“Ant-Man” Review

Paul Rudd leaps into action alongside an army of ants in “Ant-Man” which stars Rudd as the titular superhero who can shrink down to the size of an insect.

After the gamble that was “Guardians of the Galaxy,” it became obvious that Marvel was going to take more chances and that they weren’t going to limit themselves to films that had to connect to The Avengers. There were going to be new heroes that no one even thought they’d see on the big screen. When you think of a man who can communicate with ants and shrink using a high-tech suit, it sounds neat but hard to justify an entire film. Fortunately, due to the previous successes in the MCU, “Ant-Man” was allowed to have an incredibly unique identity as one of the funniest Marvel films and one of the most endearing. 

Set after “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is a newly freed convict with very little opportunity on the outside. All he wants is to make enough money to begin to pay child support so he can see his daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson). With no options, he returns to crime where he accidentally steals the Ant-Man suit from scientist Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and becomes recruited by Pym to perform a heist in order to stop Pym’s apprentice (Corey Stoll) from using shrinking technology for evil. 

While we’ve seen heroes in the MCU start off in a morally gray place, Scott Lang feels more relatable than the wealth of Tony Stark or the skills of Black Widow. Lang is more ordinary which makes his struggles all the more identifiable. Paul Rudd brings all of his charm to the role and you get this feeling that he just wants to stop being a criminal but he feels like there’s no other option. 

In that sense, “Ant-Man” actually has quite a bit to say about how flawed the American prison system is and how tough it is for prisoners once they get out. Seeing Scott interact with Cassie also provides a strong motivation for him to help Hank Pym and to step up to be a hero. 

While there is drama at the heart of the film, “Ant-Man” is primarily a comedy and it excels at it. Everything about the film feels like one of the more comedic James Bond films starring Roger Moore. It’s light-hearted but with plenty of great action and a likable lead. Much of the humor comes from Rudd’s charm as well as the supporting characters including Lang’s best friend Luís (Micheal Peña) who steals every scene he’s in. 

However, because he’s an ordinary man, Scott does need help to become Ant-Man for the heist and that help comes from Hank Pym and his daughter Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lily). The pair have to train Scott to use the suit properly and communicate with ants to help in the heist which is considerably difficult since Hank and Hope have this rift between them. 

The training sequences are incredible with fantastic effects that make the shrinking concept believable. Seeing a man riding ants and using them to break into top-secret facilities is such an imaginative concept and it’s fantastic to see state-of-the-art effects used to make this come to life. Of course, having these charming actors involved makes the experience all the more enjoyable, especially Douglas, Lily and Rudd. 

If you read comics, you know that there’s not just one Ant-Man. Multiple people have donned the mantle including the original Hank Pym and Scott Lang. Instead of choosing just one, two Ant-Men appear which makes for an excellent story of passing the torch to the next generation. Despite Hope not becoming The Wasp character in this film, she also has her own flair for action which promises better things to come. 

However, while the good guys are quite engaging, Darren Cross is among the more forgettable Marvel villains. He’s another suit with a diabolical plan to take over the world with technology: something we’ve seen several times. Despite Corey Stoll’s talents as an actor, there’s really nothing to this guy. 

But when the film needs to be entertaining, it delivers. Between having a fight with The Falcon (Anthony Mackie), corporate espionage via insects and a climatic duel on a children’s toy, “Ant-Man” embraces its silly side while also being a heartwarming film in this ever-expanding universe.