Ant-Man

In the grand scheme of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man feels like a fairly minor entry.  Don't take that to mean it's bad, as it's certainly not at all.  It's actually quite funny and enjoyable.  But anyone walking in expecting a summer thrill ride movie along the lines of The Avengers or its sequel is going to be disappointed. 

This is essentially a two hour origin story, setting up the Ant-Man, who his alter ego is, and how he gets his powers.  At times, it feels like a really long set up for a much more exciting sequel, where we will finally get to see the character cut loose.  Ordinarily, I can't stand it when movies do this.  But here, a strong cast and a playful sense of humor holds our interest.  We have Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, who eventually becomes the Ant-Man, with the ability to shrink himself to miniscule size and control his namesake insects.  Michael Douglas plays the wise mentor role, and it's good to see him up on the big screen again.  Evangeline Lilly plays Douglas' estranged daughter, who becomes an eventual love interest for Rudd.  A scene that plays during the end credits hints at much bigger things for her character in the inevitable sequel.  Finally, Corey Stoll plays the evil Darren Cross, who eventually adapts a super villain persona named Yellowjacket.  In the Marvel films, the villain has frequently been the most forgettable part of the movie, and that does not change here, though Stoll is appropriately bombastic in a slimy way.

What sets Ant-Man apart from other superhero films under the Marvel label is that it's more concerned with having fun than it is about having its hero save the world.  I know, last year's Guardians of the Galaxy did the same approach, but that wasn't really a superhero movie, it was more of a comedic space opera.  This movie feels a lot lighter, maybe even sillier than your average superhero origin.  Even the big climactic battle between Ant-Man and Yellowjacket doesn't take itself seriously for a moment, which is kind of refreshing.  The movie is a lot of fun, especially when it comes to the special effects.  There are some really inventive set pieces, and I like the way the filmmakers use the hero's shrinking ability to create some hilariously perilous moments, such as when a toy train set turns into a towering force of destruction when the hero is in micro form.  A comic actor like Paul Rudd may seem like an odd choice to join the roster of Marvel superheroes, but he really does a great job grabbing our attention almost the moment he walks on screen, and he manages to hold onto that attention.  He's also apparently been working out quite a bit, if this movie is any indication.

The plot starts off centered around the Douglas character, a scientist named Hank Pym.  40 years ago, he created a technology that could shrink physical matter.  He even created a super-powered outfit that he could wear that allowed Hank to make himself miniscule, but still possessing incredible strength and agility.  After some field tests, Hank decided that the suit and the technology itself was too dangerous to be trusted with the military or the government, especially if it would fall into the wrong hands.  Flash forward to the present, and the current head of Pym's technological empire is the evil Darren Cross, who is developing his own technology based on Pym's ideas.  When Hank catches wind of this, he turns to his estranged daughter, Hope van Dyne (Lilly), who is working directly under Cross.  The two decide to dig up Hank's old Ant-Man suit, and find someone new to carry the title, so that he can sabotage Darren's attempts to recreate the technology, and sell it to some shady individuals that are working for an evil organization that Marvel fans will be familiar with.

The man that Hank chooses to wear the suit is ex-con, Scott Lang.  Scott is trying to go straight, so that he can have visitation rights to see his adorable young daughter, Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson), as well as maybe prove to his ex-wife (Judy Greer) that he's not just a criminal loser who can't hold down a real job.  The way that Hank gets Scott's attention is more than a little convoluted, and involves setting up an elaborate ruse that results in Scott breaking into Hank's mansion, and stealing the suit from a massive safe.  Regardless, the two form a partnership after this, as Scott is convinced assuming a costumed hero identity can redeem his past crimes in the eyes of his little girl.  There are a lot of scenes of Scott trying to learn to use the suit's powers, some of which could have easily been left out to make this movie a little bit of a shorter sit.  Still, the chemistry of Rudd, Douglas and Lilly carry us through this part, and take us to a very fun sequence where Ant-Man must sneak into the villain's lab with the aid of his dim-witted comic relief crime cohorts, led by Michael Pena.

Fun as the movie can be, Ant-Man never really kicks into high gear, which may frustrate some audiences.  It's fairly low key, and the action is pretty much contained in the last 20 minutes or so of the movie.  It is the character of Scott Lang, as well as Rudd's performance, that keeps us invested.  He has an easy to relate to conflict, in that he is essentially a former family man who has made a lot of mistakes, and is trying to reconnect with the ones his actions caused him to lose.  The movie never really gets slowed down too much by the drama, nor does it feel like the screenplay is ignoring this element of the character.  I would have liked to have seen a bit more of this aspect, but it's still there.  There are also some good scenes between Douglas and Lilly, as we learn more about their relationship.  This isn't exactly a character-driven film, but the moments where the characters and their personal dramas do show through are effective.

Where the movie really won me over is with its inventive use of special effects.  It's fun seeing Scott in micro size, trying to befriend the ants that will become his followers, as well as learning to use the suit to its full potential.  We see so many special effects in movies these days, it's easy to become kind of jaded.  We forget how much effort is usually put into them.  Here, we're reminded, because there are some truly fun and imaginative sequences that really exploit the idea of a superhero who can shrink himself to the size of an ant.  There is some real thought on display to the special effects, and you can tell that this was a fun movie for the artists to work on.  My only complaint is that the CG ants often don't mesh very well with the human actors, but then, CG insects have never looked convincing to me in any film.

Ant-Man is not an epic adventure, but then, it never pretends to be.  It's a kinder and gentler superhero movie and, despite the PG-13 rating, I think it would be a good movie for small kids, who will love the effects.  If you want a more grander adventure, I think you'll have to wait for next year's Captain America: Civil War.  This movie's all about having fun.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

0 comments