Ant-Man (2015)
Certified: 12A
Duration: 117 minutes
Directed by: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Tip ‘T.I.’ Harris, Wood Harris, Judy Greer, David Dastmalchian, Michael Douglas
KRS Releasing Ltd
Ant-Man is the 12th instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, concluding phase two which had kicked off with Iron Man 3 (2013). Phase three will start off next year with Captain America: Civil War and continue with Dr Strange also in 2016.
After the grand epic background, scenario and spandex battles that was this year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man is a delightfully more intimate and focused movie. The choice of Peyton Reed as director, replacing Edgar Wright, had sent the fanboys and the internet all up in uproar.
Reed is better known for his comedy movies including the modern teenage favourite Bring It On. But he has managed to defeat the odds and, in this picture about a diminutive hero, he has delivered what is in its essence a heist movie with a story that has scope, fun and, most of all, fits neatly into the Marvel universe.
The film is focused on the second character to wear the Ant-Man helmet, that is Scott Lang. Paul Rudd plays Scott, a super thief and systems engineer. He has just spent three years in San Quentin prison and is trying to avoid going back into a life of crime. He is friends with Luis (Michael Peña), who had been his cell buddy.
Now Scott wants to build bridges with his daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson). He also needs to straighten up and keep things with his ex-wife Maggie (Judy Greer) and her policeman fiancé (Bobby Cannavale) level for the sake of his daughter.
Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who invented the Ant Man suit, wants someone to wear it once more. He believes that Scott with his thieving skills could be the perfect candidate. The suit’s technology, which provides the wearer the ability to shrink in size yet increase in strength, had been developed years before but Hank had placed it aside as he did not want it to be used as a weapon. The suit also gives Scott the power to communicate with ants.
Hope (Evangiline Lilly), Hank’s daughter, is not convinced that Scott can fill the Ant-Man shoes. Meanwhile, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) is perfecting his own mirror technology and has come up with the Yellowjacket suit.
Ant-Man is fun in a way that other superhero movies are not. While the scope of the action here is not of the earth-shattering-lets-save-the-world scenarios, Reed has been inspired from such movies as Honey I Shrunk The Kids (1989) and this puts quite a different spin on things.
A greatly choreographed fight sequence on a Thomas the Tank Engine set between Ant- Man and Yellowjacket is a classic, with the camera zooming back to bring us back to the reality of the stage on which this fight is occurring. It’s a move that is self-aware and, even more so, not afraid of pulling its own leg.
Rudd brings not only star power but also an easygoing gait to the central character, making his Ant Man a very amiable character. Peña is a hoot as he literally steals one scene after another. Douglas is simply having fun in this movie and it shows. Lilly fits snugly into her role and you can feel her chafing at the bit as she seems to want to do more with the role she has been provided with. Stoll, who is so good in the first season of NBC’s House of Cards, is also excellent in this supervillain role.
With its delightful mix of comedy, action and drama in a genre that is a mix of superhero, science fiction and heist movie, Ant-Man succeeds to entertain beyond expectations.
The ant may be small but the rewards are more than appropriate.