Marvel Is Having WAY Too Much Fun Marketing Its "Ant-Sized" Superhero Movie
What's with all the white space...oh. Well played, Marvel's marketing team. Well played.
By Samantha Khor — 15 Apr 2015, 01:06 PM
Watch Paul Rudd Face Off Against The Big Guys In The First 'Ant-Man' Trailer
The first trailer for 'Ant-Man' - released on 13 April - certainly looks like it's going to exceed all expectations of its leading hero's name. C'mon, this guy commands an entire legion of ants!
We also get a first look of villain Darren Cross' Yellowjacket getup, which fortunately looks a lot better and more bad-a** than what he named himself
Thomas the Tank Engine makes a cameo appearance in what is probably going to be the most terrifying and armchair-gripping fight scene in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Trust us on this.
7 JAN 2015: Let's face it. For those of us who aren't familiar with the Marvel Comics universe, "Ant-Man" is a pretty lame name for a superhero... let alone one worthy of his own movie.
For starters, Ant-Man is a guy who shrinks himself into the size of an ant to save the world, although strangely enough, he gains strength when he's smaller. Okay...?
Fun fact: In the comics universe, the original Ant-Man - Dr. Hank Pym - actually founded the Avengers alongside his partner, Janet van Dyne (a.k.a. Wasp).
But trust Marvel to spark interest for a lesser-known superhero. The studio has taken a literal (and we mean, REALLY literal) stance when it comes to promotional material... and we think it's pretty clever.
Just LOOK at the profile photo. We cannot even begin to deal.
By "literal", we mean the marketing team is really milking the whole "small" and "ant-sized" thing to its fullest. For example, take a look at the movie's promotional poster below. Notice the tiny black blob in the middle?
Entertainment Weekly has helpfully magnified the micro-silhouette in its latest issue, revealing a fully-decked out Paul Rudd as Ant-Man a.k.a Scott Lang
But the real conversation starter has to be this "First Ant-Sized Look" for the movie. Annoying teaser for teaser trailer trend aside, be prepared for the best 17 seconds of your life:
Simple, but genius. The "too-tiny-to-see" video might've raised a number of disbelieving eyebrows, but it has succeeded in generating enthusiasm for a teaser that's made for humans rather than, you know, for ants.
So uh, that Ant-Man ant-sized look was a clever move on their end. #GimmeTheTrailerNowwwwwwwww
— Nicole Sobon (@NicoleSometimes) January 2, 2015
Ant sized trailer for Ant Man. Annoyed it's too small to watch, but that's a great little stunt there. Roll on the 7th!
— Chris White (@RomerosSoldier) January 2, 2015
I guess that Ant-sized ANT-MAN teaser is amusing....I'd still like to see the damn footage though!
— Mark Cassidy (@RorMachine) January 2, 2015
So, is the world ready for a pint-sized superhero who goes on adventures atop a flying insect?
BONUS: Gratuitous shot of what what Ant-Man's abs look like... we just had to. ;)
Slated for a 16 July 2015 release, "Ant-Man" stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll and Hayley Atwell.
Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.
Directed by Peyton Reed, "Ant-Man" will conclude Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
imdb.com