Ant-Man
Image: Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd). Image courtesy of Marvel.
Marvel’s latest release, Ant-Man, follows burglar-in-need-of-redemption Scott Lang (Paul Rudd). He chooses to help Dr Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) stop a former colleague from misusing Pym’s technology. To do this he must become Ant-Man and pull off his biggest heist yet.
To give Ant-Man proper credit it has to be measured on its own merit, as it could be argued that a pint-sized superhero was never going to measure up to a Marvel big-hitter like The Avengers. But Paul Rudd is a Hollywood heavyweight, someone who can just as easily bring in the big bucks as cement an indie-flick into cult classic status, and he’s certainly worked his magic on Ant-Man.
Despite a narrative that feels flimsy and rushed (with character arcs that are non-existent in some cases) Ant-Man is an entertaining, funny film. The cast, including Evangeline Lilly as Pym’s strong-minded daughter, are likeable and believable in their roles and it is the ensemble and action that makes this work so well.
With attitude to rival Tony Stark, wry humour to match Guardians of the Galaxy and hand-to-hand action sequences to take on Captain America – Ant-Man ticks all the right boxes (including the obligatory and transformative shirt-off shot) to take an unlikely character from zero to hero.
With the sheer magnitude of the Marvel Universe’s three-phase film slate, over the next four years (at least) Ant-Man could easily have slipped through the cracks in the pavement. Instead, this film is a successful vehicle to introduce the character and progress the central Marvel films. And with the information that Ant-Man will be involved in the next Captain America film, he is ensured a larger presence despite his small stature. (LL)
Star rating: ***
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