Ant-Man (Review) - Small Hero, Big Success

Perhaps one of the most unknown additions to the Marvel cinematic universe, Ant-Man revolves around the character of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd). Scott's a fairly regular guy who rarely sees his daughter anymore due to a split from his ex-wife, and has recently been released from prison after being caught and tried for burglary. Once out, Scott quickly gets himself back into trouble again after robbing a house and discovering an enigmatic red and black suit. This is, of course, the Ant-Man suit belonging to its original creator, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). Conditions arise that lead Hank Pym to enlist the help of Scott in order to break into a heavily guarded facility and steal a similar suit, so that its power cannot fall into the wrong hands. 

At its heart, Ant-Man is a comedic heist movie which contains superhero elements. Sure, there's plenty of ties to the larger Marvel universe -- a plot line that takes place at the new Avengers HQ, for example -- but otherwise this is a much smaller affair. And that's not exactly a bad thing. One of my issues with Age of Ultron was that consequences were constantly being upped to the point where the film just felt silly and far too over-the-top -- an impressive feat for a movie about super-powered icons. Ant-Man, on the other hand, focuses almost entirely on a regular guy who gains his powers semi-reluctantly and uses them so that he can eventually see his daughter regularly again. 

Paul Rudd is also absolutely great in the titular role, and adds a considerable amount of comedy to the movie. It's not quite as funny or entertaining as the excellent (and arguably best Marvel movie) Guardians of the Galaxy, but the humour certainly makes this worth a watch. Also, because the stakes aren't quite as in your face throughout, the film is also approachable for those who have been otherwise put off by the likes of the Avengers or similar high-budget superhero films. That's not to say Ant-Man is lacking in budget, however, as the special effects when Scott shrinks to the size of an ant are simply fun to look at. This is especially true when he battles the main villain of the movie in a child's bedroom, which was a scene featured in the trailer. 

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd)

Unfortunately, the villain of Ant-Man is where the movie falls down slightly. Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) plays a nefarious successor to the company Hank Pym began, and his motivations seem to boil down to nothing more than "I'm evil and hate people". Honestly, he could have been called something like 'Mr. BadMcPerson' and I wouldn't have been surprised. Once he dons the opposing suit and becomes Yellowjacket in the latter half of the movie, then things begin to get a tiny bit more interesting, but he's ultimately forgettable. A good example of what to expect is when Cross uses a lamb for an experiment that will likely fail, and when asked why he can't use mice, he simply replies: "What's the difference?". I mean, sure, he's right, but that just seems like overkill. 

Verdict
Ant-Man might not be the very best Marvel film available, but it's also far from the worst, and could potentially be one of the funniest. It's an enjoyable movie that plays very nicely into the larger Marvel universe, but its relatively fresh nature also means that it can be appreciated as its own thing. I'm not saying that you need to rush out and watch it right now, but if you have an opportunity, then you could do far worse. 

"This is not some cute tech like the 

Iron Man suit!"