Small but Powerful

Rating: 8/10 (5 August 2015)

Ant-Man is directed by Peyton Reed and stars Paul Rudd, Michael Douglass, Corey Stoll, and Evangeline Lily. The film starts off with cat burglar Scott Lang, played by Paul Rudd, finally finishing his time in prison and being picked up in a van by former cell-mate Luis, who offers Scott to stay at his apartment along with two other people. One day, Luis tips off Scott telling him about a grand robbery that they can do together, and after some time Scott agrees. However, when Scott gets into the vault in the basement all he finds is a weird looking suit, and now we have Ant-Man.
So I liked Ant-Man for several reasons. First, the acting was on point. Michael Douglass was outstanding as the father in a difficult relationship with his daughter character, and as Scott's mentor. At times, it does feel like Douglass's character wishes Scott were his son, and that he devotes more time into Scott than his own daughter. And Paul Rudd, whom I only know from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, was really good in this movie, and I'm pretty sure this is his one of his best performances in any film. He really embodies his character, a criminal with good intentions. Everything he does in this film has to do with the love he has for his daughter, and how much he wants to be with her. This is one of the main points that sets Ant-Man apart from most other Superhero movies. The idea that even a criminal father can save the world is quite original on its part.
Another great aspect of this film was the concept, a superhero who could instantly shrink to the size of an insect. The movie really does a great job with this concept, letting Ant-man play to his strength of overpowering his enemies with insane agility and strength packed into an inch tall figure. One of my favorite shots in this film is where you could see Ant-man running up the slide of a firing pistol and overpowering his assailant.
I especially liked the perspective this film gives us on ants and insects in general. The shots following Ant-man around running and jumping and avoiding the towering humans feet are not only really awesome, but show how difficult it is to live as an insect. The only other film that I can think of that employs this concept is the 2007 animated film Ratatouille, which if you haven't seen, watch it IMMEDIATELY.
Now there is a lot of humor in this film, and at times it does get in the way of the action and the story, at least in my opinion. However, Paul Rudd really nails his part of being a hilarious and likable protagonist.
Overall, Ant-Man had great action sequences, a great concept, great performances, and an astonishingly strong superhero. I'm gonna give Ant- Man a 9 out of 10. Ant-Man is one of those movies that you can just go to and have a blast with. This is a great summer popcorn superhero movie, and I highly recommend seeing it. So what do you think about Ant- Man? Make sure you let me know in the comment section below, and thanks for reading!