Ant-Man
Isn’t it interesting how, in hindsight, a movie about a hero who can shrink down to the size of an insect, and who commands a legion of ants, feels like a higher risk than last year’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” with it’s sentient tree who only says three words and smart-ass raccoon, was? Such is the life with “Ant-Man,” Marvel’s conclusion to it’s Phase Two slate, and one of the quirkiest, funniest movies it has put out to date. Of course, part of that risk comes from the very public drama of “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’s” Edgar Wright, who had been developing the film since 2006, exiting the project over “creative differences” just before filming was to start, deflating a lot of anticipation some people had over the film. His replacement in the director’s chair is Peyton Reed, who earned fans with early films like “Bring It On” and “Down With Love,” but still felt like a major downgrade from the director of “Hot Fuzz” and “Shaun of the Dead.” Fret not, true MCU believers, because Reed and star Paul Rudd make an winning team, and their giddiness over how insane this prospect sounds is infectious.
The film begins in 1989, and after a lifetime of work, scientist Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) has finally perfected a revolutionary serum wherein, when combined with a battle suit, the subject can shrink down to the size of an ant, but still fight with the speed and strength of a full-grown man. It’s a powerful weapon that Pym doesn’t want to put in the wrong hands, so rather than hand it over to S.H.I.E.L.D., he shelves the work, although rumor has it that he used the tech himself under the guise of Ant-Man. Cut to the present day, and we meet Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a burglar who is just getting out of prison after a pretty high-profile score. He’s anxious to start fresh, and be the type of father his daughter (Abby Ryder Fortson) deserves, although his ex-wife (Judy Greer) and her cop husband (Bobby Cannavale) would rather he not be a part of her life. It’s tough going for Scott when he gets out, and that he’s staying with his former cell mate (Michael Pena) means the lure to the wrong side of the law is always there. It’s that lure, and desperation, that leads him to break into an old house and steel something in a heavily fortified safe room. It turns out to be Hank’s house, and not an accident when Scott finds the Ant-Man suit, and steals it. Though Pym has been out of the game for a while, some new breakthroughs by his protege, Darren Cross (played by Corey Stoll) have him concerned that his technology might get in the wrong hands after all. Hank needs Scott to break into his old stomping grounds and steal Cross’s designs before it leads to chaos, although Scott is skeptical, as is Hank’s daughter, Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lily), who doesn’t trust Hank after the mysterious death of her mother, Jane, many years ago. But Scott becomes an ideal candidate to pull this off, and he’s got a great support system around him.
The screenplay credits for “Ant-Man” belong to Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish (the original writers), Adam McKay (who came on to polish it after Wright left) and Rudd himself, and those credits should signal something very different from your average Marvel movie. It was always assumed that “Ant-Man” would lean more towards the comedic stylings of Wright’s work than the seriousness most Marvel movies go towards, especially in the Phase Two lineup, and that did not change when Wright left. By hiring a veteran comedy director (one who has actually been on the studio’s radar for a while, initially a choice to helm the 2005 “Fantastic Four” movie), and bringing on McKay to punch up the script as they had to race to start production, Marvel is honoring some of the choices Wright made while also finding people who are more pliable to the continuity necessities of a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. The result takes a bit to get started, but the humor in the film is a big part of why “Ant-Man” succeeds. This isn’t the distinctive comedic observations of “Avengers” or the smart-ass heroes attitude of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” however, but an organic-to-character tone that helps distinguish “Ant-Man” from it’s predecessors. Unfortunately, the set up of the film, likely because of differing visions, is pretty slow by Marvel standards, which makes it difficult to get into at the start.
With a set up this leisurely, the characters have to come in to pick up the slack, and having the cast this film has is essential. A lot of people were upset when it was revealed that Scott Lang would be the Ant-Man over Hank Pym, but having the mentor/pupil dynamic between the two characters is a big reason why the final film works, and Douglas and Rudd are note-perfect playing it. As Pym, Douglas plays a bit out of what we’re used to seeing him as– rather than a magnetic ladies man, Pym is reclusive, protective of Hope and lacks the arrogance that usually gets his characters in trouble; it’s an interesting change-of-pace for the actor, and I hope we get to see more of Pym in the MCU. As Hope, Lily’s role reportedly went through the biggest evolution with the Edgar Wright changeover, and it was only for the betterment of the film. Lily isn’t just a “girlfriend” role like we’ve seen out of Jane Foster and Pepper Potts; she wants in on the action, and doesn’t like Hank being so protective of her. She doesn’t understand why Hank doesn’t let her do what needs to be done to stop Cross and his Yellowjacket program. The same traits that won over fans to her character in the “Hobbit” trilogy are on display here, and it’s a welcome breath of fresh air to have another kick-ass woman in the Marvel Universe. As Cross, Stoll is very much a standard-issue superhero movie villain, which has been a problem with Marvel over the years, but all of his scenes with Douglas and Lily, and his final action sequence back-and-forth with Rudd, is effective. In true supporting roles, Pena and T.I. are very funny as some of Lang’s criminal buddies, and Cannavale has a good time playing a straight-laced cop who has a hard time seeing change in Scott Lang. The big star of the film, though, is obviously Rudd, and the excitement I had in him being cast in the film was warranted. Like Douglas, he’s playing a very different character than we’re used to, but the fundamental aspects of his personality on-screen still come through effortlessly. This is the type of lead role Rudd has deserved for a while, and his slips into it effortlessly. I can’t wait to see him play off of the rest of the Avengers in next year’s “Captain America: Civil War,” and thankfully, we get a hint of that mid-way through this film in a very funny run-in with Anthony Mackie’s Falcon.
At first glance, it was easy to be skeptical of Reed stepping into Edgar Wright’s shoes– the latter felt uniquely suited from a visual perspective to bring Ant-Man, and the complex visual effects needed to make the character work, to the big screen. However, if you look back at “Bring It On” and “Down With Love,” you can see that Reed has a visual skill set of his own that, admittedly, may not be as singular as Wright’s, but is nonetheless well-suited for a superhero movie. The biggest challenge with this movie was always going to be the technical difficulties of bringing a pint-sized hero into fights with normal-sized adversaries, and Reed and cinematographer Russell Carpenter (“True Lies,” “Titanic”) rise to the challenge with the help of Industrial Light & Magic and the use of “macro-lensed photography.” The last 20 minutes of the movie is one of the most entertaining action sequences Marvel has put on-screen, with some inventive humor at work as the way we would see things plays very differently when you’re shrunk down to the size of insects. It’s the icing on the cake of a Marvel movie that may not reach the heights of an “Avengers” movie or “Winter Soldier” or “Guardians of the Galaxy,” but it’s a more than clutch introduction to one of the strangest superheroes in Marvel’s canon. It’s going to be fun seeing more of him in the next few years.
