Terrific fun.

Rating: 8/10 (18 July 2015)

With exception to The Avengers and the Spiderman movies with Toby Maguire, I'm really not into superhero or comic book movies. It's not that they're bad, but they just don't fulfill what I like going to the movies for - I'd much rather a drama, or a psychological thriller. So, it was with weariness that I approached Ant-Man.
My weariness was misplaced. Ant-Man, with the new Mad Max and Spy, will probably be my favourite film of Summer 2015's blockbuster movies. Why? Quite simply, this movie it too big-hearted and jovial to dislike. The story is typical superhero fare, but it revels in the silliness of it all. Its premise is similarly nuts, but instead of trying to take it all seriously it uses this to its advantage, creating some of the most visually inventive sequences I've seen in a long time at the movies.
Part of what makes it such a refreshing ride is Paul Rudd - the perfect choice to play the titular character. He has a charm and charisma that suits the personality of the character, but still tackles the more dramatic moments sensitively and maturely. His comic timing is also pitch perfect - snappy one-liners that might have seemed cheesy coming from anyone else seem perfectly at home here. Michael Douglas is also on top form, looking like he's having great fun playing a much lighter version of similar characters he's played down through the years.
Most of the praise can probably be attributed to the screenplay, though. Wisely, not too much time is spent giving these characters any deep and meaningful back-stories (they give us just enough to care about the characters) and instead they focus on the snappy humour and some pretty dazzling set-pieces. The best moments come when they combine these two elements - there's a sequence towards the end that manages to be both extremely funny, and visually spectacular (it involves a train, and that's all I'll say). My only small critique of the movie is that several characters are relegated to the sidelines when there were opportunities for them to do more - I'd love to have seen the brilliant Judy Greer given more to do, or more dialogue given to Michael Peña. Maybe next time.
It's hard to judge Ant-Man against the likes of The Avengers, because in almost every way it's a different movie - looser, less serious, and more scaled down (the pun not intended - the action here is far less frantic or high-stakes). What it does amount to though is the best action-comedy of 2015 so far, and if that isn't a ringing recommendation I don't know what is.