Many wondered what Marvel was thinking when they announced that they were giving their tiniest hero his own movie, but Ant-Man will silence any doubts you may have about it.
Ant-Man follows Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), an ex-convict who’s trying to turn his life around. When Scott is released from prison, he tries to live an honest life: find a job, get an apartment and try to be a father to his daughter, Cassie. When finding a steady job proves more than a challenge for an ex-con, Scott turns back to his life as a cat burglar. Lang gets a tip from his best friend about a score, but little does he know that this “score” will become his future employer.
Through this heist, Scott is being tested by Hank Pym (Micheal Douglas), a brilliant scientist who created a suit that can shrink a man to the size of an insect. Pym vowed to never let anyone get their hands on the technology, but when Darren Cross, Pym’s former protege and current CEO of Pym’s company, gets close to discovering the secret, Pym must find someone to break in and destroy Cross’s research. Scott must learn to control the suit and an army of ants in order to pull off the heist.
To be clear, this isn’t a “normal” Marvel movie. It isn’t about someone who’s a demigod, a super-soldier or has an unlimited bank account that builds a super-suit. Scott might obtain a suit with special powers, but he’s no superhero. He’s a thief. This isn’t a superhero movie as much as it’s a heist movie, and once you think of it in that aspect, it’s actually really good.
Paul Rudd is funny and charming, as usual, but proves that he can play a role in something other than comedies. The supporting cast are fantastic as well. Micheal Douglas and Evangeline Lilly have a great father/daughter chemistry, and Micheal Pena plays a lovable and funny sidekick to Rudd.
There’s the usual amount of humor that one would expect from a Marvel movie, and the action sequences are surprisingly good, considering they consist of ants and toy trains.
Over all, Ant-Man is a surprise that audiences will definitely enjoy.
