Ant-Man, Marvel's latest addition to their ever expanding cinematic universe, doesn't hit theatres until July 17. However some critics have already gotten an early look at the film and have begun posting their reviews online.
Last week James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy, gave a glowing review on his facebook page calling it "the best Marvel movie since the first Iron Man." So do the critics agree with Gunn? Take a look:
First the good. IGN's Roth Cornet gave the film an 8.7 out of 10 and praised Paul Rudd's performance as well as the genuinely humorous script. However, she gives minus points to the film's villain 'Yellow Jacket' who isn't properly fleshed out despite actor Corey Stoll's best attempts to do so. Here's what she wrote:
"Corey Stoll is a tremendous actor, and brings everything he's got to Darren Cross/Yellowjacket, but as has been the case in some of the previous Marvel endeavors, the villain is ultimately somewhat lackluster and wants for dimension and development. His motivations, though clear, are ineffective, often require exposition, and occasionally verge on silly."
Like Cornet, The Verge's Bryan Bishop praised the film's humour and calls it the perfect antidote to the gritty, realistic superhero films being pushed by Marvel's rivals DC.
"Ant-Man may be proof that we've finally outgrown the era in which directors default to the gritty superhero trope. Comic book films have proven themselves as a genre-straddling and often inventive form, so much so that we can comfortably put the fears of Adam West and George Clooney behind us to embrace everything they have to offer - even the goofiness."
The Guardian's Catherine Shoard, wasn't as enthusiastic as the first two reviewers. She gave Ant-Man 2 stars out of five, and says the film can't escape the shadow cast by previous director Edgar Wright, who bowed out of the role after disagreements with the studio.
"Ant-Man is a cut-and-shut muddle, haunted by a ghost, produced by a high-end hot dog factory, by turns giddying and stupefying. Watching it is like channel-surfing between Hot Fuzz, a duff early 90s Michael Douglas drama and the very schlockiest bits of Interstellar."
It's still early times, but it seems like your enjoyment of the film will depend on how much you enjoy the humour. At present the film sits at 71% fresh on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
