Far better than expected - from a non-Marvel fan

Rating: 9/10 (15 July 2015)

ANT-MAN (PG-13) ***1/2
Beginning with the first "Iron Man" through the most recent "Age of Ultron," the series of Avengers films co-produced by Marvel and Disney have all but redefined the comic book franchise model while setting the global box office ablaze. Plans for more movies extend well into the next decade and there's no reason to believe that the multi-character assembly line will ever run out of material. While the collective of films are basically bullet (and critic) proof, it is possible for the occasional effort to under-perform and "Ant-Man" will be put to such a test this weekend. It is both natural and understandable, if not exactly fair, to compare "Ant-Man" to the other Marvel flicks on a multitude of levels, the most obvious being (all pun intended) size. The title character, aka Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) – with the aid of chemicals and a magic suit – has the ability to shrink down to the size of (duh) an ant which frankly isn't all that sexy compared to the talents of his contemporaries. Thanks to some perhaps overlong exposition in the first half, the quartet of writers apply some clever narrative spin and make the character if not sexy, at least funny, relatable and not nearly as deathly serious as the rest of the Marvel gang. The sense of joy exuded by the characters and the brisk pace of the presentation is infectious. There's no faux soul-searching or ponderous navel-gazing going on here. While some won't care for what's most clearly missing from this Marvel venture, there will be many others that will revel in the (again relative) spare use of CGI, the toning down of the usual overblown audio bombast and a marked avoidance of the typical, tortuously long running lengths. If there was ever a scaled-down Marvel movie, this is it and it is more than welcomed. In addition to the always affable and impossible-to-hate Rudd, director Peyton Reed populates the rest of the cast with performers who all slip into their respective roles with effortless ease. As Ant-Man inventor Hank Pym, Michael Douglas has perhaps the toughest challenge as Pym is called on to be surly and bullheaded most of time while still remaining warm and avuncular. Showing up with clipped anger, simmering resentment and an acid-tongue, Evangeline Lilly co-stars as Pym's estranged daughter Hope. She now works for Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), Hank's one-time protégée and his current principal rival. Unlike a great many of the Marvel villains, Cross is genial, charming and seems to still harbor genuine affection for Hank which makes his character a mystery until well past the halfway point. Think of Cross as a slightly less evil version of Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) from "Iron Man." In smaller but no less important roles, Bobby Canavale plays a detective now engaged to Scott's ex-wife (Judy Greer) and Michael Pena, Tip "T.I." Harris and David Dastmalchian as three ex-cons who eventually become part of Hank and Scott's unconventional crew. While the main plot includes the requisite "save the world" motif found in all of the Marvel flicks, "Ant-Man" is mostly a heist movie where gadgets and cloak & dagger elements supplant the usual otherworldly hocus-pocus. It's more James Bond than Avengers. For long-established fans that treat the original source material as sacred scripture this will be unsettling but for the casual viewer, it's major plus. The significantly toned-down violence also makes this the most family-friendly Marvel effort to date. Those familiar with the history of the production are already aware it was a long, often tumultuous haul. Starting in 2006, director Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz") and his collaborator Joe Cornish wrote multiple drafts of their script and a few years later Wright was pegged by the studio to direct. In early 2014, events transpired that remain unclear but the scuttlebutt indicates it was something akin to the go-to, generic "creative differences" excuse between the filmmakers and Marvel. Others supposedly in the know surmised it was Wright's strong reluctance to turn "Ant-Man" into a Marvel spin-off and keep it as a standalone single installment. This is the most popular theory and, after viewing the film, it makes the most sense. Marvel and Avengers references are everywhere but it doesn't detract from the overall quality or tone. Reed did a fine job and in the end Wright and Cornish still received producer and writing credits and, more than likely, beyond-healthy paychecks. (Marvel/Disney)