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Paul Rudd looks much bigger in person
BMovies based on comic book superheroes often are so desperate to be taken seriously or so desperate to top each other in terms of spectacular onscreen feats that they are no longer much fun to watch. Fortunately, as a counterpoint to the parade of larger-than-life superhero films, we get Ant-Man, a movie about the smallest superhero ever. It’s also the best, and most entertaining, film in the superhero genre in a long time.
Like the highly popular Iron Man, the Ant-Man character is a product of high technology. In this case, it’s an invention of Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), incorporated into an armored suit, that can enable people to shrink to an inch high. Pym abandons the technology after his death of his wife, but his former protege, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) uses it to create his own weaponized version of the suit, the Yellowjacket, that he plans to sell to the evil organization Hydra. Since Pym is too old to do battle with Cross any more, he and his daughter (Evangeline Lilly) recruit former burglar Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) to become the new Ant-Man.
Although Ant-Man‘s script is credited to four writers, including Rudd and Edgar Wright, who was formerly slated to direct the film, the movie plays surprisingly well, dodging a series of plot potholes. The writers know that the film’s basic premise is even more preposterous than usual for superhero flicks, so the movie has plenty of one-liners and lots of humor, thanks in large part to Rudd and Douglas. The early part of the film is still a bit ponderous, but when the action starts, the movie becomes a lot of fun to watch. The special effects are top-notch and are very different from the usual flying superheroes and widespread urban destruction usually showcased in these types of films. Instead, director Peyton Reed shrewdly uses 3D effects to enhance the visual games he plays with perspective in Ant-Man. Even though the action often involves characters changing size in an instant, the set pieces are easy to follow, and the ways in which Rudd as Ant-Man overcome the obstacles inherent in his size to bring down the bad guys are highly imaginative. Due to the nature of his powers, Ant-Man won’t save the world, but Ant-Man may wind up saving moviegoers from late summer superhero burnout.
Continue reading on Ant-Man: Mini-review
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