A Bug's Heist

Rating: 8/10 (29 July 2015)

Ant-Man Review!
With Ant-Man Marvel Studios solidifies its position as a flexible cinematic universe that has proved its ability to make even the weirdest of weirdos into blockbusting characters. In other words, doing the impossible!
The plot follows Scott Lang as he becomes the Ant-Man with the help of Hank Pym and Hope van Dyke in order to perform a high security heist so that a very controversial tech doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Pretty straight forward right? That's the impressive with Ant-Man; it is very contained in its scale, it never grows into a city wide conflict and it still manages to have incredible action and smart entertainment. I won't spoil anything but there is a crossover with another Marvel storyline that perfectly establishes a comparison between our emerging hero and the titans out there.
So, aside from a slow paced and disjointed start, this movie picks up to leave us laughing and gasping at an incredibly creative heist sequence and climax (especially one climactic sequence that got a big surprise out of me).
From maquettes to a helicopter, the action makes stellar use of the environment by cleverly integrating it into the shrinking down sequences. I never thought a bug could be involved in so much action, and with the implemented camera work and the clever use of focus it is now believable! The Ant-Man thankfully takes part in some damn good action sequences sporting some damn cool superpowers.
And what would the Ant-Man be without his alter ego Scott Lang played by the notorious comedian Paul Rudd? Nuttin'. Nuttin' because Paul Rudd is quite good as the main character. He brings a high level of wit and quickness in humour that few others can match and his charisma helps him handle his role as a protagonist.
Secondary players like Evangeline Lily and Michael Douglas also sell their comic counterparts with believability, especially Douglas whose dramatic and comedic queues work perfectly. Michael Peña is also a standout as the comedic relief, as he gets a lot of jokes right aside from some minor flat ones.
My biggest complaint with the film is the villain who has no real relevance aside from putting on the villainous suit and being really evil with some sheep. The actor fit in well in his scenes but there was just not enough material to work with. He only shows up in some random moments that almost give us the impression that the writers where too focuses on the other characters which turned out awesome. This makes his appearance in the climax very meaningless, as he is just some evil guy jumping around.
Ant-Man sports the "Guardians of the Galaxy Syndrome". Characters who are so unimaginable in a movie context get a lot of controversy and in the end it turns out to be a really good time and a really big surprise at the same time. The director change got a lot of hopes down too but Peyton Reed may have been the actual best choice. Though we will always wonder what kind of project Edgar Wright would have pulled out of that creative and Cornetto filled brain of his.
Bug-sized in scale but big laughs and action, Ant-Man is another landmark in blockbuster originality and risk taking and it is getting an 8 out of 10! Oh Marvel, please keep pleasing us with your extravagant universes (and if you might consider it, give us an extended Age of Ultron cut)!