Sometimes the best things really do come in small packages, as evidenced by the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 12th feature Ant-Man. After the chaotic, overstuffed mayhem of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man feels like a breath of fresh air. It has its negatives – familiar story beats; an underwhelming villain; not to mention its proceedings carry an inescapable sense of triviality. But these are easily outweighed by an overall sense of fun and a stellar lead performance from Paul Rudd.
Ant-Man scales things down significantly for a Marvel movie, both literally and figuratively. Its story follows Scott Lang, a kindhearted thief who’s just been released from prison following a legendary single-man heist. He’s determined to leave the life of thievery behind him and to make good by his 5-year-old daughter, who lives with her mother (Judy Greer) and step-father (Bobby Cannavale). Despite Scott’s good intentions, his criminal record makes it difficult to maintain a steady job and despite his reluctance he ends up getting pulled back into the thieving world by the promise of a major score. Turns out, the ‘score’ is an elaborate ruse to assess his skills orchestrated by none other than Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), a mastermind scientist and (as comic fans are well aware) the original Ant-Man. Hank was forced out of his company by its new CEO and his own ex-apprentice Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), who is hard at work developing his own shrinking formula to sell to the highest bidder. This could spell disaster for the future of mankind, so, Hank recruits Scott to help him steal Cross’ formula and ensure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
Ant-Man works in so many ways it’s easy to forgive its structural shortcomings, which have become almost commonplace for Marvel Studios’ origin tales. It carries the zippy, tossed-off punchline energy of the first Iron Man, which keeps it feeling fresh and fun even as the plotting and exposition threatens to hold it back from true excellence. Director Peyton Reed does an admirable, if relatively uninspired, job keeping things breezy and exciting. The smaller-scaled action sequences are often stunning and frequently hilarious. As unfair as it might be, it’s difficult not to ponder the potential of an Edgar Wright-helmed Ant-Man film, but Reed proves to be a decent successor.
Where this film truly shines is in its casting. As I’ve already mention, Rudd’s performance is what truly elevates the material. He is a natural leading man, charming and self-effacing without being overly cloying. He’s the perfect everyman and makes it very easy to root for him. Michael Douglas is immediately likable as the original Ant-Man Hank Pym and Evangeline Lilly gives a solid turn as his daughter Hope. Lilly gets the short stick of development as the token female character/romantic interest, but she manages to hold her own and the promise that she’ll have a bigger role to play in future films helps lighten the blow. Corey Stoll as the film’s primary antagonist has to deal with the same underwritten villain territory that plagues practically all of these films, but he’s totally game for it and actually manages to elevate the material with a sheer sense of villainous glee. My personal favorite supporting characters are Scott’s personal thieving team, played by Michael Pena, David Dastmalchian, and Tip “T.I.” Harris. All three provide the best possible comic relief, with Pena being the show-stealer for practically every scene he’s in.
Ant-Man wraps up Phase 2 of the Marvel world with a nice little bow and sets the stage nicely for things to come without getting bogged down by Marvel’s incessant need to foreshadow future events and provide cameos for its other beloved characters. Though the lack of significant stakes makes it difficult to get too concerned about any of our primary players, the sheer volume of fun, laugh-out-loud moments is enough to keep Ant-Man’s head above water. Truth be told, I think I may prefer Age of Ultron, but I appreciated Ant-Man more due to the simple fact that it takes the time to tell a story and allows its characters to breath without the incessant need for constant, chaotic action.
FINAL RATING: 3.5/5
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