Refreshingly, this feels like a heist film first and a superhero film second.

Rating: 7/10 (6 August 2018)

'Ant-Man (2015)' is essentially a heist film that's told with the tried-and-tested tropes of that genre, until it suddenly isn't and it ends in the kind of 'hero versus villain-with-the-same-powers' punch-up that marks it as the more generic - and, ultimately, middling - 'Marvel movie' fare it actually is. Still, there's plenty of fun to be had during the swift and sometimes emotionally-resonant narrative, especially considering that it manages to ostensibly be a comedy without calling attention to itself (in the way something like 'Thor: Ragnarok (2017)' does). In this way, it feels very natural and character-driven, comically and otherwise, throughout. It's also able to keep its core players keenly in focus at all times, making for a generally more personal journey. This results in a picture that's actually rather distinct from its peers but still very much sits among them, an example of an entertaining and engaging superhero film that finds its footing as something not entirely encapsulated - or, indeed, determined - by the broadest definition of that moniker. 7/10