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| Courtesy of Marvel |
But
at the last minute, those pesky “creative differences” popped up between Wright
and Marvel, and he walked away. Honestly, he and his co-screenwriter Joe Cornish
(who directed the awesome Attack the Block) were the only reason I had any
interest in the character at all – seriously, a superhero who can shrink and
talk to ants? – so I felt sorry for the poor sucker who had to fill his shoes
and take the blame for the movie’s eventual failure.
I’m
happy to report I was wrong. Peyton Reed (who also directed the criminally
underrated Bring It On) stepped in, working from a retooled screenplay that
combines Wright and Cornish’s original draft with some new work from Adam McKay
and star Paul Rudd.
The
result is a fun, low-key entry in the Marvel universe, less concerned with
setting up future installments (although there’s still a bit of that) than
focusing on interesting characters and stakes that, while still important to
the people involved, aren’t of the typical “keep bad guys from blowing up the
world” variety.
Rudd
plays Scott Lang, a master thief who just finished up a lengthy prison stint.
Intent on going straight so he can spend more time with his daughter, he finds
getting a real job almost impossible thanks to his record. That’s when he’s
approached by Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), a brilliant inventor who wants
Scott to help him protect one of his old designs: a suit that allows the wearer
to shrink to the size of an ant while simultaneously communicating with the
insects and possessing their immense strength.
With
the help of Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) – Pym’s daughter – Scott and some
of his former associates (Michael Pena, Tip “T.I.” Harris and David
Dastmalchian, all delivering funny, weird performances) must pull off a heist
that will stop a power-crazed scientist (Corey Stoll) from ripping off Pym’s discovery and
selling it to terrorists.
One of the best elements of Ant-Man is Rudd, who is a perfect choice for Scott Lang. His inherent likeability allows us to root for him, even though he starts off the movie as a criminal – especially since his crimes are generally of the Robin Hood variety, only hurting those who rip off the less fortunate.
One of the best elements of Ant-Man is Rudd, who is a perfect choice for Scott Lang. His inherent likeability allows us to root for him, even though he starts off the movie as a criminal – especially since his crimes are generally of the Robin Hood variety, only hurting those who rip off the less fortunate.
Douglas
is terrific as Scott’s mentor, simultaneously gruff and funny, while also
responsible for some of the story’s most emotional beats. Lilly gets far more
to do here as Pym’s daughter (who still holds a grudge against her dad for not
letting her don the suit) than she did in six hours’ worth of Hobbit drudgery. Stoll is stuck in the one-note villain role, but he at least makes
him menacing and interesting.
The
visual effects are fantastic, especially an opening scene that takes place in
1989 and features a dramatically de-aged Douglas. I don’t know how they did it,
but he looks exactly like he did in Wall Street and Fatal Attraction. It’s
the exact opposite of the terrible process Terminator Genisys used to
recreate a young Schwarzenegger. Reed also takes full advantage of 3D – it’s
the best use of the gimmick in a Marvel movie to date.
But
my favorite part of the whole movie is the final confrontation, which takes
full advantage of the story’s comparatively small-scale stakes. I’ll never look
at Thomas the Tank Engine in quite the same way again.
Ant-Man is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence.
Grade:
B+
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