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Rating
Synopsis
Former technician turned thief Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) has been released from prison and seeks to end his life of crime. Unfortunately, his record prevents him from securing good employment, so he reluctantly goes on one last heist with his friend Luis (Michael Peña). They break into a home to steal from an old vault, but Scott finds a strange motorcycle suit instead. Curious, Scott tries on the suit and presses a button that causes him to shrink, much to his shock. After returning the suit and getting arrested, Scott is visited by Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who let Scott steal it. It turns out that Pym’s old assistant, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), is close to replicating Pym’s shrinking technology and weaponizing it. Much to the chagrin of his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly), Pym trains Scott in how to become Ant-Man. With his new ant friends, Scott must stop Cross before he can wreak havoc.
Review
Given that Edgar Wright was the original director, part of me wonders what his original vision would’ve been like. Whether it would have been good or bad, it might have been a slight improvement over what we got. To be clear, this is by no means a terrible movie or a weak MCU entry. As a whole, this is definitely a filler movie that’s just okay, not bad but not great. Part of what makes it work is the above-average cast, especially Rudd, Douglas, and Lilly. Rudd’s inherent likability makes Scott a very relatable hero, and Douglas brings gravitas to the role. Lilly does a great job, and she has good chemistry with Rudd, even if the romance isn’t entirely there. Along with the typical superhero action, there are also elements of a heist film thrown in for good measure.
Pena and his crew are certainly the comic relief, and they can be slightly irritating, but in an endearing way. Though he’s a good actor, Corey Stoll is unfortunately another stereotypical superhero villain, always acting angry and cartoonishly ruthless. It may have been intentional to make some ridiculously evil, but it comes across as trying too hard. While Peyton Reed’s direction isn’t bad, the film lacks a distinct style of its own. It comes across as a very typical Marvel superhero movie, but it’s done relatively well for the most part. Admittedly, during the final fight between Ant-Man and Yellowjacket, some fun is had with them shrinking in size. The best way to sum up this movie is that it features fun moments within a fairly average superhero film. Overall, Ant-Man‘s strong cast and fun-size action help elevate the average material.
Buy Ant-Man from Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cy07g0.
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