Ant-Man Review
Marvel has a very interesting challenge underway in regards to their movies. Their core heroes (the original Avengers team) are established, or have had several movies. Knowing that those actors or actresses won’t be around forever, they need to expand their hero roster. So they’re branching out and making movies on characters that many people who don’t know comics might not know about. This started with Guardians of the Galaxy last year, and now Marvel and Disney have released Ant-Man. In this Ant-Man review, I will keep spoilers to a minimum.
Ant-Man is the story of Scott Lang, an ex-con who’s wanting to try and do right by both himself and his daughter Cassie (who comic fans will note becomes a hero herself one day). For Lang, everything changes when he’s contacted after a heist by Dr. Hank Pym, a genius who is actually the keeper of one of the greatest secrets in the world, the Pym Particles. The Pym Particles are so powerful, they can shrink and enlarge objects in the blink of an eye.
We later find out the former protege of Hank Pym, one Darren Cross, who actually runs Pym’s company, is getting close to making his own successful variation of the Pym Particles, which he is going to weaponize and put into a suit he calls the Yellowjacket. Cross’ plan is to sell the Yellowjacket suit to the highest bidder with no care for the results. Being the moral guy that he is, Pym doesn’t want this to happen, so he hires Scott to use the Ant-Man suit and steal the Yellowjacket suit and rid Cross of his inventions to keep the world safe.
As I write this Ant-Man review, I can’t help but recall how angry I was when I found out Hank Pym wouldn’t be Ant-Man in the movie (that we see). Instead it would be Scott Lang. This angered me because in the comics, Hank Pym and his wife Janet van Dyne (more on her later) were actually founding members of the Avengers. In addition, Hank Pym created Ultron in the Marvel comics, not Tony Stark. I was pretty disappointed in this, and I knew going in that Paul Rudd would really have to impress me to make this worth it. While Rudd did a good job as Scott Lang, especially when he got to show his fatherly side, Michael Douglas killed it as Hank Pym. He had the wit, experience, humor, and compassion to sell a character as complex as Hank Pym, and though we didn’t get to see him kick butt per se, we did get to see him flex his muscles more than once. He did get to that you don’t screw with Dr. Hank Pym.
To use a DC reference, Ant-Man is a lot like Batman Beyond in some sections. As we see the mentor who used to be a hero (Hank Pym/Bruce Wayne) train and guide the young hero who needs to be put on the right path (Scott Lang/Terry McGinnis). Those sections were some of the best parts of the movie.
The movie does take place after Avengers: Age of Ultron, and there are some references (and surprises) that build off of that. In fact, the movie actually makes a compelling case as to why Pym is asking Scott Lang for help instead of the Avengers. It’s actually a good question, and the answer is very justified.
Another good part of the movie was the character of Hope van Dyne, Hank’s daughter, played by Evangeline Lilly. She brings an intensity that the other characters honestly don’t have. She is truly the daughter of two superheroes (Ant-Man and Wasp), and it shows. What also shows is the resentment she has for her father at times. While this obviously gets absolved in part, it’s a very interesting plot line that’ll obviously grow if a sequel is made.
In case you might be wondering whether I liked the movie or not, the short answer is that the movie is good, but whether it’s great is debatable. On the plus side, the movie really strongly showcases the power of Ant-Man. From a fight with an unexpected character, to the epic showdowns with Yellowjacket, the movie does right by the character and his abilities. The training segment to get Scott ready was a major highlight for the film, and being what we see? It’s understandable why Scott reacts the way he does. Also, the use of literal ants is spectacular. We even get an entomology lesson via Hank Pym that shows why he keeps particular ants around. The scenes between Pym, Van Dyne, and Lang are also very good, as each has a different personality that conflicts with the other in some way at first. However, they do make a good team.
Unfortunately, other parts of the movie fall short. Lang’s “crew” are very stereotypical character archetypes, and though Michael Pena has some funny moments, his comedic bits go overboard more times than not. Also, I felt there were a couple of unplanned loose ends that deserved to be tied up. One concerning a “new pet” definitely comes to mind. The other concerns the villain, Yellowjacket.
While certainly an intimidating and psychopathic villain, Darren Cross just comes off at times as a one-dimensional protege desperately trying to outdo his mentor. We’ve seen it before, and it’s not really anything special here. Then, the talk of an “illness” coming from the Pym Particles comes out of nowhere and makes no sense in the context of the film. In addition, the writers had Scott and Hope kinda/sorta hook up. It was quick to be fair, but it felt unneeded given everything that happened. I will say this, the movie did a great job of setting up future movies both for Scott and beyond. Where it will go next is uncertain, but it’s definitely ready if it does get a second film.
In the end, Ant-Man is undoubtedly a good Marvel film. The action is beautifully done, and there’s enough good story to drive it from start to finish despite a slow start. I just felt there wasn’t an impactful movie that sets it apart from other Marvel films; size altering aside of course. If you’re free to see it, I’d recommend Ant-Man, but don’t go into it thinking it’s the greatest Marvel movie ever because then you might end up disappointed. Take it for what it is, and you’ll be fine.