Following the departure of director Edgar Wright (‘Shaun of the Dead’) last year, word on Marvel’s ‘Ant-Man’ turned sour, fast. The hiring of director Peyton Reed (he of cheerleader comedy ‘Bring it On’ fame, if that helps?) and a tedious first trailer made things worse. Meanwhile, the disappointment of ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ in April only deepened the suspicion that something had gone off the boil at Marvel headquarters. As this shrink-ray superhero flick scuttles into UK cinemas, will it shatter expectations and smash the box office, or is Marvel facing its first serious flop?
Will ‘Ant-Man’ be Marvel's first flop?
A troubled production history means less than sky-high expectations. But is the speck-sized superhero flick a mis-step for the studio behind ‘Iron Man’ and ‘The Avengers’?
2. MISS! It doesn't seem to know what to do with them
3. HIT! It's got an amazing cast
4. MISS! The characters aren't that special
5. HIT! It's full of goofy gags
6. MISS! It's got no heart
7. HIT! It slots right into the ever-expanding Marvel universe
8. MISS! The links to The Avengers franchise are really corny
9. HIT! It's a simple crowd-pleaser
10. MISS! It could have been so much more...
Read our review of ‘Ant-Man’
Just when it seemed like the Marvel Cinematic Universe was getting so big that the whole superhero-movie bubble might burst, along comes an adventure that’s told on a much smaller scale. Put it this way: the first action sequence in 'Ant-Man' takes place in a bathtub, and while ultimately this film is too bland to leave much of an impression, at least it's still a much-needed reminder that there are people underneath all that spandex.
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