– FILM REVIEW –
By Cate Marquis –
Humorous, heroic “Ant-Man” is a delightful addition to Marvel’s “Avengers” movies. With a script co-written by “Shawn of the Dead” creator Edgar Wright and sporting a cast led by Paul Rudd, “Ant-Man” is a pure entertainment delight. The best thing about “Ant-Man:” this entertaining film never forgets comic books are supposed to be fun and sidesteps the ponderousness to which too many superhero films fall prey.
Paul Rudd is perfectly cast as Ant-Man, an engineer turned cat-burglar turned superhero, after he partners with retired inventor/industrialist Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). The future Ant-Man, Scott Lang (Rudd), turned to a life of crime to support his daughter, after his role as a whistler-blower on corporate misbehavior rendered him unemployable.
Fresh out of prison, Lang is determined to go straight – if he can only find a job. He tries hard to reconnect with his daughter Cassie (charming Abby Ryder Fortson) despite that his ex-wife Maggie (Judy Greer) married a cop named Paxton (Bobby Cannavale), who is none-too-keen on having the ex-con ex-husband around. Lang shares a cramped apartment in a rundown neighborhood with an ex-cellmate Luis (Michael Pena), a guy who has a problem with focus and a couple of oddball friends, Russian hacker Kurt (David Dastmalchian) and tough guy Dave (Tip “T. I.” Harris).
Dr. Pym might have just the job for Lang, one that involves wearing a suit that both shrinks the wearer into ant-size at will yet also gives him the much greater relative strength of an ant. The founder of Pym Industries, and one-time competitor of Howard Stark and his Stark Industries, was forced into retirement by his protege Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) but the older inventor is worried about where the company is headed, once they announce a new technology using something called the Yellowjacket to shrink the wearer to wasp size. Meanwhile, Pym’s daughter Hope (Evangeline Lily) is still an executive with the company and they are hoping to head off some nefarious doings.
A superhero based on a a bug? Who would create that? Well, think Spider-Man, where Peter Parker gains the powers of an arachnid. No one comments on the Spider-Man thing in this movie but “Ant-Man” has plenty of other superhero humor, with Iron Man references and poking fun in tongue-cheek style at superhero movie conventions. Just to be clear, this movie is not snarky or smirking, just having a bit of fun with comic book conventions. It saves that kind of subtext for something else, like the corporate whistle-blower that people admire who can’t get a job in his field, or how hard it is for an ex-con to find a job, not matter how much education he had.
Director Peyton Reed keeps everything cooking along at the right pace, building tension where needed and giving the audience kick-ass action and big effects in all the right spots – and all seasoned with the right blend of humor and heroics. The story, which also lists Rudd as a co-writer, takes us on a wild fun ride, with villains and comic sidekicks, to stop arms dealers from taking over the technology. Not only can Ant-Man get shrink or grow instantly, even mid-fight, he also can control armies of ants, who act as both back-up and a kind of Swiss army knife, transforming themselves into ropes, barriers and other useful tools.
Rudd hits just the right tone as the reluctant superhero, who struggles at first with his new powers until his combination engineer-master thief skills kick in. Rudd does a great job as Lang/Ant-Man but the rest of the cast are super too. Douglas hits all the right notes as the inventor Pym. As protege turned enemy Darren Cross, Stoll is terrific, bringing the right mix of creepy/scary and emotionally-needy guy still trying to impress his old boss.
“Ant-Man” is the most fun, most playful superhero movie since last “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and a nice addition to the Marvel universe of movie entertainment.
© Cate Marquis
