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Ant-Man
Director: Peyton Reed
Cast: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Julie Greer, Abby Ryder Forston, Michael Pena, David Dastmalchain, T.I. Harris, Hayley Atwell, John Slattery, Martin Donovan, Wood Harris
Rating: B+
Who would have thought that a story about a divorced ex-convict estranged from his family could get spun into one of the most enjoyable, light-hearted and ingenious superhero films to come out since The Avengers series of films? Ant Man, directed by Peyton Reed, is about a teeny weeny superhero that will save the world and entertain moviegoers in a very BIG way.
The storyline opens in the past and tells us that Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) has developed a wonder serum that can shrink someone down to half-an-inch tall, and make the person freakishly strong. Known as The Pym Particle, the scientific discovery can be deadly if in the wrong hands. Feeling threatened by Howard Stark (John Slattery), who wants to put the particle to military use, Dr. Pym hides the formula and the research behind his wondrous experiment in an effort to prevent his work from being duplicated. But years later Darren Cross, a protégé the doctor takes under his wing, is determined to discover the secrets his teacher is hiding. The jealous and power hungry Darren works behind his mentor’s back and discovers how to duplicate The Pym Particle. Determined to stop Darren from using the technology for his own diabolical purposes, the scientist needs an exceptionally skilled thief to break into a high security facility so that he can steal back the potentially dangerous knowledge and keep the word safe from his once loved apprentice’s diabolical plots.
Now Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) enters into the picture, a thief recently released from prison and trying to clean up his act to avoid a life of crime, and ultimately gain visitation rights to see his daughter. Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, Scott is a thief with a heart of gold. Unfortunately, all his good intentions don’t help him once he rejoins society and he finds it almost impossible to make ends meet. Receiving a tip from fellow swindlers, Luis (Michael Pena), Kurt (David Dastmalchian), Dave (T.I. Harris), Scott finds out that a wealthy elderly man has a safe in his home just waiting to be robbed. The elderly man is none other than Dr. Pym, who has actually set up the burglary to see if Scott is his man. Turns out Scott is perfect for the job, so the doctor approaches Lang about joining forces with him and his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) to work together on the ultimate high stakes heist.
Ant-Man is a visually impressive film and has many amazing moments captured in 3D. There are awesome and extremely well done special effects that make seeing the film in 3D completely worthwhile. Watching Scott flying on the back of an insect, ants running with Scott, and ants using their bodies to create a raft for Scott are just a few of the stunning visuals in the film. When Scott initially discovers the effects of shrinking there are some great heart pounding moments as he desperately and quickly has to adjust to his new size to survive or risk being crushed under someone’s shoe. There are great fight scenes between Scott (as Ant-Man) and Darren (as the similar but more deadly Yellowjacket) with one of the most memorable being on a toy train track.
Another charm of the film is the humor and light heartedness used to move the story along. This is a different approach from past marvel films that tend to be a bit dark at times. Ant-Man is frisky and cute and will be a nice break from superhero films that tend to be foreboding and all gloom and doom. Leave it to Disney to save the world with some good laughs.
Paul Rudd is endearing and appealing in his performance as the fumbling bandit recruited to save the world. His allure comes from being a rather simple guy and is unlike the stereotypical Greek God-esque superheroes such as Captain America or Thor. Evangeline Lilly plays the estranged daughter of Dr. Pym but is never really given enough to do. She is basically a supermodel in designer suits with a scowling look on her face through most of the movie. Michael Douglas handles his role as the aging dignified scientist well, but some more sparks could have been added to his character making him a bit more interesting. Judy Greer and Bobby Cannavale are underutilized in the filmmaking, and their characters feel almost unnecessary. Performances by sidekicks Michael Pena, David Dastmalchian, and T.I. Harris are a ton of fun to watch and may even be more talked about than the main stars.
Ant-Man initially starts off a bit slow as it spends quite a bit of time introducing all its characters. At first the film feels a bit heavy and slow as it tries to tie all the facts together to create a cohesive storyline. There are bits of uneven storytelling that throws the film off at certain moments. But by the last third of the movie everything kicks into high gear and will keep audiences completely engaged.
Despite a few things that could have been improved to make a good movie into a great movie, Ant-Man is just plain old fashioned summer fun at the box office. This stylish, slick and playful movie does not fail to entertain and leaves plenty of room for a sequel. Be sure to stay through the credits for some expertly placed hints for the future of what is sure to be a new series in the world of Marvel films.
ANT-MAN will hit 2D and 3D theaters on July 17, 2015.
