Armed
with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase
in strength, con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his
mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.
Starring:
Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, and Corey Stoll
Directed:
Peyton Reed
Written
by: Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay, Paul Rudd, Stan Lee (comicbook),
Larry Lieber (comic book), Jack Kirby
The Avengers movies were gigantic. The
Iron Man movies were colossal. The Captain America
and Thor movies were huge. Now enters “Ant-Man,” featuring one of the tiniest
super heroes around. While Ant-Man might be small, can "Ant-Man"
accomplish big things in theaters?
Not to take
anything away from Paul Rudd, who plays Scott Lang/Ant-Man, but I honestly was
concerned about him playing a super hero. Sorry, but I just didn't see it.
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, and Chris Evans seem to fit their roles at
first glance. Well, I was wrong because Paul ends up playing the part just
right. I thought he would take it too far in the comedic route, but he handles
the seriousness and action scenes with no problems.
Actually, the entire cast fills their
roles just perfectly. How can you go wrong with Michael Douglas, who plays Dr.
Hank Pym? Evangeline Lilly, who plays Hope, proves she has come a long way
since 'Lost.' Corey Stoll plays the villain, Darren Cross/Yellowjacket. He does
an excellent job of giving the audience a villain they can hate more and more
as the movie progresses. And not to be lost in the shuffle are Scott's gang of
con men, played by Michael Pena, David Dastmalchian, and T.I. All three, but
particularly Michael, deliver the perfect well-timed humor.
While there isn't a shortage of humor, this is a super
hero movie, so where's all of the action? Well that's the biggest complaint I
have with it. Being the first in this apparent franchise, the audience has to
sit through the typical set up of how the regular guy becomes the super hero.
Don't get me wrong it's not boring. It just would have be nice to see another
action scene or two earlier on. Maybe replace one of the continuous ant
training scenes with action somewhere else.
However they make up for any perceived lack of early
action by super sizing the ending action. The audience finally gets to witness
the show down between Ant-Man and Yellowjacket. There's plenty of fighting, a
giant explosion, and a few surprises. One of the best parts is when miniature
Ant-Man and Yellowjacket are fighting on a Thomas the Train play set. It's
hilarious when the camera pans out and the audience gets to view the train set
almost as if a ghost was playing with it. Another great trick they do through
out the movie is having Ant-Man change from big to small, and small to big in a
flash.
This couldn't be a Marvel movie without a tie in to another
super hero movie! There's a terrific scene where Ant-Man and Falcon come face
to face for the first time. While Ant-Man tries to play the "I'm a super
hero too" role, Falcon isn't buying it. The two square off in an exciting
fight that will leave the audience waiting for round 2! While Ant-Man isn't
part of the Avengers yet, he still has his own team. He has an army of ants,
each able to do something unique in order to help him with his mission. The
most fun is watching him fly on one of their backs.
"Ant-Man"
turns out to be a welcome addition to the current Marvel roster. No, it's not
at the gigantic level some of the other films, but it does enough to hold it's
own. Paul Rudd proves that he can play a super hero. The entire cast plays
their roles perfectly. While it might have been nice to see a little more
action early on, they end it with a super sized bang! It will be fun to see how
Ant-Man is incorporated in the upcoming Marvel movies. With that said, I give
it 4 stars!
HorrO
***There
are 2 post credit scenes so stay until the very end***
