over-the-top -- an impressive feat for a movie about super-powered icons. Ant-Man, on the other hand, focuses almost entirely on a regular guy who gains his powers semi-reluctantly and uses them so that he can eventually see his daughter regularly again. 

Paul Rudd is also absolutely great in the titular role, and adds a considerable amount of comedy to the movie. It's not quite as funny or entertaining as the excellent (and arguably best Marvel movie) Guardians of the Galaxy, but the humour certainly makes this worth a watch. Also, because the stakes aren't quite as in your face throughout, the film is also approachable for those who have been otherwise put off by the likes of the Avengers or similar high-budget superhero films. That's not to say Ant-Man is lacking in budget, however, as the special effects when Scott shrinks to the size of an ant are simply fun to look at. This is especially true when he battles the main villain of the movie in a child's bedroom, which was a scene featured in the trailer. 

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd)

Unfortunately, the villain of Ant-Man is where the movie falls down slightly. Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) plays a nefarious successor to the company Hank Pym began, and his motivations seem to boil down to nothing more than "I'm evil and hate people". Honestly, he could have been called something like 'Mr. BadMcPerson' and I wouldn't have been surprised. Once he dons the opposing suit and becomes Yellowjacket in the latter half of the movie, then things begin to get a tiny bit more interesting, but he's ultimately forgettable. A good example of what to expect is when Cross uses a lamb for an experiment that will likely fail, and when asked why he can't use mice, he simply replies: "What's the difference?". I mean, sure, he's right, but that just seems like overkill. 

Verdict
Ant-Man might not be the very best Marvel film available, but it's also far from the worst, and could potentially be one of the funniest. It's an enjoyable movie that plays very nicely into the larger Marvel universe, but its relatively fresh nature also means that it can be appreciated as its own thing. I'm not saying that you need to rush out and watch it right now, but if you have an opportunity, then you could do far worse. 

"This is not some cute tech like the 

Iron Man suit!" 

Terminator Genisys (Review) - Another Misfire

I don't understand why it's so hard to produce a Terminator movie that lives up to the iconic first two instalments. I personally didn't hate either T3 or even Salvation, but they were inarguably inferior to their excellent predecessors. Not only is Genisys another example of how seemingly difficult it is to achieve success with this franchise nowadays, but it's also the weakest entry in the series. 

Trying to profit off of nostalgia, Terminator Genisys essentially re-tells the first movie's plot, but with some time-bending changes. Like that movie, Genisys begins in the year 2029, when Skynet has won the war and has enslaved humanity. John Connor (Jason Clarke), our last hope, sends his one true friend Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984, so that Reese can protect John's mother from death at the hands of a terminator. However, when Reese is sent back in time, he quickly realises that things aren't at all how he expected, and Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) is far from the helpless damsel that he thought she would be. 

The film starts promising enough. With an advancement in our own technology comes a better view of what Terminator's fictional war will look like, and the film begins by showing us this bleak future. The machines reign supreme, and humans being gathered into death camps provides some pretty sombre images. Even once Reese is sent back, the movie still remains enjoyable; especially for those who have seen the original Terminator, as Genisys does a good job of providing an updated, shot-for-shot remake of that film's opening scene. However, once we meet Sarah Connor for the first time, things begin to go downhill. I haven't seen Game of Thrones, but based off of this movie alone, I don't think that Emilia Clarke is that good of an actress, and especially bad at representing the now iconic heroine of Sarah Connor. Fair enough, they've tried blending elements of Terminator 2, with Sarah now being a hardened badass, but it's never really explained why she's such a badass. There's some flimsy explanation about how she met her Terminator (affectionately called "Pops") when she was 9, but no real information is given to explain how that scenario came to be. 

Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger)

And Sarah's Terminator is the only thing that really redeems this movie in any way, for one reason only: Arnie's back. Returning in his titular role as the Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger's performance is on-point and the same as in the other instalments for the series. The best lines, stunts, and moments throughout the movie are thanks to nobody but Schwarzenegger, and he manages to make the movie slightly bearable. Sure, there's a weird bullet-loading montage halfway through which involves Reese and the Terminator, but by that point you've given up hope of the film getting much better. 



Verdict
There's not a lot more to say about Genisys, because it's simply not a very good movie. The acting is poor, a lot of the action is boring, and without Arnold's presence, it would be completely unwatchable. It's cool to see the throwbacks to the original movie, but all that does is make you wish that you were watching that instead, and if you haven't seen the original, then these references will be completely lost on you. Instead of seeing Genisys, buy the boxset of the other instalments (yes, even T3 and Salvation), and enjoy some of the best sci-fi movies ever made. 

"You're nothing but a relic"