Celebrate The Upcoming Ant-Man Release With 3 Clips!

It's just a week to go now until Marvel's smallest but mightiest hero reaches our home entertainment systems, as the Avengers' latest recruit introduces himself to the world.

Very much another stellar Marvel hit, Ant-Man tells the tale of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a cat thief suddenly finding himself embroiled in a world where he becomes the smallest of heroes. Led and tutored by Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his daughter (Evangeline Lilly), Scott must put aside his past and use his grit and determination to show the world he can make a difference.

The only problem is that one man stands in his way; Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket, who has produced his own powered suit to rival that of the newly crowned Ant-Man. 

To celebrate the upcoming home entertainment release of the movie, you can watch three great clips to whet your appetite and ensure this Christmas period is filled with laughter and action aplenty.

Cinema Review - Avengers Assemble

It's been four years in the making, and after six films of build-up, Avengers Assemble has finally hit cinemas. Undoubtedly this has been one of the most talked about films for 2012, and months of build-up has culminated to the main event. With expectation levels at their highest peak and director Joss Whedon in place to tackle what is one of film's biggest tasks, does Avengers Assemble deliver in aces? Unsurprisingly, it's an astounding yes.


Following on from the events in the most recently released Marvel films, Captain America and Thor, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is in possession of the Tesseract, a powerful cosmic cube that, if put in the wrong hands, could mean the end of the world as we know it. When Loki (Tom Hiddleston) infiltrates the S.H.I.E.L.D. base of operations and steals the cube, Fury has no option but to reignite the 'Avengers Initiative' and bring together the world's most mightiest heroes in a fight to save mankind. With Loki banding together an invasion army, it's up to Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow to prevent the imminent threat.


With such a heavy burden put on his shoulders, Joss Whedon could have easily crumbled and dashed any hopes of a superhero-ensemble ever working to its full potential; fortunately the man knows his stuff and shows here why he is such an icon. Avengers Assemble is a film that appeals to comic book fans, film fanatics and, basically, people of all ages.


It's without any hesitation that it should be said that Whedon has carefully considered every aspect of the film in order to provide for the masses. With perfectly flowing dialogue as well as action sequences that are nothing short of near perfection, Avengers Assemble wipes the floor with those films Marvel have previously released. It’s testament to Whedon’s directing ability that he is able to conjure up so many memorable moments of sheer humour combined with an impressive character development process and some hard-hitting, pulsating action sequences.

For a film littered with so many high-end stars (as well as characters) the end result could have been a pure mish-mash of personalities that clash rather than accentuate, but the cast all-round is solid as Thor's hammer. Whilst Chris' Evans and Hemsworth continue their sharp performances similar to those in their first outings in costume, it is Robert Downey Jr and newbie Mark Ruffalo who steal the show as Tony Stark/Iron Man and Dr David Banner/Hulk respectively. Downey Jr continues to inject his one-of-a-kind charm and wit to the Tony Stark character, whilst Ruffalo's take on Banner is one of great presence, clearly indicating a man who is still attempting to embrace 'the other guy' in his life. On villain duties, Tom Hiddleston returns as Loki and furthers his performance in Thor in leaps and bounds. Cutting a dark and evil figure, Hiddleston escalates in providing a truly worthy opponent for our heroes and lays the foundations for villains in years to come.

With an impressive showing from all involved, Whedon had to get it spot on with the action sequences and in maintaining pin-point pacing to the film, the anticipation levels heighten with the film's duration, leading to the grand finale battle. Whilst some may cast similarities with the climax of Transformers, Whedon's final battle shys away from the off-putting shaky cam and produces action of such fluidity and grace it wipes the floor with many blockbusters seen previously. Focusing on each character's fight in equal measure, the director teases and taunts with some run-of-the-mill action before unleashing a storm of superb shots involving the heroes banding together throughout the city. 


Avengers Assemble could have easily been a disaster. With a massive audience following and expectations possibly higher than any film before, Joss Whedon and his team had a mountain to climb. Fortunately the man knows what the people want and provides with a well-presented and ultimately astonishing superhero ensemble piece. Heading to the peak and vastly improving on its predecessors that led to this big event, Avengers is a movie experience not to be forgotten and sets the bar for blockbusters to come in 2012.


Film Rating: 5 out of 5 F's

Marvel Films: A Fanatical Film Focus Part Three

For the final part of the Fanatical Film focus on the world of Marvel movies it is only fair to look to the bright future and ponder the possibilities of sequels and new heroes to be brought to the fray.


Firstly let us begin with those Marvel heroes who are guaranteed future outings.

One hugely anticipated reboot is The Amazing Spider-Man. Suiting Andrew Garfield as the new webslinger is a real catch; a young actor who is set for big things and who I personally believe will usurp Maguire and unleash a new lease of life for the franchise. 
Add in the star quality of the irresistible Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy and Rhys Ifans finally bringing inevitable villain Lizard to battle our hero and you have the ingredients for a winning formula. 


Also confirmed for further outings in the near future are 2011's go-to heroes in the form of the X Men, Thor and Captain America. With their respective films gaining recognition it is no surprise audiences are demanding more. 

Talking of demand, after years of comic book fans screaming for an ensemble movie we finally get The Avengers this year, and what an event it will be. The mouth-watering prospect of a team-up including Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow will no doubt draw in the masses. Possibly more intriguing will be the evolution as Loki as a villain, joined by another nemesis likely to be between either Red Skull or the Skrulls. It's safe to say this WILL be the most popular Marvel film of our generation and could raise the expectation bar even higher for future outings.


Swaying away from confirmed future releases there are a number of characters we could (and should) see on the big screen.

