Fun and Light Marvel Offering

Rating: 7/10 (24 July 2015)

The best Marvel movies work by effectively bringing their larger-than-life characters down-to-earth with quippy, self-zinging humor (The Avengers, Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy). Ant-Man's creators clearly have noticed this and are running with it. By casting the slyly funny and effortlessly charming Rudd as their size-shifting lead, they've anchored their tone in comedy all the while pushing the larger plot forward (notably, towards Marvel's Civil War). So even though it's somewhat unremarkable and full of the superhero clichés we've come to expect, Ant-Man passes as a middle-of-the-road MCU outing with refreshingly lightness and an immense sense of fun. You know the story: a troubled guy becomes a superhero to fight a bad-guy version of himself. One thing that makes it stand apart is its genre eclecticism. While it's certainly a comic-book movie, its cat-burglaring protagonist gives it more of a Mission: Impossible feel. Throughout its silly scifi contrivances and connections to the larger Avengers-protected world, we get small-scale heist set-pieces to counter the great Honey, I Shrunk the Kids style effects and changing perspectives. This narrower focus enhances the personal stakes between the colorful characters. The performances are great, with some solid dramatic turns by Lilly and Douglas, with Rudd and Pena being wonderfully hilarious. Unfortunately, these two sides to the thespian-coin (comedy / tragedy) don't always blend perfectly, with the tone bordering on goofy when the film tries too hard. Some lame been-there, done-that hero posturing slows the otherwise breezy levity that carries most of the movie. Luckily, that levity combined with unique action and funny people propels this fun little adventure tale past its faults.