I remember when I first heard that Marvel was going to do Guardians of the Galaxymy reaction was, huh? That reaction had more to do with what I and so many other comic fans felt were B or C list superheroes. I was very wrong then and I’m happy to say that I’m wrong again now with Ant-Man, the latest film to join the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. Warning spoilers ahead…
Directed by Peyton Reed, Ant-Man is actually one of the founding members of The Avengers, so it should not have come as a surprise that a film would be made. Paul Rudd is perfectly cast as Scott Lang, a master thief who has just been released from prison and wants to be part of his daughter’s life. He faces some resistance from the girl’s mother and stepdad (Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale), till he gains their trust and proves he has changed his ways. Desperate and looking for a big score to change his situation, Lang puts his skills as a thief to good use trying to crack a safe. But as luck would have it, he ends up getting involved with Dr. Hank Pym (played by Michael Douglas), the original Ant-Man after he ends up stealing the superhero suit instead. This suit gives the wearer the ability to shrink in scale and have super strength. Pym has spent nearly three decades hiding and protecting the suit from those who would use it for their own self-interest. Pym enlists Lang to use his skills as a thief to break into that lab houses similar technology before it gets into the wrong hands.
One of those wrong hands comes from Pym’s old protégé, Darren Cross (played by Corey Stoll) who had created his own suit, the Yellowjacket. Assisting Pym and Lang is Pym’s estrange daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) who works alongside Cross to gain his trust and Lang’s former cellmate, Luis (played by Michael Pena who provides many of the films comic relief moments). The special effects are first rate. The action scenes are well constructed and executed by Director Reed. I particularly love the scenes involving a tabletop model and another on a miniature train set.
To quote Master Yoda, “size matters not!” That pretty much sums up Ant-Man, a very good and very entertaining addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There is great heart in this film and is very family friendly, which is a wonderful change of pace from some of the more recent darker films to hit theaters of late.
Finally, it wouldn’t be a Marvel film without some fun extras during the ending credits. Unlike Age of Ultron, we are treated with two extras. One, that fuels a future Ant-Man film and another that will fuel the next Marvel film due out in 2016.
Directed by: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, and Michael Pena.
PG-13 115 Min
MARVEL’S ANT-MAN – **** (out of 5 stars)
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
