“Yeah, I got this.” See Paul Rudd in Marvel’s #AntMan, in theaters July 17: https://t.co/SDsYoFglRx
https://t.co/RIElwkZVHY— Ant-Man (@AntMan) June 15, 2015
The summer blockbusters have been coming in fast and furious (no pun intended) for the past few weeks, with Jurassic World currently stampeding its way towards the top of the year’s biggest moneymakers. However, there is still plenty to look forward to this summer, including some of our most anticipated 2015 releases.
Among them are a pair of ambitious July releases that are aiming to appeal to family audiences in search of a sci-fi adventure. Following the box office success of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Marvel’s Ant-Man will attempt to transform its title hero into a household name and comedy star Paul Rudd into a superhero. Meanwhile, director Chris Columbus (Harry Potter, Home Alone) unleashes hordes of classic video game characters on the world in the nostalgia-fueled adventure Pixels. Both films could prove to be tricky sells for casual moviegoers (Ant-Man less so, thanks to the Marvel name) and have wisely been ramping up their marketing campaigns accordingly.
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Now we have the above new TV spots for both Ant-Man and Pixels – courtesy of Marvel and Sony Pictures, respectively – that lightly poke fun at the goofy premise of each of the films as well as the chaotic action scenes. In both cases, what we largely get is an extension of the footage that has already been released.
The Ant-Man spot is clearly playing off of the success Guardians of the Galaxy reached in selling itself as a fun romp with new characters from within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Rudd continues to nail the role, and regardless of whether Peyton Reed’s film measures up to all the hype, the sight of the tiny Marvel hero leading a horde of insects in flight could turn out to be great fun. Moreover, the ensemble dynamic between Rudd and co-stars Evangeline Lilly and Michael Douglas has tremendous potential.
Similarly, the entire marketing campaign behind Pixels has focused on just how ludicrous (and potentially fun) the idea of Earth being invaded by giant video game characters is. With everyone from Q*bert to Donkey Kong in on the action, the film will have little trouble appealing to adults who grew up playing those retro arcade classics, regardless of how they feel about star Adam Sandler. This spot even reveals that 1985 game Paperboy will appear in the film and gives fans a glimpse of Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson as Lady Lisa, the heroine of a fictional video game within the film.
At this point, one can only speculate about how either of these films will turn out. However, the footage released thus far certainly has piqued our interest at seeing how these goofy concepts play out onscreen.
Will you be seeing Ant-Man and/or Pixels when the films hit theaters next month, Screen Ranters? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Ant-Man opens in theaters July 17, 2015; Captain America: Civil War – May 6, 2016; Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man – July 28, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; The Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Black Panther – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – November 2, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War, Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019.
Pixels hits theaters on July 24, 2015.
