In the aftermath of Avengers: Age Of Ultron raising the stakes for where the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be heading in Phase 3, Ant-Man is a prime example of how intimate stories can still play a significant role in expanding the foundation for future events while also proving that there's always room for these movies to have their own distinct personalities and genres. Everyone interested in Ant-Man is most likely aware that Peyton Reed wasn't the original choice to helm this movie, and I want to make it clear that it would be unfair and a great disservice to Reed's work to draw any kind of comparison to how this movie might have turned out in the previous director's hands.
The concept of the Ant-Man characters recalls pulp science fiction of the golden age. The opening scene introduces a young Hank Pym (a de-aged Michael Douglas courtesy of visual effects) who's ready to hang up the suit. There's a strong sense of wonder in his eyes, like he's lived these great pulp adventures that fills the imagination with fascination. That pulp sensibility still lingers above the surface as the narrative shifts focus to Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a Robin Hood-like ex-con who wants to leave his criminal past and start fresh with his young daughter.
It takes awhile for Ant-Man to find its footing—there are some very funny moments that involve Lang working at Baskin-Robbins and a scene-stealing performance by Michael Peña as his former cell mate/current roommate makes for some big laughs as well—but it's not until the main heist plays into the narrative that this movie really settles on an engaging tone and becomes a fun heist movie, all while still embracing its weird concepts with plenty of charm.
Pym's daughter, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), is a great asset to Lang's personal story arc and the chemistry between Lilly and Rudd is just as strong as Rudd's comedic chemistry with Peña.
Bobby Cannavale has been making a noticeable impression in roles as of late—he first grabbed my attention in Blue Jasmine and he recently played a villain in Paul Feig's Spy. Here he plays a police officer who's married to Lang's ex-wife Maggie (Judy Greer) in a notable supporting role that showcases his dramatic and offbeat comedic skills. I'm very interested in seeing what this actor will be in the near future. Most of the supporting characters don't really have deep motivations, but they're clearly established and don't stand in the way of the momentum this movie builds towards the ridiculously fun third act.
The inter-dimensional Microverse, or Quantum Realm, is where Ant-Man really embraces its oddness and where this movie really shines. There's a Twilight Zone kind of quality to this bizarre concept that makes it a perfect fit for everything that's intriguing about Pym's technology. Ant-Man's subtle characteristics—everything from the 1.85:1 aspect ratio to Christophe Beck's sweeping score—provide the film with an individual voice, much like the rest of Marvel's films. Most importantly though, Ant-Man is an entertaining comedic heist with an old-fashioned sense of adventure that expands the Marvel mythology and still holds its own.
Movie Score: 4/5
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