The Ant-Man cometh…

Being one of Marvel’s more obscure properties, Ant-Man is an unknown entity for many. For the the uninitiated and those like myself who were mostly in the dark before scrubbing up on the character after the film was announced, here is the official synopsis:

The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man.” Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

The production of the twelfth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a troubled one. Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) had been all set to direct before departing the project due to those ever pesky creative differences, and with him he took a huge chunk of what made the project so tantalising. His films are full of energy, humour and style that surely would have brought a new twist on the Marvel Universe, but ultimately may not have been the best fit with the films that have come before it.

So in stepped Peyton Reed for directorial duties, and the world gave a huge sigh of “who” in response. You know, Peyton Reed, director of such timeless classics as The Break-Up and Yes Man….hmmm. But alas, the proof as they say is in the pudding, and the vast majority of concerns I personally had over the film have been put to rest with the release of the first teaser trailer for Ant-Man. Here are five reasons I believe we should all be getting excited:

1)

Paul Rudd:

On paper, Paul Rudd looked like a great fit for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s easily likeable, relatable, and of course very funny. On the evidence of the trailer, all of these selling points have been transferred over to Ant-Man successfully, with him also bringing the best line:

“Is it too late to change the name?”

2)

Michael Douglas:

Much like with Captain America’s casting of Robert Redford, Ant-Man brings in a Hollywood statesman to add some gravitas to proceedings with Michael Douglas starring as Rudd’s mentor Hank Pym. He looks to be in his usual imperious form and should be a great foil to the lighter tone that Rudd brings.

3)

Tone:

Which leads nicely to the tone. Being a film a about a man with a super-powered shrinking suit who goes by the name of Ant-Man, it’s probably important that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Though perhaps not as joyously breezy as Guardians of the Galaxy, it certainly appears as though a happy medium has been found with the tone, as exemplified by the two above lead cast members.

4)

The suit:

I’m just going to put it out there….this suit is badass and I want one. That is all.

5) 

Scale:

In the brief glimpses of action in the trailer we get a look at the scale of the film, both in terms of the depth of the story, and in terms of the hero being an Ant-Man. Though the hero may be small, the action looks big, and that’s certainly something to be excited for.

Ant-Man releases on July 17, 2015.