REVIEW: Ant Man

– Written by Joshua Armstrong

Little Hero, Big Film

When I first heard that Marvel was making Ant Man into a major film and that it would be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe (alongside Iron Man, The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy), I was more curious and sceptical rather than excited. Marvel films such as The Avengers generated a lot of excitement, and a lot of money at the Box Office, but Ant Man was seen as something very different. A major Marvel film about a man who can shrink to the size of an ant with super strength thanks to a special suit?

Then again, Marvel did make a walking talking tree awesome in Guardians of the Galaxy, so I was willing to give Ant Man a try…

And in true Marvel fashion, Ant Man delivered. While not the best film in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), it was definitely the most grounded and relatable Marvel film to date. This is mostly due to Ant Man taking place here on Earth, with no Gods or Aliens or super powers that appears in many other Marvel films. Ant Man feels like the first Iron Man in that it is very much grounded in reality and based around advanced technology, and I found it quite refreshing for a Marvel film that’s positioned in the middle of a deeper and larger story arc.

Paul Rudd plays Scott Lang, a man fresh out of prison for burglary who is trying to turn his life around and be a better man for his ex-wife Maggie Lang (played by Judy Greer) and a better father to his 6-year-old daughter. Fate brings him into the hands of Hank Pym (played by legendary actor Michael Douglas), who is the creator of the Ant Man suit and the brains behind the Pym scientific business empire.

Seeing the suit in action for the first time and Paul Rudd’s reaction resulted in some great action scenes and genuine laugh-out-loud moments. There were a few hit and miss gags throughout the film. One particular miss being an awkward moment between Hank Pym and his daughter Hope van Dyne (played by Evangeline Lily of The Hobbit fame) with Scott attempting to break the ice. This felt a bit forced and didn’t seem nearly as funny as the director would have hoped.

Ant Man’s focus on three central characters (Scott Lang, Hank Pym and Hope van Dyne) allows the audience to build a connection with these characters, even if the connection is rather shallow or forced due to the film having only 2 hours to establish it all. This makes me often wonder if Ant Man could’ve told a better or deeper story about Scott Lang’s personal struggles of family, responsibility and his new role of Ant Man in a television show format rather than a 2-hour film format. Marvel’s Daredevil certainly proved that an incredibly deep and powerful action story about a superhero can succeed just as well on the small screen as well as the big screen.

The action scenes towards the final third of the film were definitely a highlight, with excellent set pieces, some tense moments and incredible action shots highlighting Ant Man working with other insects (both flying and crawling) to achieve a shared goal. With Hank Pym directing Ant Man and his supporting insects where to go and what to do, the relationship between Scott Land and Hank Pym feels believable and is oftentimes heartfelt as well as humorous. The banter between these two characters shows just how well cast Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas were in these roles.

One particular highlight was an action scene involving a surprising encounter with an Avenger. I won’t spoil it by revealing who it was, but this action scene definitely provided some great laughs and was a brilliant way to introduce Ant Man to the wider MCU character roster. As a fan of many other Marvel films, this scene was a definite highlight and helped to break up the focus on the three main characters of Ant Man, arriving at a good time about halfway through the film.

The final fight between Ant Man and Yellow Jacket did require some patience to reach considering how early Yellow Jacket was revealed in the film, however the actual fight itself did have an epic feel to it considering the clever use of both characters’ ability to shrink and expand and use objects in the world around them in an attempt to defeat one another. This often resulted in some excellent cinema-worthy action set pieces and hilarious moments. The only issue for me was that the fight felt a little long and at times the CG work seemed too obvious, taking me out of the moment. It was during these few times that Ant Man felt like another big CG driven action flick, but the clever use of changing environments when Ant Man and Yellow Jacket changed size was highly entertaining and kept me watching.

Overall, Ant Man is a worthy inclusion in the MCU. While not the best Marvel movie (That honour goes to Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America: The Winter Soldier), it has some great action moments, clever use of the environment and objects shifting in size and scope, and has some genuine heartfelt moments as well as incredibly funny moments. The tighter focus on its three main characters provides a more personal and relatable story than most other Marvel films, making Ant Man stand on its own rather than feel like an attempt at replicating The Avengers with a new superhero.

Positives:

• Grounded in reality and more believable characters than recent Marvel films.
• Great action scenes and choreographed sequences. The shift in size between everyday objects and the environment was always impressive.
• Great chemistry between the three main characters. Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lily are brilliant!
• An awesome surprise encounter with another Marvel character.

Negatives:

• Some CG work looked too obvious and took me out of the moment.
• Some gags or jokes felt forced or flat.
• Not enough time to build a connection with the three main characters.
  

  Rating: 7 / 10

Have you seen the movie? What do you think? Let us know by commenting below.