Fun and Interesting, Surpassed my Expectations

Rating: 8/10 (25 December 2015)

I went into Ant-Man knowing the history and already hating it. In case you didn't know Edgar Wright (director of Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) had a dream to make an Ant-Man movie, and he spent 8 years writing a script. He eventually gained the rights to make the movie and 2 weeks before production started he was kicked out of the director's chair and replaced by Peyton Reed. So I refused to spend any sort of currency on this movie because it would basically be telling Marvel that it's okay to crush one of the world's best director's lifelong dreams. Or anyone's dreams for that matter. Also, it's also a Marvel movie and they have a very bad reputation in my books. Despite all this prejudice, I was pleasantly surprised.
The plot of Ant-Man was interesting. It was big scale while still remaining small enough to feel personal. In was right in the middle stages of becoming a world-threatening piece of unoriginal poop, and I liked that. There was a genuine threat to the world while still being personal, which I found that I liked quite a bit.
The characters were better than I expected. Like I said, this movie still manages to be personal, and the characters are a lot better developed than I expected. They manage to be funny without coming off as obnoxious or unrealistic, which is a plus too.
The fights were actually a lot of fun to watch. Having been told that the fights were more for comedic relief I was worried, considering I like serious superhero movies. However they helped to lighten the mood, especially towards the end. It never felt too serious, yet you knew that it was. Plus I just loved seeing two tiny people fight from close-up and then swap to seeing how it looks in a normal sized human's perspective.
Unfortunately the movie did give in to a handful of clichés, which was a downside. Although it wasn't a huge deal considering everything else was well done and these clichés actually had reasons for happening which made them more bearable. Despite this, I still found myself sighing with disappointment a few times.
Overall Ant-Man was a success in my eyes. While I still think Edgar Wright would have done a better job, I am happy to say that this is one of the best Marvel movies I've ever seen. Next to the X-Men series (save for Days of Future Past), this is the best one I've seen. With a good plot, solid characters, and entertaining fights, this movie is a winner. In the end I would definitely recommend Ant- Man to Marvel fans and non-Marvel fans like myself.