The public got its first look at Marvel’s Ant-Man this week and the reactions to it varied from mildly humored, to obsessively intrigued. While Spider-Man may be on the rocks, it is beginning to look like it will be the year of the ant. New plot details have emerged which shed light on the upcoming heist film including how the villain fits into the movie, how they are going to pull off the visual effects, and what the heck Ant-Man is trying to steal.
From the dialogue and brief glimpses that we got in the teaser trailer, it seems that there is a strong theme of fathers and daughters, as well as mentors and students. In the film, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is being recruited by Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to participate in a heist using his Ant-Man suit. Up until now it wasn’t known what was at the center of the caper. It is the Yellowjacket suit itself…
Having proven his light-fingered bona fides, Lang is trained by Pym, who plans to use him to thwart Darren Cross (Stoll). Cross is a former protégé of Pym’s who has developed his own version of the Ant-Man technology and created the alter ego Yellowjacket. Pym and Lang’s attempt to steal the Yellowjacket suit is both assisted and complicated by Lilly’s Hope Van Dyne.
We only got a few glimpses of the film’s antagonist Darren Cross, played by House of Cards’ Corey Stoll, in the teaser trailer. However, we do know that Cross will have a strong presence in the film. In an interview with EW, Stoll explains how he will figure into the a plot.
“[Darren Cross] was this child prodigy that Hank Pym nurtured…He started to become aware of this fabled technology that can shrink people to half an inch. Now he’s discovered his own version of that technology-which has a psychotic effect on people if they use it too much.”
We could have a scenario where Pym could only relate to Cross on a scientific level, but never trusted him with the superhero aspect. This of course could lead to a rivalry based on resentment and dejection. The fact that his technology has “a psychotic effect” will only make the gap wider between the two sides. Pym sees the intangible qualities needed for Ant-Man’s superheroics in Lang, who has had a rougher background, but a good heart. Ant-Man and Yellowjacket mirror each other in the comics a lot and it makes sense thematically to see that in the movie as well.
The teaser only gave a tiny glimpse of the “small scale” epic action that they have in store for audiences this summer. The fun thing about movies where people can shrink to microscopic levels, is that a carpet can become a treacherous jungle or a bathtub can become…really gross. Director Peyton Reed and co-producer Brad Winderbaum both chimed in on what to expect from the visual palette of the upcoming movie.
“What we’re doing is very different from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids…It’s going to be much more experiential.” Instead of having actors perform with outsize props, Ant-Man is utilizing both macro photography—the filming technique used on bug documentaries—and motion-capture technology. “There are cameras and lenses that make small areas look like the most epic landscapes,” says co-producer Brad Winderbaum. “Then we’re shooting motion capture with Paul to insert Ant-Man into those environments.”
The fact that Reed is going for a “experiential” vibe hopefully means that we feel like we are flying with Lang on that carpenter ant or that we actually feel small in our seats. If he pulls it off, this movie could be one of the more fun IMAX experiences going. Winderbaum mentions that they will be utilizing macro-photography which also should mean that the environments will appear authentic, instead of a set designer trying to recreate giant leaves of grass like in past efforts.
A lot of people keep using the success of Guardians of the Galaxy to justify the existence of Ant-Man. However, what has worked for Marvel is attempting to bring something totally new to the screen with each movie. It looks like they are on track to bring that sense of awe one more time.
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