Rule
One of the Avengers universe: trust that
Marvel knows what it’s doing. This movie
is way better than it has any right to be, and I had a fantastic time seeing
it. In fact, while we know that Ant-Man
(and, hopefully, some of his crew) will be appearing in future Marvel
properties, it’s kind of a bummer to think that it’ll be 2019 or later before
we get Ant-Man 2.
Scott
Lang, a convict with Robin Hood morals, engineering smarts, and cat-burglar
moves, has recently left the big house.
He’s anxious to get back on his feet and prove to his ex-wife that he’s
on the straight and narrow; until he can get his act together, he won’t be
allowed to see his daughter. Enter Hank
Pym, scientific wonder and former S.H.I.E.L.D. asset. Pym is the genius behind the Pym Particle,
which once enabled him, with the help of a special suit, to shrink to the level
of an insect while maintaining the strength of a full-sized man. He retired years ago, fearing the potential
of his own tech, but he now needs someone new to take up the Ant-Man mantle –
someone’s trying to replicate his work, and Pym will do anything to keep the
powerful, dangerous technology out of the wrong hands. Scott is rough and untrained, but Pym, with
the begrudging help of his daughter Hope, is determined to whip him into shape.
First
things first: this movie is crazy
fun. Scott faces his incredible
situation with everything from bewilderment to deadpan humor, a humorous crop
of supporting characters nicely round out the film, and the action is a
blast. The film plays around a lot with
the nature of the suit’s powers; it’s neat watching Scott change size in an
instant mid-fight, and I love the visual effects of Scott interacting with
normal-sized objects in his reduced state.
It also takes advantage of the comic potential in the lowered stakes of
a miniaturized fight – moves that look epic zoomed-in are hilariously
anticlimactic when the camera pulls out to show the actual scale.
For a
film that at first seems pretty removed from the major Marvel happenings, I
like how it folds into the franchise continuity and just generally feels like it’s taking place in a world
where the Avengers exist. Even if Hank
is no longer in the S.H.I.E.L.D. loop and Scott has never been in it, the
connections are there and feel organic.
And overall, framing the movie more as a super-powered heist than a standard
comic-book film is smart. It especially
helps in the big third-act throw-down; between the different genre and Ant-Man’s
unique powers, it’s one of the most original climax sequences in the Marvel oeuvre.
Really, my only big complaint is that I
wanted more of Hope in action. While I understand the reasons the story gives for
limiting her, it’s not terribly satisfying, particularly since she more than
proves herself as she helps train Scott.
Paul
Rudd is likeable and engaging as Scott.
He brings the humor, the action, and the heart (his scenes with his
daughter are adorable.) I like Michael
Douglas’s gruff mentor Pym, Lost’s Evangeline
Lilly does a nice job as cool, capable Hope, and Corey Stoll (Hemingway from Midnight in Paris!) is a lot of fun in a
supporting role. Additionally, this
movie offers a few terrific Avengers-verse cameos that I won’t spoil, both in
the movie proper and in the post-credits scenes (which, by the way, get me super
excited for future movies.)
Warnings
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