8.12.2015

Movies: Ant-Man

I hate to say it . . . But I'm going to say it anyway . . . This movie bored me.

Okay, okay, don't throw anything just yet!

I went in with no foreknowledge of this character except that he's based on yet another comic book and can shrink. Right? And I saw the film (in 3D) on a cruise ship, because Disney can show its own first-run films on its ships. So venue could have played a part, and mood, etc.

But still. I was bored.

There were a few funny moments. A few. But most of the movie was just very plot-plot-plodding. I mean, I love Michael Douglas, so glad to see him back on the screen. And I generally like Paul Rudd, too. And I think they had pretty good screen chemistry. I just wish they'd had more interesting things to do.

It sort of felt like the first Iron Man again in that there were rival inventors with rival suits, etc. And there was that forced Falcon fight thing. Felt like a desperate move to tie this film in with the others. But Ant-Man is only a second-tier hero, so he gets Falcon instead of, say, Captain America or one of those.

At least, it feels like Ant-Man is second tier. While technically there's nothing really wrong with it, the film comes across as rote and colorless. There's no flavor. (Does that mean it's tasteless? Hmm.) It's as if someone followed a recipe but couldn't be bothered to add any spice. Sort of a "get it done and out" thing with no investment in detail.

I realize it was a hit. And that a lot of people liked it. And maybe on another viewing, under different circumstances, I'd find more to like about it, too. But my initial impression? Meh.

2 comments:

Roland D. Yeomans said...

You're entitled to your reaction to Ant Man or to anything really. Differing opinions give birth to horse races, right?

It is a common quirk to human nature that when you enter a conversation and someone slights what you liked, your head goes: "he or she has the right to that opinion" -- but your emotions go: "Hey, I liked that!"

From the reviews, I fully expect to like THE MAN FROM UNCLE -- and I fully expect from the same reviews to hear that others feel it to be all style and no substance. We all like different things for our entertainment as Marquis de Sade once was heard to say. :-)

I wish you fun movie viewing in the future. Did you see Sir Ian's Holmes movie yet?

Roland D. Yeomans said...

Oops. Sorry. I see from your prior post that you did indeed see Mr. Holmes. I plead computer problems that kept me from visiting my favorite blogs.