Ant-Man
Starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily
Directed by Peyton Reed
Heroes come in all shapes and sizes as the Marvel universe proves a pint-sized avenger’s adventures can be just as thrilling as the fantastical likes of Thor or The Incredible Hulk. Paul Rudd stars as cat burglar Scott Lang, who is recruited by the brilliant Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to become Ant-Man. The character is a tough sell and the film was plagued with production problems following the departure of Shaun of the Dead helmer Edgar Wright. There will always be lingering questions as to what Ant-Man could have been; Peyton Reed demonstrates merely serviceable skills as the film’s director.
Thankfully, the movie runs at a brisk pace, playing out more like a heist flick, with an intentionally lighter and more comedic tone than most superhero properties. Rudd spouts his share of amusing quips while shrinking effortlessly to insect size, thanks to his nifty suit, and leads an army of devoted ants in several ingenious actions sequences that display real cleverness. Marvel’s latest though, suffers from a recurring problem that seems to pop up in the studio’s adaptations lately – the villains. Corey Stoll fills the antagonist vacancy here as Darren Cross (aka Yellowjacket), who has created his own version of the suit which, predictably, leads to nefarious plans. It’s fun to watch Stoll ham it up but these films are increasingly becoming full of generic bad guys who are largely overshadowed by the heroes.
Ant-Man is an effective summer romp but also exposes several cracks in the Marvel foundation.
