Fresh out of prison, reformed burglar Scott Lang is pulled back in for one last heist by tech genius and former Ant-Man Hank Pym.
Unlike many of their previous features, the 12th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe dials down the fate-of-the-world cataclysms we’ve seen in the likes of Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Focusing on a classic Heist/ Caper movie format this is a superhero origin on a much smaller scale than we’ve seen before, more akin to the 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, but with a great deal more humour and heart.
Ultimately, this is a film about second chances, which is exactly what Ant-Man so desperately needed after director Peyton Reed took over, after the idolized Edgar Wright walked away from the film he’d been developing for 8 years. The father/ daughter theme manages to be touching in a way we’ve not yet seen in a Marvel movie and as the laughs come thick and fast, the troubled history surrounding Ant-Man loses all relevance.
Paul Rudd is superb as the titular hero, his arc has meaning and the colourful cast of characters he’s surrounded with only adds dimensionality to the flawed, but redemptive Scott Lang. Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly and Michael Peña are great as Hank Pym, Hope van Dyne and Lang’s ever-optimistic, comedic foil Luis. As is often the case in the MCU, the big bad Yellowjacket (Corey Stoll) isn’t given much to work with and comes across rather flat and arc-less.
Visually, Ant-Man delivers in spades. From the de-aged Michael Douglas in the opening scenes to the miniaturized world, oodles of ants and the psychedelic mind tripper in the final reel, Ant-Man offers a view into a world wholly alien to modern blockbusters. Elsewhere we’re given the promising threat of an actual theme and hero motif from film’s scorer Christophe Beck, a welcome prospect in a genre that rarely delivers more than bland, orchestral filler.
Ant-Man is an incredibly solid and thoroughly enjoyable romp that injects a bucket-load of spectacle and silliness into Marvel’s gargantuan cinematic franchise.
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