If superheroes, by definition, are larger than life, then something is a bit odd about Ant-Man. The smallest character in the Marvel comics universe has the ability to physically shrink while growing in strength. Size doesn’t always matter.
And that’s not the only unusual aspect in Ant-Man’s film debut. It’s the funniest superhero movie in ages, packing more laughs-out-loud than the Iron Man-Avengers cycle at which Ant-Man takes some amusing swipes (Falcon proves incapable when pitted against a flying ant). It also has a smarter screenplay than most, working with issues ranging from the trouble ex-cons face in finding work to the moral limits of science and human knowledge. Are there some things too dangerous to know?
Casting is everything in a superhero movie. When each character is an allegory in a world of grand metaphors, it’s easy for heroes and villains alike to be one-dimensional. The stars of Ant-Man are able to fill in the outlines with believable emotions and responses. Paul Rudd is instantly likable as Scott Lang, initially manipulated into becoming the Ant-Man, then rising to the occasion when he realizes what’s at stake. He’s an amicable cyber Robin Hood just out of prison for hacking the accounts of a corrupt corporation and giving the money to the company’s victims. And he wants to stay clear of trouble, but trouble pursues him like a barking hound. Michael Douglas brings flinty gravitas to Hank Pym, the resentful inventor of a process that can alter the distance between atoms, allowing people to shrink. He has personal reasons for revenge as well as genuine concerns over the misuses of science.
Pym was deposed from the technology firm he founded by his sociopathic former protégé, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll). Cross is determined to discover Pym’s secret process and sell it to the highest bidder regardless of the chaos it will cause. The military-terrorist potential of insect-size commandos is incalculable. Cross was assisted in his corporate coup by Pym’s embittered daughter, Hope (Evangeline Lilly), who changes sides and secretly aids her dad in his plan to destroy Cross and keep his formula from the hands of transnational evildoers.
Director Peyton Reed (who previously helmed comedies) supervises a fun yet meaningful movie that moves along at an agreeable pace and employs eye-catching special effects in 3D. Pym has learned how to motivate ants and an army of the industrious creatures assists Lang in his assault on Cross’ cavernous steel-gray corporate fortress. The kinetic spectacle and engaging humor should help sell popcorn in theaters, but the screenplay and stars provide substance. Ant-Man is the most enjoyable film of its genre since Toby Maguire took his first turn as Spider-Man.
Ant-Man
3 stars
Paul Rudd
Michael Douglas
Directed by Peyton Reed
Rated PG-13
