Five-Word Review: Breezy, Funny, Exciting, Good Fun

Rating: 7/10 (13 March 2016)

If the idea of Edgar Wright helming a Marvel film didn't excite you, then you need to go and see some Edgar Wright films. Therefore the news that he wasn't directing the MCU's 12th film came as something of a disappointment. However, with Wright replaced by Peyton Reed (Yes Man), comedy superstar Paul Rudd (This is 40) as the lead, and a solid supporting cast including Michael Douglas (Wall Street), Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit) and Corey Stoll (House of Cards), it would've been hard for Ant-Man to fail, even if it is about the hero who is one of Marvel's most derided in the modern age.
After the city-destroying, world-threatening relentless onslaught of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man makes the wise decision of downsizing its scale - smaller hero, smaller stakes - as this is, for the most part, a heist movie. Hank Pym (Douglas), who created the Ant-Man in the 1980s, begins to worry when an unstable and ambitious worker (Stoll) at his company develops 'The Yellowjacket', a variation of Pym's suit, which could be catastrophic in the wrong hands. Enter ex-prisoner Scott Lang (Rudd). Blocked by his ex-wife (Judy Greer) and her obnoxious new husband (Bobby Cannavale) from seeing his young daughter, the master thief is recruited to help Pym and his own daughter (Lilly) steal The Yellowjacket, with a crew made up of Michael Peña (The Martian), David Dastmalchian (the snake guy from Prisoners) and rapper TI. This fast-moving plot allows for an easygoing, pretty light-hearted tone, evoking feelings of MCU's best film, Guardians of the Galaxy. Characters are funny without being unrealistic quippers like in Age of Ultron, the script (with a clear Wright influence) zips along with style, and leaves room for heartfelt father-daughter substance between Pym and Lang and their respective daughters. There are also some great references to other Marvel films and products, with a great Civil War setup, and the two scenes where Peña's character tells an elaborate, multi-character story are as funny as anything in any comedy of 2015, along with some other genuinely funny humour (including the best use of Thomas the Tank Engine outside of the Island of Sodor ever). Ant-Man himself is a surprisingly cool hero, with exciting, superbly edited action that ISN'T mind-numbing. Shrinking and growing with ease, he proves a worthy foe for all enemies, and it will be interesting to see how he fits in among the likes of Iron Man, Captain America and Hawkeye in the upcoming Civil War.
Ant-Man has few pitfalls beyond the regular Marvel ones: it's obviously quite formulaic and often mindless, and the villain is still pretty forgettable. At least they addressed the problem of Marvel films ending in an destroyed city - yet this ending seems very similar to that of 2008's Iron Man. Overall though, a solid, entertaining romp, a good Civil War setup, and a better way to end Phase 2 than the endless teasing of Age of Ultron. Pretty good, witty, entertaining fun. 78/100