Ant-Man

Ant-Man

Starring Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll

Directed by Peyton Reed

The Story:
Back in 1987, scientist and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) has decided to resign when he found out the company wanted to duplicate his Ant-Man technology and Pym Particles to create a new breed of soldiers.

In modern day, Pym has been removed from his company by his estranged daughter Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and protege Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), who is using Pym's technology to create the Yellowjacket - an antithesis to the Ant-Man in hopes to sell it and create an army of miniature soldiers.

Meanwhile, thief Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) has just gotten out of prison and is living with his fellow thief Luis (Michael Pena).  He wants to see his daughter, Cassie, but his ex-wife Maggie (Judy Greer) and her new cop boyfriend Paxton (Bobby Cannavale) won't let him until he starts paying child support.  Unable to find a job due to his criminal background, Scott agrees to one last heist - which turns out to be at Pym's home, and he steals the Ant-Man suit.

Pym, who has been watching Scott for awhile, offers Scott a second chance at redemption - to don the Ant-Man suit, learn of its abilities, and help him break into his own company to take the Yellowjacket before it could be put to evil use.

The Synopsis:
When I first heard about an "Ant-Man" movie being made, I had to question to validity of it.  Comic book fans know Ant-Man as one of the founding members of the Avengers (with his wife Janet, aka The Wasp), but he's not well-known outside the comic book fandom community.  Hank's comic book history is vastly different than his movie counterpart.  He helped form the Avengers, he worked with Tony Stark to create Ultron, and he suffered mentally from use of the Ant-Man suit, going so far as to beat his wife and create alter-egos for himself, one of which was the Yellowjacket.

Perhaps this is why there wasn't an Ant-Man movie made before, as Pym's personality profile is much different than other superheroes, and his ability - when compared to the likes of Thor, The Hulk or Iron Man - isn't anything spectacular.  He can shrink himself down to the size of an ant, grow in strength and command the will of ants.  Everything about this power expresses the miniature, instead of the magnificent.

Then I found out the film wasn't about Pym, but Scott Lang, who is also well-known in the comic community.  He's the Robin Hood of the modern era - stealing from the rich and corrupt to help the needy and innocent.  He's also got a highly intellectual mind, mastering electronics which he used to commit his crimes.  What I appreciate about Scott is that he's not an average superhero - he doesn't have powers, he didn't come from nobility.  Instead, he's an average guy who sometimes does the wrong thing for the right reasons.

Back to the movie.  So I went into the film not expecting something spectacular, and what I got was something astonishing.  I really enjoyed the film from start to finish, because it does what any Marvel movie does best - it combines thrilling action sequences, moving stories, and well-timed comedic humor to create a new superhero you want to root for.  Scott is doing this not just to protect the world, but his young daughter as well.  He wants to be the hero his daughter sees in him, and his training proves he'll stop at nothing to make it happen.

Hank Pym doesn't take a complete backseat to the story, as we learn more about his past as an agent, along with what happened to his wife.  This also shows in his strained relationship with Hope who, as we find out very early on, is still helping her father in an effort to stop Cross from unleashing the Yellowjacket.  He's Scott's mentor, but also an example to Scott as to how life's decisions can impact the father-daughter relationship, and serves as a cautionary tale to Scott to do the right thing.

Scott's criminal friend Luis and his other partners steal the show with their comedic timing, and it was a refreshing thing to see, as when I first saw a preview with them in it, I thought they would've been the annoying sidekicks to the hero you see in other action movies.  Thankfully they weren't and I found them all quite enjoyable.

The action in the film is monumental, as it's microscopic.  The filming is excellent here, and the effects are something no other shrinking movie has done.  The effect of Scott as he would shrink and enlarge was amazing, and the battles between him and Yellowjacket on a microscopic level appear as fantastic and jaw-dropping as any "Avengers" movie, and then the camera pans out to what we would see, and it turns into something as powerful as a small gust of wind blowing something over.  It adds inconsequential humor to the film, as your heart is pounding as they're fighting on a train, and then see one little toy traincar fall over.

"Ant-Man" differs from other Marvel movies in that it's not just a huge superhero spectacle, but also a heist movie.  It goes on par with the "Oceans" movies, "The Italian Job" and "Thief" in showing how Scott breaks into Hank's home, as well as Hank's business.  It's like a two-for-one movie.

Marvel has introduced two phases to its film franchise, and "Ant-Man" is the conclusion of the second phase.  What I enjoy about Marvel is that they know how to connect their movies into a huge cohesive whole.  There's mentions of the Avengers, the events in "Age of Ultron," and a great action sequence between Ant-Man and an Avenger.  This isn't a haphazard film done just for the heck of it - it's connected to the MCU as a whole, introducing not only Ant-Man, but the Multiverse and Pym Particles as well, which I'm sure will all be utilized in Phase 3 and beyond.


There's some little aspects of the film that could've been better, such as really understanding the relationship  between Hank and Hope, as well as other aspects of the film I can't mention without giving important plots away, but those are miniscule (pun) in nature and doesn't detach from how great this film was.

Oh, and be sure to stick around until the very end, as there's two amazing end-credit scenes that were possibly some of the best in any Marvel movie.  The mid-credits scene itself gave me goosebumps.

The Summary:
Even though he's the smallest superhero, there's nothing small about "Ant-Man," as it blends action, story, and humor perfectly, adding a new dimension to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Score: A