Ant-Man (2015) presented Marvel's cinematic juggernaut with a rare speedbump. The film spent years in development hell, with disputes between Disney, Edgar Wright and others delaying the project. Nonetheless, director Peyton Reed and writer-star Paul Rudd deliver a respectable entry in the Marvel canon.Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) spends three years in prison for hacking an unethical business's financial records. Upon release, Lang's goaded back into crime by his friend Luis (Michael Pena), but their big score is a ruse. Lang's recruited by scientist Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to utilize his shrinking suit to foil a rebellious protégé, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), who plans to sell the technology to the highest bidder.
Ant-Man's plot largely recycles Iron Man, with its central conflict about good and evil scientists utilizing military technology. Fortunately, Reed turns the premise into a comic heist film: Scott assembles a team of losers to help, much to Hank's dismay. Ant-Man gets credit for playing with conventions, including a training montage where he learns to wrangle ants and fly through key holes. The movie's set pieces are tense yet funny, especially his duel with Falcon (Anthony Mackie).
Like Marvel's best films, Ant-Man balances action, humor and characterization. Scott's flippant and silly, but his relationship with his ex Maggie (Judy Greer) and daughter (Abby Ryder Fortson) earns our sympathy. His relationship's paralleled with Pym, who lost his wife and is estranged from his own daughter (Evangeline Lilly), who's dating Cross. Reed juggles these elements well; only the mandated smash-up finale disappoints.
Paul Rudd provides his usual Everyman likeability, which suits Scott perfectly. Michael Douglas's good-humored crustiness provides a nice counterpoint; Evangeline Lilly's sidekick-love interest is appealing, if one-dimensional. Corey Stoll is too much the sneering villain, though Bobby Canavale proves surprisingly sympathetic as Maggie's cop fiancé. Michael Pena, T.I. and David Dastmalchan provide annoying comic relief; Judy Greer plays Scott's ex.
Ant-Man isn't a top tier superhero flick, but delivers as light entertainment. Put it with Guardians of the Galaxy in the pleasant surprise category: just when you think Marvel's scraping the bottom of the barrel, they deliver something fun.
