By Brett Blake ANT-MAN is the better of the two Marvel movies released this year. Yes, it is better than AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, which - given the divisive reaction to that movie - might not being saying all that much if it left you cold. However, if you had told me at this time last year that my opinion would be as such, I would have thought you were crazy. That’s not to say I wasn’t looking forward to ANT-MAN, because I very much was, but I didn’t dare to hope that we’d be getting as good a movie as we now have in cinemas. It is the real deal, an exciting, contained story that offers interesting character moments and fantastic action in equal measure. Centrally, the narrative focuses on Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a highly capable small-time thief (but one with a heart of gold, of course) recently released from a stint in prison and down on his luck as he attempts to find a way to support his young daughter. Lang finds himself enlisted into a corporate espionage-type situation by Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), a scientist with an apparently mythical backstory in the Marvel Universe who has developed technology allowing the wearer of a high-tech suit to shrink in size. Armed with this suit, and aided by an amusingly shifty collection of quirky crooks (Michael Pena, T.I., and David Dastmalchian), as well as Pym’s estranged daughter, Hope (Evangeline Lilly), Lang and Pym set out to take down Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), Pym’s ruthless business successor who seeks to militarize Pym’s shrinking technology, with potentially disastrous results. Early reports indicated that ANT-MAN was going to be Marvel’s version of a classic heist story, and these reports were not wrong. Of course, it’s still first-and-foremost a superhero tale, but the structure onto which the superheroics have been grafted is very much in the vein of a heist. There’s the motley crew/team of specialists (many with quirks) assembled because of their expertise, there’s the mysterious MacGuffin which is the object of our central characters’ robbery (in this case a prototype miniaturization suit Cross is attempting to build), and there’s the sense of fun that comes from vicariously rooting for these people who are, let’s face it, attempting to commit thievery (however good their intentions might be). The movie absolutely satisfies as a heist flick, complete with nifty montages of planning, unforeseen complications, and a snazzy, sneaky score from Christophe Beck which would feel as at home in an OCEAN’S ELEVEN-style movie as it does in this comic book film. But when the more comic book-y superhero stuff does come into play, it’s just a blast. The effects and photography used to bring the miniature world to life are very cool, and the “size fu” choreography of the fight scenes is wonderfully creative. Even the lower-key setpieces, like the one where Lang and his buddies break - in true heist movie fashion - into Pym’s house early on, are completely entertaining. The action culminates in a third act which is one of the strongest of any Marvel film yet, one which utilizes the concept of a fight between two men who can shrink at will (and who can shrink - and blow up - other objects!) and executes that to its fullest potential. There is also something called the “Quantum Realm,” which is the location of a key effects sequence, and it is beautifully rendered in all its weird, sci-fi glory. And that’s not even mentioning the armies of ants that Lang and Pym have at their disposal, and which are brought to delightful life by digital effects that - if not fully photorealistic - have a lot of personality. As good as the action and caper stuff is, what really makes the movie something memorable is the strength of the character work and - by extension - the acting. Paul Rudd is incredibly watchable and charming in the lead role, and his sense of humor fits the character and story perfectly. He also has a markedly different energy than anyone else in the Marvel movies so far, even the funnier ones like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Pratt, coming at it from more of an “everyman” place. Rudd also really brings home the sense that Scott Lang - whatever his criminal faults may be - is a fundamentally good guy, and one who truly loves his daughter. It is this father/daughter element which forms the backbone of the story’s themes, as Douglas’ Pym and Lilly’s Hope have a deeply strained and complicated relationship that is excellently portrayed by both performers. Douglas, in particular, does some quite nuanced work with a really interesting character; he brings both gravitas and playfulness, but first and foremost, his Pym is a haunted man, haunted by his past failures and his once-strong relationships which, through his own actions, have essentially been stripped from him. This stuff never takes center stage in the narrative, but there are numerous character beats devoted to them, and they help to ground and flesh out the movie in a quite wonderful way. A quick word has to be said about director Peyton Reed, and the circumstances through which he ended up in this movie’s director’s chair. For those unfamiliar with the behind-the-scenes melodrama, the situation went down like this: after working on the project off-and-on for eight years (predating even Marvel Studios’ IRON MAN back in 2008), writer/director Edgar Wright parted ways with Marvel after the movie had already been cast, and mere weeks before it was scheduled to begin shooting. A quick director search led Marvel to Peyton Reed, a self-confessed comics fan, but a director with little in his almost-exclusively-comedic back catalog to indicate he’d be a good fit for the material. As it turns out, he was not just a good fit, but a great fit. Working from a script which, according to the credits, still retains many of Edgar Wright’s ideas, Reed has crafted a funny, kinetic, and - above all - fresh caper. As steeped as it is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and it is; there are several cameos by - and references to - other key players we’ve met in previous films), ANT-MAN feels almost totally unlike any of them. In telling its smaller-scale story (that is not a pun!), it manages to have a distinctive personality, and that’s something that should never be taken for granted when it comes to studio blockbusters, even those from Marvel Studios. This feels the most un-Marvel-y of any of their releases yet, but that’s not a bad thing. Reed had an unenviable task, but he pulled it off with flair. Honestly, I can think of few things to criticize the movie for, and any qualms would amount to mere nitpicks, so let’s not waste time on them. ANT-MAN is most definitely a slight film. There aren’t gigantic “the fate of the world is in the balance!” stakes, and there aren’t many weighty, philosophical issues at play, but you know what? That’s perfectly fine. This movie is a romp, pure and simple (albeit it one with interesting characters and a big heart), and it’s one of the best blockbusters of 2015.
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