The Weekly Movie Watch Volume 73

This week I watched Ant-Man,  No Escape.

I watch movies every week and then write down my thoughts. Read my previous reviews!
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it.

Ant-Man - I've seen better.

Ant-Man (2015)
Watch Ant-Man
Written by: Edgar Wright & Joe Cornish and Adam McKay & Paul Rudd (screenplay); Edgar Wright & Joe Cornish (story); Stan Lee & Larry Leiber & Jack Kirby (comic book)
Directed by: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Canavale, Anthony Mackie, Michael Pena
Rated: PG-13

Plot:
Scott Lang gets out of jail and vows never to go back. In less than a week he is tricked into robbing a house and becoming a super hero.


Review:
I like the tone of the film. This super hero is different, a criminal forced into the role instead of wanting to save the world. I wonder what this film could have been like if Edgar Wright (Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) had directed it. He left the film citing creative differences.
The initial CGI sequence of the first time the suit shrinks was pretty good, if not gimmicky and reminiscent of Honey I Shrunk the Kids. Corey Stoll does a nice job being intimidating as a villain, but he lacks depth. As do Rudd's ex-wife and new husband. Douglas brings levity and credibility as Hank Pym who orchestrates the plot of the movie, though I fail to see how Rudd's skills as a cat burglar really helped him as Ant-Man. This started out humorous in ways other Marvel movies aren't with the Baskins Robbins joke, and Rudd playing comic relief, but the movie devolved into big set piece fights between good and bad, though the set pieces are really cool at the micro scale. Pena was very good and the way his exposition was done as a voice-over with characters lip syncing to his story was impressive, but the rest of the movie isn't as good. Unfortunately the side characters are some of the better ones. I'd like to see more of Michael Pena. 
The fight with Anthony Mackie's Falcon character was fun and a good way to implant this into the larger marvel universe.

Verdict:
Guardians of the Galaxy was a lesser known Marvel property that excelled. It was surprisingly good and a lot of fun, but Ant-Man is not that. Ant-Man is far from it, relying on cliches and moving on. The major beats of the movie are eye-roll inducing. It doesn't put all the parts together, instead relying on being a Marvel by the numbers good guy versus bad guy film.
Skip it.

No Escape - Surprisingly good action thriller.

No Escape (2015)
Watch No Escape
Written by: John Erick Dowdle, Drew Dowdle
Directed by: John Erick Dowdle
Starring: Owen Wilson, Lake Bell, Pierce Brosnan
Rated: R

Plot:
Owen Wilson's character takes a new job in an Asian country, little did he know he was bringing his family into a war as rebels stage a coup.

Review:
It's got a great opening scene title card that feels more eighties action movie that current day thriller. That's where the eighties action movie comparisons stop. The movie slows down to introduce the family and set up the plot. Pierce Brosnan does a great job in a fun role.  
I don't really like Owen Wilson in this. I wonder if Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson or Jason Statham as ex-special forces would have been better. It would be a different movie but it would be more fun. Wilson just doesn't bring the levity as a terrorized father trying to protect his family. It's got great moments, like when Wilson threw his children off a roof to his wife to save them. Luckily the slow motion was stopped once we got to the core of the plot, but in the first half hour there were at least four slow motion sequences.  
It's a solid action movie with good pacing, but whenever the focus is the family and not action, the movie drags.
The ending could have been better, relying on deus ex Brosnan to save the day. The rebels that  create the havoc are described as fathers protecting their children, but these rebels are sadistic to a crazy sociopath degree.

Verdict:
The movie has some great moments with regular joe Owen Wilson facing a crazy situation. The action is tense. It has similarities with Die Hard, but it pales in comparison. Instead of a poised cowboy, we get a scared engineer who doesn't rise to the occasion. It's real, but not fun. No Escape relies on emotionally manipulative moments, doesn't have fun, and we don't get a good villain.
It depends.