Kind of a mess, but still fun in a bite-sized way

Rating: 6/10 (31 March 2019)

Falling squarely in the "overlooked and somewhat underappreciated" camp of Marvel films, 2015's 'Ant-Man' was not our typical effort from the studio. The Paul Rudd/Michael Douglas/Evangeline Lilly-starrer was a little bit goofy, kind of awkward but still fun, and for that reason it remains one of the odd men out among the bigger, badder entries from the 'Iron Man' and 'Captain America' franchises.
'Ant-Man' has a few things going for it, namely Rudd. He's the unlikely underdog superhero in the vein of Spider-Man, falling into his role and needing to live up to sizeable expectations. Rudd is perfectly cast for this part, as his "aw shucks" personality and non-intimidating demeanor make him an unassuming agent. Lilly's Hope van Dyne is the kind of unpredictable, cutthroat semi-villain who could be just as helpful as she could be dangerous, and her onscreen father, Douglas's Dr. Pym is a likeable grandfatherly mad scientist type. Together, they make a band of renegades who might just have what it takes to thwart evil corporate suit Darren Cross (Corey Stoll). We also see some surprising supporting roles, from a bumbling Michael Pena to an "on autopilot" T.I., plus it's good to see Anthony Mackie as Falcon in a creative, pretty funny matchup with the Ant-Man himself.
But don't go thinking this film is one of the stronger offerings in the franchise. It's not. In fact, 'Ant-Man' feels like it was created just for the sake of giving Rudd's Scott Lang a starring role just so he could make it into other films ('Captain America: Civil War' and 'Avengers: Endgame' come to mind).
'Ant-Man' should be enjoyed for what it is - a fun, wild ride in a modern 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids' kind of way.