Ant-Man (2015) Spoiler-Free Review

It’s safe to say that the latest Marvel movie, Ant-Man had a bit of a rough road to being made. Everyone was thoroughly excited by the prospect of Edgar Wright directing a Marvel film, so when the director dropped out in May last year, for many naysayers, this spelled nothing but doom and gloom for the film. Wright still had a hand in the screenplay, while ‘Yes Man’ director Peyton Reed took over at the helm.

Things seemed to be going along just fine. Paul Rudd remained attached as the lead, and everyone was keen to give the film a chance, despite a rather weak first couple of trailers.

Last month the film was finally released, and I got a chance to see it.

Overall I really enjoyed this film. Although I’m not very familiar with the comic book version of this character, the adapted-for-screen version seems like he was written for Paul Rudd.

Many actors tend to get stuck into a certain kind of role. For Paul Rudd he’s that awkward, off-beat yet strangely confident good guy who always finds himself in very interesting circumstances. And that’s exactly what happens with his character in this film.

Ant-Man is more than a superhero movie. It is essentially a really fun, well-crafted heist film that provides a good thrill, hilarious dialogue-driven and situational comedy, and a heartfelt story of what family means (without getting too corny).

While nobody’s sure whether or not the miniscule hero will get a standalone sequel, it looks like he’ll definitely be returning to appear in a number of other Marvel properties, which I have no doubt will be highly entertaining.

I think the one downfall for me was the villain. Corey Stoll is a decent actor, but I just feel like he’s been cast very badly in his last few gigs. His character just felt like a blatant plot device, and he just doesn’t strike me as very menacing. But that’s totally subjective.

Ant-Man is one of the better superhero films (from all studios) released this year, even compared to the more highly anticipated Avengers: Age of Ultron. Yes, I think Ant-Man was better.

Rating: 8/10

Go see it/ don’t go see it: Go see it right now, in 3D if you can, with some friends or on date night!

Favourite Quote (from the trailer):

Scott Lang: My days of breaking into places and stealing shit are over! What do you need me to do?

Hank Pym: …I want you to break into a place and steal some shit.

Scott Lang: …makes sense.

Notable performance: Michael Peña was really funny and entertaining as Luis; he’s Scott’s (Ant-Man) ex-jail buddy. He’s that guy from every heist film who knows a guy, who knows a guy. And he does it SO well!

Film Synopsis (via IMDB):

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, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Check out the Ant-Man trailer below: