With Avengers: Age Of Ultron headlining 2015 in terms of comic book movies, it was a surprisingly gutsy movie for Marvel to follow that up with Ant-Man of all things. Sure, the film has been in production since before even Iron Man got off the ground and has been a topic of discussion among comic book readers for years now, but the character is an admittedly goofy idea and leads to a much smaller scale film. Putting that after a film after one that reunites The Avengers looked to be a sure way to squash.
However, in a fitting Marvel fashion, Ant-Man managed to garner some attention by playing to its strengths. By pushing the film as a much smaller in scale affair, with more personal stakes and backing that up with inventive action that plays to the characters powerset perfectly, Marvel have created a conclusion to the second phase of their Cinematic Universe that is both a throwback to their first films and a palette cleanser for the films to come.
As the first production company to really push the idea of connection their superhero franchises and the first to use comic book easter eggs as more than just a nod to the fans, Marvel Studios films have began to be regarded not so much in terms of quality, but in terms of how important they are. How does this film relate to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? How does it build to the next setpiece Avengers film where elements from the previous eight or nine or twenty films will be paid off? It’s interesting, then, that Ant-Man looks at that expectation and just says “Screw it!” and focuses instead on the story at hand.
The story at hand is surprisingly simple: Scott Lang is recently released from prison for burglary and is struggling to support himself and provide for his daughter. This puts him on a path where he is discovered by Hank Pym, a scientist who, in the 60s, discovered a particle that allowed for the shrinking of matter. Pym wants him to use the suit he designed that allows the wearer to shrink to the size of an ant in order to stop his former protege weaponising his technology and allowing it to fall into the wrong hands.
Now, if you’re thinking “Hey, wait a minute. Where’s the world-ending stakes? Where’s the plot to destroy the entire world? How can we have devastating collateral damage and destruction without world-ending stakes?” then this might not be for you. Taking a leaf out of the first Iron Man film, Ant-Man instead choose an approach that is appropriately smaller, focusing on the personal stakes of corporate espionage between the former and current protégés of Hank Pym and the estrangement between fathers and daughters. This plays to the strengths of director Peyton Reed, who is most well known for comedic films and allows him to dig him and focus on the characters first and foremost.
When the action kicks off, though, Reed does not disappoint. The combination of visual effects and macrophotography allow for sizechanging setpieces throughout the film that are imaginative and exhilarating. A standout setpiece involves a shrunken Ant-Man and Yellowjacket fight inside of a briefcase that shows that this film can still have the huge action setpieces that superhero films are known for at this point, just on a smaller scale. However, as engaging and fun as the action is, it does take a while for the film to get there.
Because this is an origin story, a lot of setup is involved in introducing the audience to not one, but two Ant-Men and their respective supporting casts and then having the two meet. On top of that, you have to have the requisite montage that serves to both train Scott as the new Ant-Man and explain the limits of the character to the audience. This is all frontloaded in the film and allows the audience to get comfortable with the characters and the world of the film as well as Ant-Man’s powers before diving into the action setpieces that make up the third act of the film. While this structure actually plays to the film strengths, establishing the likeable and very funny characters up front and keeping it’s best moments until the end, there will be a moment where you wonder if the film will ever bother showing us Ant-Man.
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It should be no surprise at this point that a Marvel Studios film is cast and acted well. Up front, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang was an excellent choice as he centers the film around a rundown, noble character with a streak of moral ambiguity. This makes him a very different kind of Marvel hero than we’ve seen as while he has the charm and comedic timing we know from Paul Rudd, but he balances that with the character’s checkered past and surprisingly noble cause outlook. I think it’s pretty safe to say that without Paul Rudd this would be a very different film, but with him it’s a fun ride to see this character’s journey through the film.
But Paul Rudd isn’t the only one playing an Ant-Man in this film. Michael Douglas is great in this film, but that should be no surprise, right? He’s Michael Douglas! What is a surprise is how he is able to imbue a character who really only exists to exposit the science behind the Ant-Man suit and its powers with such humanity. Like Rudd, Douglas brings a sharp comedic timing and levity to the film, but he also has a much darker side. His regret over the incident that caused him to stop being Ant-Man plagues the character and brings a surprising amount of depth to a character who could easily have just been a walking ant encyclopaedia. The same goes for the conflicted relationship he has with his daughter, Hope.
Speaking of Hope and bad segues, Evangeline Lilly is perhaps this movie’s secret weapon. While the character of Hope doesn’t really get much to do and isn’t the most developed female character in a Marvel Studios movie (she does continue the trend of having only One Important Woman in the film, though), Lilly brings her a-game to the role. Lilly elevates Hope Van Dyne out of a role that could have had her playing second fiddle to Lang and into one that shows her as more capable and more dynamic. She is sure to become a major player in the MCU moving forward – or, at least, she better be – and the MCU will be better for it.
Now, you may be wondering why I haven’t really mentioned the bad guy of this film yet. That’s because, for most of the film, there isn’t really one. Another inspiration this film borrows from Iron Man is that there isn’t really a big antagonistic presence until about forty five minutes until the end of the movie. This isn’t the biggest problem in the world as that time is spent focusing on Scott, but Darren Cross’ heel turn comes much later in the film than I was expecting. Thankfully, Corey Stoll manages to be a menacing villain while giving Darren Cross a surprising amount of depth. While I think the explanation for Cross’ heel turn, while a neat nod to the comics, felt a little out of place, Stoll makes it work. Though, as usual, Marvel’s tendency to have unfulfilling resolutions to their villain’s stories rears its ugly head once more and Darren Cross may get the worst of it since Obadiah Stane himself.
Rounding out the cast of Ant-Man are a number of actors who put in good turns and are well used comedically, but are largely bit parts. Michael Peña steals every scene he is in as Scott’s former cell mate while his crew, made up of T.I. and David Dastmalchian provide comic relief backup. Bobby Cannavale’s Paxon makes for a fantastic foil to Scott Lang, playing Scott’s ex-wife’s new fiance who also happens to be a cop. I’m not sure if it’s a good or a bad thing that Scott Lang has a better hero/villain relationship with Paxton than he does with the film’s actual villain, Darren Cross. Finally, Judy Greer is once again woefully underutilised in a 2015 blockbuster, relegated to the role of Worried Mother.
All in all, I honestly can’t believe I’m writing a review of an Ant-Man film. More than that, I can’t believe I’m writing a positive review of it. While the film certainly isn’t perfect, it stands as a testament to the unstoppable machine that is Marvel Studios that this film not only works on its own merits, but is fun. The film wisely strips away the earth-shattering consequences that seem to be expected of superhero films these days and instead focuses on a much more personal and touching story that allows the audience to connect with the characters involved. Then, once the audience is invested, the film kicks into high gear with an inventive heist sequence that should have even the most jaded comic book fan hyped. Ant-Man‘s place as the closer to Phase Two is, shockingly, one that makes sense as the brief respite between the jaw-dropping stakes of Age Of Ultron and the upcoming Civil War makes this simple, fun ride all the more welcome.
And, dare I say it, it might even be better than Age Of Ultron.
