Ant-Man (2015)

Director: Peyton Reed

Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll

Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burglar Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, pull off a plan that will save the world.

I’ve always believed ‘Ant-Man’ to be a slapstick film with a silly premise. And then I decided to watch it. I’m pleased I did. This was so much better than I expected!

Paul Rudd stars as Scott, a crook who has just been released from jail. He wants to go straight, but there’s a problem: he has no job, and no money. Scott is divorced, and until he gets a job and a decent apartment and pays child support, he can’t see his daughter. His ex-wife is now married to a cop, Paxton (Bobby Cannavale).

Meantime, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) – the founder of Pym Technologies – is forced out of his own company by Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), who succeeded him, and Hank’s daughter, Hope, who works with Darren. Years ago Hank developed technology that could shrink a person and give him strength, but he shelved the project believing it would be too dangerous. Now, Darren and Hope are developing their own shrinking technology called Yellowjacket.

Desperate for money, Scott takes a job burgling a house. Inside the safe, he only finds a jacket. This turns out to be a jacket containing the shrinking technology. As for the rest, well, I’m not doing spoilers. Let’s just say fate then have Scott and Hank working together to steal Darren’s Yellowjacket.

The visual effects are incredible! ‘Ant-Man’ is not as slapstick as I believed it to be. In fact, its not slapstick at all! The humour was actually really funny. Paul Rudd is so well cast as Scott – and also darn sexy! I also really enjoyed Michael Douglas in the role of Hank. He brought a seriousness to the movie it probably shouldn’t have had, but made it all the better.

‘Ant-Man’ was so much more realistic than I ever thought – so much better than many of the other Hollywood superhero movies! It was well acted, with good characterization. The premise also has substance and the CGI doesn’t ruin the movie as it is the case with many superhero movies. Here, the CGI is essential for the premise, and it is never overdone. This is actually one hell of an amazing movie. I loved it!

‘Ant-Man’ received several award nominations, including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie, Best Fantasy Adventure, and more. It won Best Comic-to-Film Motion Picture. At the box office, the film earned $519 million on a $130 million budget.

Would I watch it again? Yes!