New Trailer for Marvel’s Ant-Man Teases a New Kind of Hero; World’s Greatest Train Sequence

With another slate of summer releases on their way, this marks yet another year where Marvel is looking to dominate the box office. We know from all the latest television spots and various trailers since last year that Age of Ultron is prepping to be the studios’ biggest release to date. But how about a smaller production? One so miniscule that even the most epic of superheroes will need a trained eye to see it?

Marvel has proved itself a worthy adaptor of lesser-known comic book characters. Last year’s Guardians of the Galaxy did well to exceed viewer expectations in what many believed to be the best Marvel film to date. Now Scott Lang will get his larger than life treatment when Ant-Man debuts on July 17. The first trailer is here for your viewing pleasure. Here are a few scattered thoughts on just how well we think Lang is adapting to his new role and how we think he could fit into the Marvel cinematic universe.

From the get-go, we’re pleased to see that Edgar Wright and Adam McKay’s involvement on the project didn’t overwhelm either director in terms of the film’s more humorous aspects. We’ve heard from various people involved in the film that comedy would provide a vital role in acknowledging the ridiculous concept behind such a short-statured hero. So when we say that one of the movie’s more climactic scenes looks to be taking place on top of a Thomas the Tank Engine toy train set, we say that in good faith that the scene will remain equally funny and action-packed. What else could you expect from a movie with a title like Ant-Man?

A second take away from the trailer is the prisoner-turned-hero storyline, one which we all knew was coming but remains altogether serious despite the abilities that Lang possesses. Already, we have to say that Lang has a certain charm about him that Paul Rudd seems to be bringing to the role. Marvel is certainly going with the witty, charismatic vibe that Tony Stark has been putting down as Iron Man. But whereas the billionaire-turned-hero has all that playboy lifestyle to hide behind, Lang is coming from a completely different background, which speaks to his larger-than-life ego and how he’ll more than likely come off to viewers. This is a bonus. It means that Robert Downey Jr, who has already expressed interest in leaving once his contract expires, could have found a replacement who can match him in the attitude/smarm department.

Finally, we get a sense of how Lang’s powers could actually fare when stacked against other villains. For the first film, it does help that our antagonist Yellowjacket will spend some screen time in a miniature form. But as for moving forward with Lang’s possible inclusion in the next Avengers? We have to say that the idea of a human bullet doesn’t sound pleasant for anyone, especially when that bullet can consciously crawl inside the human body if it so pleased. That’s enough to do away with plenty of wrong-doers.

Catch the full trailer for Marvel’s Ant-Man in the video above. And make sure to check out the movie when it hits theaters later this summer.