Ant-Man Trailer #2 Review

I never shared my thoughts on the first trailer for the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Ant-Man; it left me with an overwhelming feeling of dissatisfaction and overall apathy. It's safe to say I was not totally sold on the idea of Ant-Man after the initial teaser. With the latest trailer that was released, I'm actually very excited for this movie. I'm not ready to hail it as the next Avengers or anything. However, it could very well surprise audiences and become a hit just like Guardians of the Galaxy did last year.

The trailer opens similarly to the first one, with some voice-over accompanied by dramatic music. Many of Michael Douglas' same lines from the teaser are played in this one within the opening minute. Up to this point in the trailer, all I could think was that this was more of the same, which disappointed me. Around the 1-minute mark in this trailer, things pick up and it turns into exactly what I was hoping it would be.

This second trailer adopts the tone that this movie is going to need to have in order for it to be successful. Similar to Guardians of the Galaxy, it cannot take itself too seriously; that would be a fatal flaw in a film about a guy that shrinks to the size of an ant. However, whereas the teaser failed to evoke a sense of fun, this trailer pokes fun at the core of the whole idea around this character - it addresses the silliness that is inevitable in a movie about Ant-Man.

Additionally, there are a lot more jokes this time around. Unlike the initial trailer, I got the sense in this one that they were actually having fun with the premise and crafting something more in line with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe rather than something dark and full of gravitas. There is a time and place for both styles of comic book movies. It's pretty obvious that Ant-Man is something that should be treated with a more light-hearted attitude.

One thing that I am now really excited for that I wasn't originally is the action in this movie. It never really dawned on me just how unique and thrillingly fast-paced the action sequences could be when you've got a guy (or two) that can shrink into an ant-sized superhuman on a dime. There's one specific scene in this trailer that really got me thinking about how fun these dynamic action scenes could be. Scott Lang (or Ant-Man) is running towards a man that is pointing a gun at him. Right before he reaches him, he shrinks into his ant size and starts running along the actual gun. That is just awesome, and I hope the finished product has a lot of scenes that are similar to that.

I really loved this trailer. It showed me a side to this film that the teaser did not, and has my anticipation of Ant-Man's release now soaring through the roof. I was worried there for a second that this was going to be Marvel's first total misstep. It looks like those fears can be quelled for now.