After the big, loud, noisy Avengers Age Of Ultron, Ant-Man was a welcome break. Paul Rudd is wonderfully likeable as a small time crook with amazing powers. The whole film is lightly charming, sweet and funny. A fine film, that doesn’t take many chances and plays it safe in many areas. It gets by with the charm of the cast and an abundance of lovely moments.
This is the most troubled MCU productions. Long in development under Edgar Wright, he left the film after it was cast and production was set to start. Wright became the first director to leave an MCU film. There will always be a question as to who brought what elements into this film, but in the end there is no doubt Peyton Reed managed to guide the mess of drafts and ideas into something that stuck.
The saving grace is Paul Rudd. A breath of fresh air for Marvel, their first non-Chris leading man. He brings a fun charm to the proceedings (despite obviously working out for the role). Maybe because he had a hand in the screenplay, but he manages to avoid any of the leading super hero clichés. He’s more of a regular guy, and more relatable. It helps that he has MVP Michael Peña, who steals every scene, and Michael Douglas, who sells the heart of the film.
The film has many things going against it, but none of it seem like major crimes. It is sad that we get another paper villain from Marvel. One that is an obvious reflection on the hero. In places it doesn’t transcend its heist film tropes – the same old training montage comes along. There’s nonsense doohickeys and technobabble and none of it makes much sense.
Lucky, there’s plenty of just…nice. From the giant Thomas to cute Rudd jokes to silly cameos to everything Luis and Baskin Robbins – there’s enough going on that you enjoy your time. And how cool is that costume. That crazy de-aging. It’s also nice how far they strayed from the source material. The lack of fanboy-ness was good. And they just seem to enjoy this hero’s power. There’s a joy in being a superhero. Imagine that.
This was a good film. Some of it was forgettable, some of it really shines. Good performances, and a lot of fun. No blue lights in the sky or CGI armies. It’s a small triumph. And what more could you ask of an Ant-Man film?
Best bits
- Paul Rudd. I love you, man. Call the Avengers.
- Luis. One of the best supporting characters in the MCU, because he has character!
- The costume.
- Effects were pretty damn great.
- Michael Douglas. More please.
Not best bits
- Darren Cross. Mr Suddenly Evil. Another not great MCU villain that is a mirror of the hero.
- Pretty straightforward, forgettable, nonsensical heist.
- Such nothing fights.
- The women do nothing but hassle the men. That’s not going to date well.
- What do people who have never seen an MCU film think of this?