Rating of
3/4
Little Hero, Big Impression
Chris Kavan - wrote on 08/12/15
When Ant-Man was announced, I was skeptical, but the fact Edgar Wright was on board gave me hope. When Wright left the project due to creative differences, I was upset. But even though Ant-Man have been given the short shrift compared to other Marvel films, it turns out Ant-Man can certainly hold his own against the mightiest of Avengers.
Ant-Man really reminds me of the original Iron Man - it has a good blend of action and humor. I like to think a lot of that still had to do with Wright's original script - I think his influence can still be felt. I was also worried that Paul Rudd wouldn't be able to play a convincing super hero lead, but that doubt was misplaced as well. Rudd manages to pull the role off quite well, with that trademark deadpan humor that works surprisingly well for the role.
Ant-Man concerns scientist Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) who has discovered the "Pym Particle" - which lets one shrink down in size but become incredibly powerful. Not wanting the power to fall in the wrong hands, he takes his formula and leaves his company - preferring seclusion rather than chaos. Fast forward many years later and Pym's company is in the hands of protege Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), who has been trying to perfect this formula on his own for years and is nearing a breakthrough in his Yellowjacket soldier initiative. Pym's daughter, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) has managed to stay close to him during these years while remaining loyal to her father, though there is definite friction between the two.
When Hank learns how close Cross is to creating a miniature army - he enlists the help of ex-con Scott Lang (Rudd) - who was put away from essentially blowing the whistle on his company (and illegally distributing millions of dollars to the victims in the process). Lang, and some... interesting friends (Michael Peña, T.I. and David Dastmalchian) break into Pym's house to burble a safe - only to find a strange outfit - thus starting Lang's adventure to become Ant-Man. While dealing with the super hero stuff, he's also trying to get connected with his daughter (a cute-as-button Abby Ryder Fortson) and ex-wife (Judy Greer) who is waiting on child support and has a new boyfriend - who also happens to be a cop (Bobby Cannavale).
The film switches gears often - sometimes it's action, sometimes family drama, sometimes humorous banter - but it does so in a seamless way. It does drag in parts, I will say, but no more than some of the other Marvel films. But it's really the dialogue that sets it apart - watch for two hilarious sequences where Peña puts words into other people's mouths (including Stan Lee in another superb cameo) - that's the kind of thing you don't expect in a Marvel film - and don't expect to work - but damned if it wasn't funny as hell.
Like the original Iron Man as well, the biggest downfall of Ant-Man isn't the hero, but the villain. Stoll is OK as the mad scientist turned-Yellowjacket but you never really get deep into the character or his mindset. Other than being angry as Pym (and going mad), there's not a lot there. But even with the somewhat weak villain, the rest of the film (including the post-credit teasers) work well.
It will be interesting to see how they incorporate the character (and lest we not forget the new Spider-Man as well) into the fold, but if Ant-Man is any indication, Marvel is till bringing their A game, even if you consider the superheroes to be in the B league.