A Deadpool movie is a certainty at some point. With Ryan Reynolds stealing the show in Wolverine it's clear he can take on the role of everyone's favourite anti-hero. As one of the very sought after Marvel creations this has the potential to result in one of the best origin films to reach us film fans. 


In addition, a huge amount of speculation regarding an Edgar Wright-directed Ant-Man film have circulated for so long now that it is hard to believe this cannot be anything but true. Bringing the likes of the lesser known heroes will be intriguing and the names of Iron Fist, Black Panther and Dr Strange are all possible heroes we could be seeing in years to come.


One thing you can guarantee is that the machine that is Marvel will continue its current reign as comic book movie powerhouse and we have many more years of heroes on the big screen to come.


What Marvel characters do you want to see on the big screen? Let us know!

Trailer Breakdown - The Avengers

It's the trailer that all true movie fans have been waiting for and one that will keep the fanboys waiting with even more anticipation. That's right the trailer for Joss Whedon's The Avengers has arrived. Here's my breakdown of interesting points in the trailer or some you may just have missed.

No it's not Michael Bay enjoying another movie shoot, there truly will be carnage unleashed upon Earth in the Avenger as this shot shows. Looks like we are gonna have some immense set pieces on show.

With the planet under attack following the escape of the evil Loki, Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) has only one thing to do, assemble the greatest superhero ensemble ever to grace our screens.

Hawkeye is in. Tooling up with his trusty bow, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), first seen in a cameo in Thor, will get more coverage in The Avengers, but the question is how much?

Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) also returns following her stint in Iron Man 2. In the trailer we once again see her showcasing her agility and acrobatic fighting skills. How much of her will we see?

A sneak peak of Hulk is revealed at the end of our trailer with Edward Norton replace by Mark Ruffalo. Whereas Hulk is looking as impressive as ever through motion capture it will be interesting to see if Ruffalo can match his predecessor.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans) enter the fray once again. Judging by this shot there's a big threat above them, but what or who could it be?

Could it be this? A spaceship it certainly is but who or what is navigating? Could it be the long rumoured Skrulls attacking Earth and joining forces with Loki?

Rest assured one man who will be willing to find out and 'avenge' the planet is Iron Man (Robert Downing Jr). As usual, Tony Stark looks to be his sarcastic self but will this bode well with the other heroes? As he says in the trailer, "I don't play well with others."

Finally a shot that we all weren't expecting, that's right, a smackdown between Thor and Captain America?! It certainly looks as though its not Iron Man who doesn't play with others. This will be an interesting scenario when it comes to play!

Well there you have it folks just some interesting shots from the trailer for the most anticipating blockbuster of 2012. If that has whet your appetite then just check out the full trailer below.

Cinema Review - Captain America: The First Avenger

So, we've had two shots of Iron Man and Hulk, a recent outing with Thor and cameos from Nick Fury, Black Widow and Hawkeye, and the final piece of the jigsaw has finally entered the foray. That's right, one of the most significant characters in the Marvel Universe, Captain Amerixa finally has arrived on the big screen. Possibly one of the toughest heroes to bring to the film stage, the Cap is a big favourite in the Marvel universe and his entrance was one hugely anticipated by fanboys. But was his transfer to cinema a successful one?

It's 1942 and the Nazis are in full force trying to take over the world under the orders of one Adolf Hitler. But secretly there is another notorious villain looking to seize power, Johann Schmidt aka Red Skull (Hugo Weaving in his familiar evil persona) has assembled his own army, under the organisational name Hydra. Redeeming a powerful blue cube, Schmidt suddenly possesses an immense power, one that could end the war with one sudden attack. 


Luckily for the Americans they have their own plan in action, involving a very familiar name of Howard Stark, who has had a hand in creating a super soldier serum for one lucky applicant. That man happens to be the puniest possible soldier but one who has the determination and honour to match 1000 men, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). Once injected with the serum Rogers becomes a one man wrecking machine, ripped, incredibly agile and extraordinarily more powerful than any other man. 


At first, Rogers is seemingly unappreciated by those around him and is just cast off, only to tour as costumed hero Captain America, with his job being to rally the troops and ensure that their spirits are kept to the highest possible degree. Eventually love interest Peggy Carter and Stark come to realise that the Cap is needed to lead the forces from the front and take down Red skull for good. The Cap soon assembles his team, including Dum Dum Dugan, and heads to infiltrate the HYDRA base. It is a race in time to stop Red Skull before he unleashes the full potential of the crystal, can the Cap prevent the impending armageddon or will they all perish?


At first glance, Chris Evans seemed a little bit of a sceptical choice for Marvel's First Avenger but once on the big screen and fully into the boots of Steve Rogers it seems odd not to have him in the famous outfit. Commanding and ultimately believable, he brings a great charisma to the character and works remarkably well with his co-stars, especially in the film's first act where we first experience the Cap's origins. In addition, the supporting cast are to die for, with the likes of Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper and an outstanding Tommy Lee Jones (delivering perfect one liners throughout) all playing their parts with ease. 


Ultimately, with several references to the extended Marvel universe, this specifically is the film that sets up the impending Avengers movie and this is possibly where the film lacks slightly. With a villain in possession of the power cube featured in Thor it feels as though the Cap's battle with nemesis Red Skull is only a miniscule thought in the mind compared to setting up a pathway to enter into the world of Nick Fury and his team of incredibles. Maybe a little more effort into the main story of HYDRA and Cap's battle with red Skull wouldn't have gone amiss but essentially this is a summer blockbuster worthy of your attention. 


Film rating: 4 out of 5 stars


The lowdown: The Cap's introduction into the Marvel film franchise is a welcome one and with performances of a high calibre and plenty of action to keep you awake this is a success story, albeit not to the standard of say, Iron Man. Good summer fun and a brilliant set-up for 2012's Avengers.