Movie Review: Ant-Man

Marvel movies continue to deliver some fantastic blockbuster films for all ages to enjoy. Whether you're a die hard fan of the comics or a new-comer for the films, there's no denying that Marvel throws out entertaining movies left, right and center. From big action, group movies like Avengers to character driven espionage like Captain America 2, Marvel pretty much has everything going on for them. So what about something on a smaller scale? Say...ant-sized perhaps?

Well, Ant-Man basically covers even more ground for Marvel in that it takes one of it's hardest to market character ever and puts him right on the big-screen. How can someone named Ant-Man be a cool super hero? Well, as it turns out, quite easily.

After watching Ant-Man, it has easily sky rocketed up my list of favorite Marvel movies, a feat that I was sure it couldn't do. I mean as much as I really like Ant-Man in the comics, I had a feeling they wouldn't be able to do him justice in the film. Fortunately, I was wrong and what I got was an incredibly funny, action packed adventure that goes to show that Marvel can still deliver a great flick even when the scale has been brought down a peg. 

God damn do I like Paul Rudd...oh and the Ant-Man costume is pretty fantastic too

The highlights of the film lie within the casting. Paul Rudd as Scott Lang was fantastic, not once did I feel like another actor could have taken up the role as Rudd perfectly portrays the characteristics of a man who's clearly down on his luck and out of his element. Since Scott Lang needs to be a likable character and needs to be a character whose personality compliments the overall scale of the film, having Paul Rudd portray Lang in such a down to earth manner was perfect. On top of that, since I know Rudd more from his comedy roles, he manages to deliver lines and jokes with ease and without it feeling forced or cringey.

Fantastic on-screen chemistry from these three

Next up was Michael Douglas as Hank Pym. Back when they announced that Age of Ultron would be coming out before Ant-Man I was severely disappointed. It meant Hank Pym wouldn't be a major player in the creation of Ultron nor would he have much of a role as a Marvel super hero. That sucks because he's a co-founder of the Avengers and arguably one of the smartest and most interesting heroes in Marvel history. Luckily Hank Pym is given plenty of justice in Ant-Man. Michael Douglas does a phenomenal job at portraying an aged and begrudged Hank Pym. The writing for the character also allows him to fit in the overall universe without it feeling forced. Canonically, Pym is meant to be the very first Ant-Man with Lang coming in later. It's good to know that even while the other Marvel movies were taking place, Pym was actually active in his role as Ant-Man along with his wife Janet (The Wasp). What I found interesting in this case was that Hank Pym's character managed to get plenty of backstory to help with his character development without the film feeling too bogged down by it. In the end, we got a great Hank Pym and a stellar performance by Michael Douglas. Finally, a character that can put Tony Stark in his place in terms of genius and mouthiness. I also believe that Hank Pyms character is strengthened by his interaction with his daughter Hope (Portrayed by Evangeline Lilly). Luckily Hope isn't your typical love interest female character either and she easily paves the road for other female super heroes to show up in the Marvel cinematic universe. 

As child actors go, Abby Ryder Fortson as Cassie Lang was adorable and perfect

Let's not forget one of the best parts of the movie though. Michael Pena as Luis!

I also want to praise the pacing of the film. Even though Ant-Man brought the scale of the Marvel universe down to a smaller level, it didn't feel like it was being held back either. Each scene felt important to the heroes and felt like necessary breaks between the awesome action sequences. There was plenty of explanation for certain things that you didn't feel confused and on top of that it didn't feel embarrassing. Most movies that attempt at doing believable science fiction end up falling flat on their faces by trying to explain TOO much. Ant-Man manages to explain enough and manages to keep it believable. At this point, however, I believe it's helped out by the fact that other Marvel films have already played around with pseudoscience so much that the average audience member wouldn't even bat an eye. Personally, I feel like Ant-Man's science just works even if it can be seen as ridiculous. 

Oh man, shit is NUTS when you're small

By the way, the action? Absolutely mind bending and wild. Ant-Man manages to make shrinking powers seem amazing, even to the point where it could hold it's own against other Marvel heroes. When Ant-Man starts to shrink get ready for one hell of a ride because I think the shrinking scenes were some of the best things ever to be put out by Marvel Studios. I was expecting the shrinking to be mediocre or so far and in between that it wouldn't even be important. Luckily I was wrong yet again and Ant-Man makes sure to show off that shrinking can be cool and an effective power for fighting crime. Hell, it's not just the shrinking, it's the general changing of sizes on the go that I thoroughly enjoyed. Seeing Scott Lang shrink to dodge bullets and punches only to grow again to deliver a slobber knocker filled me with glee!

It's not a flawless film though, unfortunately. One major fault I have with the film is that the villain suffer from the same issue that almost every Marvel movie villain suffers from...and it's lack of depth. Yellow-Jacket or David Cross (Corey Stoll) felt like the weakest villain Marvel has ever put out, and that's saying a lot. Whether it's due to not enough screen time or just rushed writing, Yellow-Jacket just felt like another throw away villain that, in the end, posed no real threat to the overall picture. If there's anything Marvel needs to improve on, it's their villains. After all, the hero is only as good as their villain!

I love the Yellow-Jacket suit...but not so much the actual villain...

Overall, Ant-Man was an incredibly enjoyable film that I personally think is one of the best Marvel movies to date. I hope that Marvel continues to make movies with the same kind of feel as Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy and stray away from the more formulaic tropes that their other films seem to be heading towards. I wanted a comic-book movie and boy did Ant-Man deliver. I can't wait to see more of Ant-Man in the future and I hope that you go and watch this fantastic film as well!

Verdict: 4/5