This is an official HEAVY SPOILER WARNING for Ant Man. If you have not seen the film, then please do not read any further. If you have, then please feel free to continue. You have been warned, now let's dive into Ant Man, spoilers galore!
If you haven't already, please take a look at my spoiler free review of Ant Man where you'll find out that I had an enjoyable time watching Marvel's latest effort. I'll also link you to an article I wrote last summer entitled "5 reasons why Ant Man could suck". It's quite a funny read considering how well the final edit of the film turned out.
Spoiler free review: http://movieswithmattharrison.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/ant-man-movie-review.html
5 reasons why Ant Man could suck: http://movieswithmattharrison.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/5-reasons-why-ant-man-could-suck.html
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Ant Man while being the final entry into Marvel's Phase 2 is really the bridge between the events of Age of Ultron and next summer's Captain America: Civil War. If Marvel was trying to tell us anything about the current state of their shared universe it's that anyone can be a hero and join the ranks of the Avengers. You don't need super soldier serum or an infinity stone to be an Avenger which Scott Lang proves throughout the film. I can't wait to see him appear in Civil War.
The opening scene was great in that it slipped Ant Man straight into the MCU timeline as if it had been there from the very beginning. In 1989, a younger Hank Pym meets with Howard Stark, Peggy Carter and new character Mitch Carson in an unfinished Triskellion discussing Pym's revolutionary particle. Here we learn the distrust Hank has with SHIELD, he vows never to let his Pym Particle fall into anyone else's hands. I think it did a nice job of filing in the timeline as in the MCU currently, there is a bit of a gap between the 40s/50s and early 2000s.
Then we meet Scott Lang who has just been released from prison. Despite his criminal past of robbery.... sorry I meant burglary... Scott is actually a decent man, a relatable character. His main motivation for what he does in the film is his daughter Cassie. I did really enjoy their relationship, I think it did a good job at grounding the film emotionally.
Later on in the film, Scott performs a heist on Hank Pym's house. Here we get to see Scott the thief in action, and he is pretty smart when it comes to breaking into places and stealing shit. For example, to bust through a titanium door he freezes liquid nitrogen within it so it busts straight open. Despite successfully passing the heist trials, all he finds is a suit, and here the movie really kicks into gear. We find out that the entire heist had been set up and allowed to occur by Hank Pym, the former Ant Man. Within Scott Hank sees a son he never had, and believes that he is the one he needs.
I loved the scenes where Scott was training to be the Ant Man. Not only did he have to learn when and where to shrink down or up, but he also had to learn how to control the ants. I also bought into the explanations the movie offered concerning the Ant Man technology. The Pym Particle serum works by decreasing the distance between atoms and Scott can control ants using electromagnetic waves. Considering this universe showcases a walking tree and a talking raccoon, I easily bought into it. I also loved how they showcased how Scott can use different ants for different tasks; some ants are useful for flying on, others are useful to use as bridges and other structures. You really feel that as his training progresses, Scott really earns his wings (pun intended) as a superhero. Plus, any scene where he shrinks down to size is handled beautifully and is brilliant to watch.
I was also surprised not just how well the movie tied into things like SHIELD, but also the modern day Avengers. One of my favourite lines came from Hank after Scott asks why they don't just call the Avengers to break into Pym Tech to steal Cross' formula, to which Hank replies "they're too busy dropping cities out of the sky". The events of Sokovia are also referenced in a newspaper headline stating whether or not the Avengers are to blame. It is clear that the events of Ant Man occur after Age of Ultron and during the beginning of Civil War, which we'll come to later.
The scene where Scott learns that the SHIELD facility in upstate New York he has to hit is actually the new Avengers facility was an excellent reveal. And seeing Falcon and Ant Man fight each other was a well handled scene on both an action and a comedic standpoint. Again, this was another place whereby Ant Man tied in so organically with the MCU, plus it gave us a sweet fan service scene which I'm always down with.
As soon as Hank spoke about how if you don't regulate the Ant Man technology, you will forever shrink to subatomic size until you reach the Quantum Realm, I just knew that was what happened to Janet, Hank's wife and Hope's mother, the former Wasp. That reveal was handled well I thought and really gave emotional depth to the relationship between Hank and his daughter, both of which were tormented heavily by Janet's death. We also get a flashback scene of Janet's death whereby her and Hank are trying to disarm a Soviet missile and in order to do so, Janet shrinks into the Quantum Realm. It is also important to note that Janet is not actually dead, just existing in a micro realm somewhere. She can probably be bought back, which gives Hank a flicker of hope at the end of the film.
The final heist was a good scene. Darren Cross completes his version of the Pym Particle and you learn that Mitch Carson from the start of the movie is actually a representative of HYDRA. Again, another organic tie in. I think its also worth mentioning that Pym Tech is blown up in the process of the heist as well, leading onto the final confrontation between Lang and Cross. I did enjoy the final fight scene of the film whereby Scott and Cross in the Yellowjacket suit were fighting in Scott's daughter's bedroom. It did make me laugh when the Thomas the Tank Engine grew to 10 times its size and basically ripped off the wall. The shot which revealed Yellowjacket was an excellent shot done facing upwards from Scott Lang's viewpoint, but you could've easily predicted that the final fight would've involved Lang's daughter. Nevertheless, Cross is defeated, but to do so Scott must shrink down into the Quantum Realm in order to destroy the Yellowjacket suit.
That scene was visually impressive and full credit goes to the special effects team for pulling that off. Scott the finds a way to reverse the suit's effect and grows back to normal size. I really enjoyed the addition of the Quantum Realm in the MCU, and I think it poses interesting opportunities for future films particularly if they decide to bring back characters like Cross or Janet van Dyne.
In the film's final scene we learn that the Falcon is looking for Ant Man, which also links in with the post credits scene. Also, if you listen carefully Luis mentions something along the lines of "we got someone who jumps, we got someone who swings, we got someone who climbs up walls". This is our first MCU reference for Spiderman. Hype.
Mid credits scene
This scene sees Hank take Hope down to a secret room in his basement. Here, he unveils to her the first prototype of the "Wasp" suit he and Janet were working on. He says that now he is going to pass it on to her, to which she replies "about damn time".
I don't think we'll see her in Civil War, but that still isn't that unlikely. I think we will be seeing Evangeline Lilly as Wasp in Avengers Infinity War part 1, possibly in other Marvel movies if they decide they want to cross over. There were many questions as to whether or not Lilly would in fact become Wasp, and now those questions are put to bed.
Post credits scene
Located in a garage or basement somewhere, Cap and Falcon have finally found the estranged Bucky Barnes, or the Winter Soldier, in a dishevelled and confused state. Bucky is evidently stuck in some sort of vice from which he can't get out of. When Cap suggests to call Tony, Sam replies that even if he did believe them "the accords" wouldn't let him. Sam says he knows a guy.
To me, this means that this scene occurs right before the very end of Ant Man when Scott finds out that Falcon is looking for him. It seems to suggest that Ant Man's role in Civil War to start with is to try and help Bucky get out of the vice he is trapped in. This may also suggest that Ant Man may be joining Cap's side for Civil War.
What this scene also suggests is that the rift between Stark and Rogers has been growing ever since the end of Age of Ultron, and "the accords" are in fact the legislations placed by the government which sees all with superhuman abilities report to the government. It seems like Cap and Falcon have almost gone rogue from the rest of the Avengers in an effort to help Bucky. It poses some very interesting questions concerning Civil War, but seems to suggest that Bucky will have a big role.
The text "Ant Man will return" appears on screen, confirming His appearance in Civil War.
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Thanks for reading,
Matt
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