Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) has just been released from prison and his mind is set on spending more time with his daughter. Unfortunately, his ex-wife won’t let him see his daughter until he can start paying child support. Scott tries normal jobs, but breaking into places and stealing is his forte. When his buddy Luis (Michael Pena) tells him about a job they can do, Scott reluctantly accepts and is baffled to find some sort of suit inside the vault of a man named Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). The suit has the power to change the user into the size of an Ant, while also granting the power of an ant. Hank Pym’s daughter, Hope (Evangeline Lilly), is concerned about Pym Tech and it’s new owner, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll). With few options to consider, Hank and Hope begin to train Scott in order to use his skills to stop Cross.
Ant-Man is the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and despite the fact that he’s not nearly as well-known as the Avengers are, he still proves that he can bring something fun and entertaining to the table. Much like Guardians of the Galaxy, many people have been cautious when approaching Ant-Man because it does bank on a lot of humor and introduces us to a half-dozen more characters in this world. Like Guardians, this film is pretty funny and it has a good amount of heart, despite falling victim to the trappings of most Marvel films and their future planning.
It must be said that Paul Rudd is the best thing about this film. Rudd is someone who was often on the sidelines, but his charm and wit are what gradually elevated him to a leading (comedy) man. He got into great shape for this film and he pulls of some really cool stunts, all while retaining his charisma and half-serious approach to being a hero called Ant-Man. Rudd has some very tender moments and watching him explore his new abilities is insanely entertaining. He works well with all of his co-starts, creating great chemistry and finding his footing among so many lovable heroes.
Rounding out the rest of the film is a pretty great supporting cast, with the big two highlights being Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly, the Pym father/daughter duo. There’s a lot going on below their surfaces, as tensions brew when Douglas wants to keep Lilly safe. She doesn’t understand his reasoning and why he keeps her out, but a beautiful scene occurs between them that nearly drew tears to my eyes. They both act snarky towards Rudd, but there’s an undeniable enjoyment that comes from watching them work so well. Michael Pena nearly steals the show with the few moments of screen-time he gets, causing an uproar of laughter all throughout the theater.
Unlike most of the Marvel films, Ant-Man is a heist film which stays fairly true to what that genre encompasses. Half of the film is the conventional origin story which introduces us to a flawed character who only acts out in order to provide for his daughter. It’s pretty formulaic, but many of the heist scenes are quite clever and they allow for some great character development as well. Rather than executing the plan as they discuss it, we see Rudd and his crew have to adapt to new challenges and the way they go about that is often comical and enjoyable. There are also a ton of great fight sequences in this film, ranging from big to small and only growing in intensity each time.
Don’t get me wrong, the film does have it’s downfalls. Rather than letting this be its own independent film, there’s a need to tie it into the rest of the MCU and that really does detract from the film. It always feels like there’s a larger goal for Ant-Man and there’s not much doubt that he, or anyone around him, will actually die. There’s lots of talk about the Avengers, but I think the most annoying thing about this film is its villain. Rather than exploring what Corey Stoll’s character is actually like, he’s thrust into the bad guy role and gets no development at all. He’s just always bad and he’s not even subtle about it, often rattling off his whole plan and discussing the possibility of what could happen if Hydra got their hands on the Pym particle. Stoll isn’t bad in the role, but there’s really nothing going on with that character, except for his wishes to be Yellowjacket.
Ant-Man finds itself right in the middle of Marvel’s films, as it’s at least better than half of the films they’ve made, but still isn’t as good as some of their better films. The stakes just don’t seem as high and you’re never surprised by what happens. However, the cast is more than enough reason to go see this film because they all work so well and have a great time together. Paul Rudd has a great future ahead of him with Marvel and I really can’t wait to see how Ant-Man is incorporated into future films. For now, his standalone film is worth the ticket price as long as you don’t worry about a hero called Ant-Man. It’s a silly name, but you’ll enjoy the film nonetheless.
