Ant-Man Non-Spoiler Movie Review

Marvel does it again with Ant-Man. While I admit that when I went into the theater I thought this might be Marvel’s first bomb (well third if you count Iron Man 2 and 3), I was pleasantly surprised, much in the same way I was last year with Guardians of the Galaxy. Ant-Man delivers the same trifecta you have come to expect from a Marvel movie with action, comedy and good special effects.

Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who created the ability to shrink and grow things including himself with a push of a button and his Pym Particles, has spent much of his life trying to prevent his technology from getting into the wrong hands. Now his former protege Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) is on the verge of duplicating that technology. Desperate to prevent that from happening but refusing to let his daughter Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) put her life in jeopardy, Hank seeks out ex-con Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) to don the Ant-Man suit to steal and destroy Cross’s data before he can sell it to the highest bidder.

The movie also has some unexpected cameos which I really enjoyed. One scene in particular where Pym sends Lang in the Ant-Man suit to retrieve hardware they will need for their plan against Cross has Lang running into some unexpected obstacles that will have implications beyond this movie.

The plot isn’t overly complicated and there a few places where things get a little slow, but it’s still a fun movie filled with things like a giant Thomas the Train and flying ants. Douglas and Rudd both give strong performances. Although Pym’s story differs a fair amount from the comics, director Peyton Reed does a pretty good job of maintaining the overall integrity of the character.

If you are a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or just like a good summer popcorn flick, then I think you will enjoy this one. Be sure to stay through the credits as there are two scenes of significance.

Grade: B