Judy Greer – Movie Smack Talk

Ant-Man is the newest super hero release with a comedic twist, and it’s pleasing critics and audiences alike. This snarky sci-fi flick, with an unlikely hero, it’s one to watch this summer. Here’s why.

Our hero is Scott, a thief with a master’s in engineering. When he runs into a reclusive scientist with a special suit, he’s more than happy to try it on. With the push of a button, he’s the size of a dime. What follows is an interesting scene involving Scott getting sucked into vacuums and such. Realizing his new power, Scott does the whole becoming a super hero thing and even finds an arch nemesis. He’s a dude that can turn into a yellow jacket.

While it sounds stupid, it’s stupid in the right way. It’s stupid in the way that Shaun of the Dead was stupid. It’s also hilarious, interesting and even kind of visually stunning. Of course, a lot of the visuals are recycled. Take the Ant-Man suit for example. It’s pretty much an Iron Man Suit. They didn’t even change the color scheme that much.

However, for a movie that does such a good job on using the standard super hero tropes, with some self-aware tongue in cheek humor, recycled visuals can be ok. Especially with such a unique storyline. Edgar Wight is credited with some of the story line creation, which explains the similar feel to movies like “Shaun of the Dead”.

Paul Rudd was a fantastic choice for the lead. He’s unheroic enough to give the character a certain lack of grace and gritty realness, but he also has awesome comedic timing, which this movie relied on. The great thing about the movie is that the same thing that makes Ant-Man heroic is what makes him vulnerable. The danger of being squashed while in insect form would have been hard to pull off if not for Rudd’s performance.

It’s a fresh take for a summer filled with big budget blockbuster action movies. Not that it isn’t well done. It’s just a bit lower key and a more slapstick and funny than other movies in the sci-fi genre. The movie knows how to laugh at itself, while keeping viewers entertained.

I have to say, I was a bit disappointed with the main female character Hope (Evangeline Lilly). In a way I was kind of expecting her to emerge as some sort of femme fatale, but instead, her character stays pretty flat and sees no growth at all. So in that, I was disappointed. The two father-daughter stories were sweet, but not overtly so, and they managed to put a bit emotion into the script, in a way that doesn’t feel too over the top for this movie.

But all in all, I have to say Ant-Man was pretty well done and very enjoyable. It was a bit long in the run time, nearly 2 hours, but at least they used their time wisely. If you’re looking for a great action movie, with some good humor, then Ant Man could be one to watch this summer.

WE GAVE IT: 4 Stars – Watch the Official Trailer and Official Movie Poster below!

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Oh, when oh when will we learn? Look, there’s never a good reason to bring giant, carnivorous animals back. What do the scientists in Jurassic anything keep saying to themselves?

“What’s the worst that could happen? So maybe they could break free and devour a school bus full of kids. That’s not going to happen. Except that it’s already happened…three times. Maybe we should try again anyway, just to be sure.”

That’s literally what has to be going through these scientist’s heads, but we’re supposed to believe that in order to advance the plot. What’s the plot? Here’s my best synopsis. Forgive me for any spoilers.

The dinosaurs break free and eat people.

Yes, there’s the same cardboard cutout cast. Harried career woman, idealistic guy, scientist predicting doom, you know, the regulars. They give them inane dialog and spew out lots of info dumps. They try to cram in as many clichés as possible and the entire plot is propelled by coincidence or people being idiots, or both.

I will give them this. Jurassic World does not hold itself back, despite how implausible the plot. It knows where it shines and where it shines is the special effects.

Those will kind of blow your mind. They’re the kind where, even though you know something is going to happen, you flinch anyway. The dinosaurs are so well done, I kind of suspected Universal of really cloning them. They’ve even gotten them right down to that eerie intelligence. The kind where you know, just know, they’re thinking about eating someone.

Then they do and it erupts into almost an artistic orgy of violence. Of course, they keep it PG-13, but what’s America’s standard for PG-13? My guess would be you’re not allowed to film really killing someone but anything else goes. Just don’t let them see any nipple.

For concerned parents, this movie is nipple free…unless you’re talking about dinosaur nipples. I don’t know what those look like.

I forgave Jurassic World for their implausible plot. This is a rarity for me, but in this case, following the formula actually worked. They’ve hit the nail on the head by following one simple, but genius theory.

People will never, ever get sick of watching dinosaurs eat people.

So I give this movie five stars on special effects alone. The plot is terrible. The characters are awful and the best actors, by far, are the dinosaurs. Don’t try to follow the plot or any of the side stories. Just open your mind to the stunning visuals and tune out for an hour and a half.

Yes, I know this movie was only made to cash in on the massive success of the others. It’s absolutely a shameless cash grab. An attempt to wring more money out of the franchise.

But it worked. Even with everyone knowing why, it’s still working. Jurassic World pulled in $208 million on its opening weekend. Those shameless grifters at Universal got me again.

So why am I not angry? Because Universal delivered the thing I wanted. They delivered dinosaurs eating people.

Who could ask for anything more?

WE GAVE IT : 3 STARS! Watch the Official Trailer and See the Official Movie Poster below