The first full trailer for Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man premiered tonight during the series premiere of “Agent Carter,” and it proves that big things do come in small packages. (Insert “that’s what so-and-so said” joke here.) Take a gander above.
What We Like:
That suit looks cool.
Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd) is a family man, a first in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We hope that gives him a unique perspective in a universe currently populated by bachelors.
Michael Douglas knows how to give good speech. And the speech itself sets Ant-Man apart from the rest of the Marvel Universe. Ant-Man is doing this for someone other than himself, and that sounds heroic to us.
The trailer makes no mention of the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, trusting the Ant-Man story to stand on its own without any more of a shout-out than the Marvel Studios logo.
The corporate espionage feel of the trailer makes Ant-Man feel more intimate than the globetrotting, universe-threatening other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It’s nice to see Evangeline Lilly kicking Scott Lang’s ass in the trailer. That should hopefully make for a fun dynamic. (Also, that’s a sweet haircut.)
Check Out: The New ‘Ant-Man’ Poster is a Little Ridiculous
What We’re Worried About:
It’s too early to complain that we don’t know what’s really going on (this is just a long teaser after all, not a full-fledged trailer, which should come a long a few months ago). But the vagueness of the storyline doesn’t set Ant-Man apart from his superhero brethren yet.
If anything, we’re worried that the standalone nature of the Ant-Man teaser will make the film feel TOO small for audience to latch onto the idea that this is an event movie. The trailer lacks the outlandish personality of Guardians of the Galaxy, and doesn’t make up for it in razzle-dazzle set pieces or concepts.
Marvel is having fun with their amusing posters and tiny teasers, but they are going to have to do something big to make a story this small feel like a “must see” to anyone who doesn’t necessarily assume that every Marvel movie is an event.
But it looks fun, and we hope that Peyton Reed has pulled off a quality motion picture worthy of being a part of the rest of the MCU. We’ll find out for sure on July 17, 2015.
So… what do you think?
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
