Cast: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lily, Corey Stoll, Michael Pena
Director: Peyton Reed
I should not like Ant-Man. I really shouldn’t. Not after the way Marvel fired Edgar Wright. To be fair, I do like Ant-Man in the later Avengers movies, so I am in two minds. But Wright’s version would have been something else. But we can't dwell on what may have been.
Hank Pym (Douglas) is a brilliant scientist who discovered a method to shrink the distance between atoms using his revolutionary Pym Particles. Knowing its potential to be used as a weapon, Pym hid it away from everyone. He now lives the life of a recluse. His company was taken over by his one-time protégé Darren Cross (Stoll) and his daughter Hope (Lily) works for Cross. When Cross reaches close perfecting the nano technology, Pym has to find a way to destroy it. He enlists burglar-trying-to-reform Scott Lang (Rudd). But first they have to steal a piece of tech from the new Avengers mansion.
Paul Rudd is spectacularly cast. He brings the right amount of cheekiness and believability. He also gets to take his shirt off and that is a surprise. Douglas brings the charisma and Lily the warmth. They neither make her a hero nor a strong character. A shame. Corey Stoll, unfortunately, is one of the forgettable Marvel villains. The scene-stealer turns out to be Michael Pena. His machine-gun dialogue delivery made me pause and replay the scenes with subtitles on. Anthony Mackie has a small role where he definitely ends up second best.
We will probably never know how much of the movie was from Wright’s script. But the humour definitely stands out. Peyton Reed, the yes-man that Marvel hired, does a competent job. He had even directed a movie called Yes Man, for crying out loud! The special effects are muted, and hence, rather believable.
When most of the Avengers movies were growing bigger by the minute, it is refreshing to note that this one has small stakes. So, small that the climactic battle is on a Thomas the Toy Engine set. But then again, this is Ant-Man. Part of the reason is due to the fact that Marvel was taking a risk on this character. The budget was tight and the profit also turned to be bite-sized. But I am firmly of the opinion that any character played by Paul Rudd will definitely be worth watching.
Stan Lee cameo: Just before the end credits. Funny, but not essential to the plot.
Post-credits scene: The mid-credits scene sets up Ant-Man and the Wasp, while the end-credits scene is directly from the upcoming Civil War.
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