Ant-Man Review

I was able to check out Ant-Man over the weekend and although it isn’t the best movie in Marvel’s 7 year run, it still is a solid film. One of the main reasons I wanted to see this film is how it would connect with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Actually, I’m lying; it was the only reason. I was interested in seeing how Marvel would integrate this superhero in their cinematic universe. I tip my cap to them for being able to pull it off.

Paul Rudd (Ant-man/Scott Lang) made me believe his daughter was his motivation and strength. My only gripe was some of his family friendly humor. That being said, he was able to tug at your emotions when the time was critical. Paul Rudd makes you feel bad for an ex-con willing to do anything for his daughter. Sometimes good people do bad things, and he was able to pleasantly beat you over the head with his plight. Most men will be able to relate with some aspect of this character.

Michael Peña’s character (Luis) was a pleasant surprise and his scenes were easily some of the best parts of the movie. It seemed like he was on Prozac the entire time. I seriously believe he stole the show with all his shenanigans. If there is an Ant-Man 2, Marvel would be crazy not to include him.

I enjoyed the emotionally roller coaster that was portrayed between Evangeline Lilly (Hope van Dyne) and Michael Douglas (Hank Pym). Father/daughter relationships can get downright nasty sometimes; showing how and why it transpired is a lost art. They both pulled it off superbly. I thought it was a better emotional struggle than the one Scott Lang was going through.

I thought Corey Stoll (Darren Cross/Yellowjacket) played an OK villain. I wish the movie would’ve built him up a little bit more. One of Marvel’s chinks in the armor is the fact that their heroes are usually more interesting than the villains. It’s a personal preference but I think an awesome bad guy really helps the story. Batman wouldn’t be as popular as he is without Joker.

Ant-Man is the latest example of what happens when a brand builds a foundation to successfully solve the difficulty of unfamiliarity for the purpose of giving a relatively unknown comic book character their time to shine. The movie was a little too family friendly at some parts (Honey I Shrunk The Hero), but the plot was solid and the interactions with most of the characters were well acted and written. The Easter eggs during the movie were also a nice touch. If you decide to check out Ant-Man, you will be entertained. Don’t forget to watch after the end credits. 🙂