Rooting for the Little Guy - Ant-Man

Like last summer’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man is a more eccentric addition to the Marvel Universe than the more traditional heroic model.

It had a bit of a rough go in development, with the departure of writer/director Edgar Wright. But Ant-Man has two very strong things going for it: charm, and fun. 

 

It’s wild to see actors like Robert Redford and Michael Douglas appearing in these Marvel movies. Here, Douglas is inventor Hank Pym – the original Ant-Man – who’s been pushed into retirement, while the dynamic and ambitious Darren Cross (the ubiquitous Corey Stoll) takes control of his tech company. There’s a fantastic prologue scene of a younger Hank Pym looking 26 years younger that’s utterly convincing. Cross envisions legions of miniaturized super soldiers that will forever change the face of warfare, over which he would wield control. Hank’s been looking for the right man to don the Ant-Man suit and fixes his gaze on Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a well-intentioned but unlucky thief who’s just released from prison, his wife and daughter now with someone new. 

 

Hank offers Scott a shot at redemption – the chance to make a difference and set things right. The miniaturization scenes are fantastic. When Scott first shrinks down in an empty bathtub, the sides swoop up above him like an alien landscape. Hank has learned to communicate with ants of all types, who quickly become Scott’s allies of infiltration. 

 

Douglas is terrific and brings great energy to his role of the elder scientist. Losing his wife (Wasp) has left a big empty space between Hank and his daughter (Evangeline Lilly), who has less than zero confidence that Scott’s worthy to fill her father’s shoes.  Everything builds towards breaking into the Pym Corporation to stop Cross’s Yellowjacket weapons technology, aided by his former gang of ne’er-do-well thieves, with Michael Peña pretty much stealing the whole movie.

 

But it’s Rudd who has to carry the show and he really pulls it off. He’s an unlikely hero, and projects a naïve aw-shucks likeability that makes you get behind him and root for his success. Director Peyton Reed (Yes Man, Bring It On) may not have Edgar Wright’s overt style, but he gets terrific performances from the cast and lets veteran DP Russell Carpenter (Titanic, True Lies) capture Scott’s descent of scale in increasingly eye-popping fashion. Most importantly, he maintains a strong sense of fun. It may be one of the most family-friendly of the Marvel films and the audience I saw it with just loved it. More than anything else, Scott just wants his daughter’s love. The combination of laughs and thrills makes Ant-Man very hard to resist. Loved the Stan Lee cameo, and be sure to stick around for both of those end credits scenes. You’re okay in my book, Ant-Man. We’re glad you’re here!