Ant-man isn’t a well known name to most moviegoers and lovers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In fact, the average reader probably would be interested in knowing that the creation of Ultron was due to Dr. Hank Pym according to the comic books. That being said, “Ant-man” is a solid, scaled back entry into the MCU.
The film begins in 1989 as Dr. Henry “Hank” Pym (Michael Douglas) retires to try and live in seclusion. We then jump to president day where Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) finds himself fresh out of prison. Trying to keep on the straight and narrow and make his child support payments, he looks for work. After Baskin Robbins finds out that he’s an ex-con, he’s let go and turns to his former crime partner and friend, Luis (Michael Pena) for a big score.
Let’s say the score leads Scott to Dr. Pym, who enlists his help to go against Pym’s protege Darren Cross (Corey Stoll). Cross is on the crux of finding the secret to Pym’s particles (which allows a person to shrink to ant size), and is working in league with HYDRA. Which means trouble for the world! It doesn’t take long before the film turns into a caper.
“Ant-Man” takes a light hearted approach to Marvel’s character and likely in part to writers Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish. From the opening credits, you can see, hear and feel a different vibe for this limb of the MCU. Rudd and Douglas bring heart to the film, and Rudd sells the every man role of Lang. Michael Pena also adds comic relief to the film with plenty of memorable moment.
The bottom line is that “Ant-Man” is a solid first time out for the character’s origin story in the MCU. The film’s casting is stellar, and the reason why it won’t tank in the box office. It’s an entertaining time at the movies, but you could wait until it comes out on DVD or streams.
Rating: B-