Fun but nothing special

Rating: 6/10 (1 December 2015)

I'll admit I wasn't looking forward to this one. I was barely looking forward to it when Edgar Wright was attached, but after his very public break from the project I had zero expectations this would be anything but a trainwreck. I'm happy to say that it wasn't as bad as I feared. It actually isn't bad at all. A little "meh" perhaps but not bad. I enjoyed it for what it is, even if it's probably one of the last Marvel movies I'll be in any hurry to rewatch anytime soon. Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly are fine but do little to impress. Corey Stoll is a generic villain, forgettable in every way. Michael Peña and T.I. do a good job in their comedy relief roles. Anthony Mackie is fun as Falcon in his brief appearance. The best part of the movie, somewhat surprisingly, is Michael Douglas. I had doubts he would approach the part seriously, as a lot of actors from his generation look at comic book movies as an excuse to be campy. But he doesn't approach it that way and shines throughout the movie, easily overshadowing everyone else. I thought the scene where he was de-aged with special effects was nicely done. The effects were pretty good overall. The major negatives for the movie are that it never feels like it amounts to much and there are no memorable set pieces. There are so many ways to approach the character of Ant-Man, humorously and dramatically, that would have been more effective but also more risky. They chose to play it safe and I suppose I can't fault them for that. As it is, it's an enjoyable lightweight action comedy.