Ant-Man (2015) Review

"Baskin-Robbins always finds out."
-Dale



After being released from prison, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) returns to burglarizing so he can afford to pay child support.  Scott's skills get him recruited for a heist being planned by Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to stop his former protogé from making a breakthrough with shrinking technology.  To pull this off, Scott must become the shrinking superhero, Ant-Man.


What Works:

Ant-Man is a silly movie that is kept grounded by Paul Rudd.  He gives an incredibly charismatic performance.  He's funny, but he also carries some emotional weight.  All he cares about is being a part of his daughter's life and he'll do anything to achieve that goal.  It's a sweet relationship and Rudd gives us one of the most likable protagonists in the MCU.

I love how small the stakes are in this movie.  It's a refreshing change of pace from Age of Ultron.  This is a heist movie with superheroes in it.  In fact, I would say it's primarily a heist movie.  This makes it stand out in a sea of superhero movies.

The prep-work for the heist is usually my favorite part of heist movies and that is 100% the case here.  It's really fun watching Scott learn how to use the suit and how to work with the various ants.  

The shrinking sequences are an absolute blast and the best parts of the movie.  They are all wildly creative and have great energy.  The 3rd act battle on Thomas the Tank Engine is probably my favorite 3rd act fight in the entire MCU and is one of the funniest things every put on film.

Finally, Luis is a fantastic character and Michael Peña gives a wonderful performance.  The way he delivers his lines and tells stories is incredibly unique.  He brings more energetic and zany comedy into a movie already chalk-full of it and I can't get enough.


What Sucks:

The dynamic between Hank and his daughter, Hope (Evangeline Lilly) never works for me.  I mostly found it forced and annoying.  It's especially bad because they resolve it about halfway through the movie.  It's awkward timing and could have been executed much better.

Finally, I don't love the villain, Yellowjacket (Corey Stoll).  He's really nothing special.  Stoll tries his best, but he just isn't given enough to do and is ultimately unmemorable.


Verdict:

Ant-Man is a really fun movie.  I love that it's primarily a heist movie, Paul Rudd and Michael Peña are terrific, the shrinking scenes are really fun, and whoever included Thomas the Tank Engine is a genius.  The villain is underwhelming and the family drama doesn't work, but this movie has definitely got it going on.

 8/10: Really Good   
     

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