Review of 'Ant-Man'

ant-man.jpg In 1989 Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) has developed a suit for SHIELD that allows the wearer to shrink themselves down to the size of an ant but with the same strength as they have full-sized. He resigns from SHIELD after realizing that Howard Stark (John Slattery) had been trying to replicate his technology for military use. In the present day the retired Pym is invited back to see that Stark now appears to have a working suit.

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) has been released from prison. After several unsuccessful attempts at finding legitimate employment he eventually has to admit defeat and agrees to rob a house. After breaking into the vault he finds the suit of Dr Pym which he tries on and experiences it's true power in a fun sequence in a bathtub and garden. Scared at what he has discovered he attempts to return the suit but is confronted by Pym who offers him the choice of returning him to jail for the theft or helping him to stop Stark. The obvious choice is made and Scott is taught how to use the suit to take on Stark…

I was surprised at how fun this movie was. Paul Rudd's character though having obvious personal problems never seems to take his situation entirely seriously which really lightens up what could be quite a serious story. This sense of fun extends throughout the cast and even the visuals perhaps helped along by the shear absurdity of the Ant-Man suit premise. The effects are, I suppose to be expected, amazing looking and incredible. The visuals of Scott leading ant armies are absolutely believable and incredible so it is sad that I was watching this on a small screen on a plane. If I was to pick anything out in this movie that was not so great is that it does somewhat drag a bit in the earlier stages as we follow Scott's path to super-hero and the finale is a slight anti-climax though, to be fair, is not without surprises.

Ant-Man was always going to be a second-fiddle to the bigger blockbusters from Marvel in the Avengers franchise this is a refreshing change, much like “Guardians of the Galaxy”. Here's hoping the sequels promised at the end of the Ant-Man credits do not lose the sense of fun present here. Note that if you do decide to see this movie do stay for the credits where there are some glimpses of a tie in with the Avengers franchise but also of the aforementioned sequel.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2015-11-28


Directed by: Peyton Reed

Studio: Marvel Studios

Year: 2015

Length: 117 minutes

Genre: Action/Adventure

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478970/


Other reviewed films by Peyton Reed: