As the Marvel Cinematic Universe grows ever larger (and if
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” is any indication, more unwieldy) it comes as
something of a relief that the latest chapter chooses to take a step back from
all that world-expanding to tell a relatively small-scale story. With
“Ant-Man,” Marvel deviates ever-so-slightly from their house style, but even a
superficial variation proves to be just enough to freshen up the formula.
“Ant-Man”
tells the origin story of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), an ex-con with a heart of
gold. Imprisoned for committing some Robin Hood-esque robberies (the script is
vague on the details), he’s now free and desperate to redeem himself to the
family that’s moved on without him, namely his young daughter and his ex-wife
(Judy Greer), along with her police officer fiancรฉ (Bobby Cannavale). (A side
note: after similar roles in “Jurassic World” and “Tomorrowland” this summer,
there’s no current trend in movies that’s as depressing to me as an actress of
Greer’s talent being stuck playing the part of the worrying mom.)
Enter Dr.
Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), a scientist and the inventor of a suit which allows
the wearer to shrink in size while increasing in strength. Having been squeezed
out of his company by his former protรฉgรฉ, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), Pym
recruits Scott to break into his corporation, steal the suit, and foil Cross’
plans to get rich by militarizing the technology. Along with the shrinking
suit, Scott gains control of a device which allows him to telepathically communicate
with an army of ants. That ability comes in handy, but for some reason no one
else seems as eager to get their hands on that bit of tech.
Hank’s
daughter, Hope (a steely Evangeline Lilly), assists with Scott’s training while
glowering on the sidelines as she prepares someone else for a job everyone
knows she’s more qualified to take on. The script bends over backwards
explaining why Hope has to stay out of the action, and her storyline stands in
for a general disappointment over the lack of female superhero representation.
I can’t decide if Marvel deserves credit for acknowledging those frustrations,
or derision for opting to simply kick that particular can further down the
road.
Of course,
the elephant in the room during any discussion of “Ant-Man” is Edgar Wright’s
much-publicized departure as director — though is it still considered an
elephant in the room if no one can stop talking about it? Wright still receives
a writing credit on the film (along with Rudd, Joe Cornish, and “Anchorman”
director Adam McKay) and while it’s tempting to try and identify which scenes
still bear his fingerprints and speculate over what might have been, it’s
unfair to judge this film for what it isn’t. To his credit, replacement
director Peyton Reed (“Bring It On,” “Down With Love”)
seems to have handled all this talk with remarkable grace, and under the
circumstances, he deserves credit for delivering such a solid, playful little
film.
While Rudd
feels slightly reigned in from his usual comedic persona, enough of his
likeable personality shines through to make him an affably low-key hero. Like
Robert Redford in “Winter Soldier,” Douglas injects a bit of gravitas to the
proceedings, and he and Rudd make a great team. Stoll has fun with his
villainous role, though he’s basically playing a variation on Jeff Bridges’
Obadiah Stane character from the first “Iron Man,” and the entire corporate
power conflict is basically lifted straight from that film.
The film is
being described as a “superhero heist movie,” which is probably overselling
things a bit; let’s call it a “superhero movie with heist elements.” “Ant-Man”
still feels very much a part of the Marvel brand, though we do get a break from
the ongoing Thanos arc — thankfully, there are no Tesseracts or Infinity Stones
in sight.
In contrast
to “Age of Ultron,” where scenes zipped by in an effort to squeeze in everything,
“Ant-Man” feels looser, finding time to work in some fun (if unnecessary) bits
of business, like a scene in which Scott unexpectedly goes up against one of
the Avengers. Michael Peรฑa provides some nice comic relief as Scott’s former
cellmate who’s enlisted to become part of the crew. It’s a role that borders on
stereotype, but Peรฑa is such a charismatic presence that you can almost
overlook it.
In keeping
with the film’s smaller stakes, there’s no saving the planet from annihilation;
the film’s climactic fight is contained almost entirely inside a little girl’s
bedroom. The delightful visual comedy of that sequence, playing with
character’s proportions and shifting perspective, is a film highlight — “Ant-Man”
is the rare summer blockbuster that actually gets better as it goes on.
The effects
are good throughout: a pre-credit sequence set in 1989, in which a digitally
de-aged Douglas butts heads with some familiar faces
from S.H.I.E.L.D., is particularly impressive. But the charms of “Ant-Man” come
largely from the shaggy, amiable personality that shines through. Paring down
the bloated nature of many Marvel films, the film embraces its weirdness,
balancing clever gags and action into an immensely satisfying whole. For once,
the little guy gets to have his day.
This article appears in Jul 22-28, 2015.
