Starring Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll and Michael Peña. Written by Paul Rudd, Edgar Wright, Adam McKay, Joe Cornish. Directed by Peyton Reed. 117 minutes long.
Paul Rudd is Scott Lang, a cat-burglar with a conscious who's just trying to go straight having just finished a spell in San Quentin. All he wants is to reconnect with his young daughter and lead a good life, but fate and Michael Douglas's genius inventor, creator of the Ant-Man technology, and retired super-hero, Hank Pym has other ideas. Together with his estranged daughter, Hope Van Dyne he's trying to stop his former protege, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) from perfecting his own rival Yellow Jacket miniaturization technology, which he's hoping to sell to Hydra. Framing Rudd to take up the mantle of Ant-Man, it's up to Lang, a crew of friendly ex-cons and an army of ants to thwart the nefarious plans of Cross.
Boy, I gotta say i went into this expecting a trainwreck of a movie and left with a spring in my step and a smile on my face. What a thoroughly enjoyable romp this was. Usually with these sorts of films, the laborious montage leading to the donning of the costume the hero has to take seems to be the weakest part of the super-hero film, but not so with Ant-Man, half the fun of the film is watching the training Scott Lang has to go through to become the hero he is and it's also the most enjoyable and fun aspect of the film. Paul Rudd is so easily likeable that he's the first super-hero to feel really human and, oddly enough, plausible.
If this film has any major niggle it's the lack of a serious threat, the villain isn't really much cop, but it's only a niggle because it has something all other super-hero films don't have, it has Michael Douglas who is an utter joy to behold, his Hank Pym is such an entertaining character that you relish the time we spend with Pym and Lang. Douglas effortlessly matches Paul Rudd for easy likeability.
There are so many delightful sequences in this film, but not wishing to spoil any surprises I don't want to mention them, but I can talk about the battle on the Thomas The Tank Engine since it's in the trailer, and I will say it's a belter of a fight!
Ant-Man heralds in the start of Marvel's Phase Three in it's Cinematic Universe mega plan and if the rest of the films in this phase are as much fun, then Marvel's movies here to stay for a very long time!
Those expecting this to be Marvel's first major misfire will have to carry on waiting, cos Ant-Man, sure as shit, ain't no misfire, indeed it's also one of the few super blockbusters this year not to seriously disappoint.
BTW, this has TWO post credit sequences.
8/10
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