Ant-Man

Released:  July 17^th, 2015

Rated:  PG-13

Distributor:  Walt Disney Studios

Starring:  Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Michael Douglas, Judy Greer

Directed by:  Peyton Reed

Written by:  Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay, Paul Rudd

Personal Bias Alert:  never heard of Ant-Man, likes the cast

6 of 10

            Remember when Guardians of the Galaxy was considered a risk?  It was an expansion of the MCU with little-known characters and a hint of nostalgia, all wrapped up in a space-western bow?  Then the film and its star, Chris Pratt, became the beloved breakouts of 2014, leaving the troubled Ant-Man as the last “risk” of MCU’s phase 2.  Let’s face it, anything with that Marvel label isn’t an actual risk, financially or creatively, as they are controlled and marketed by the most commercially influential studio of our time.  But with development and production spanning nearly ten years and a director switch mere months before shooting, the footing seemed especially shaky for the little hero that could.  As if on cue, Ant-Man rolled out to a resounding and deserved ‘meh’.

            If you haven’t heard of Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), rest assured that his powers are exactly what they sound like:  he shrinks to ant size, acquires the super-strength of an ant, and controls his ant comrades.  I guess this is a slight step up from Aquaman, but really, I’m surprised that I’ve never heard this guy come up in any ‘worst superpower ever’ debates.  Anyway, his MCU debut follows the tired and true origin story plot to a fault, complete with an older mentor played by a famous actor (Michael Douglas), a drawn-out training montage that acclimatizes the character and the audience to his powers, and a cackling bad guy that is personally entwined with our heroes.  In fact, the setup and training period is so yawn-inducing that I was surprised when no further wrinkle to the plot was ever revealed.  As the film buzzed into its finale, I had the shocking revelation that this was really all it was going to be, and that wasn’t quite enough for a satisfying film.

            Now, small plots aren’t necessarily a bad thing, but they’re just plain boring when the tone of the film is so lifeless.  Rudd, who has a wonderfully disreputable charm, is the perfect casting choice for the burglar-turned-hero, but his hands are tied behind his back by the utter blandness of his character.  Like so many heroes in the MCU, he gets a short background that relates directly to his becoming a superhero, while the rest of him is left blank.  Any emotional traits these characters have lack nuance and are so simplistic that they can be described using caveman speak.  It’s sad to see Rudd so robbed of personality, and the scattered jokes he does get were surely added by himself and Adam McKay (who both get screenwriting credits).  The rest of the characters don’t fare any better, with Corey Stoll going way too big as the almost mustache-twisting bad guy and Evangeline Lily getting hamstrung by a forced romance and head-scratching motives.  Douglas gets the most fleshed-out character, but daddy figures don’t fare well in this universe, plus his ‘revelations’ are so obvious that they can only be withheld until midway through the film.

            But eventually that third act does kick in, and the final battle delivers the cool but silly fun that should accompany a character called Ant-Man.  From a technical standpoint, the way they capture Ant-Man’s changing size is a nice visual change-up from the usual punch-and-shoot battles.  They vary the scale that we see the fight in to match whatever size Ant-Man is taking, making the action sequences a trippy little treat.  Despite its relatively modest budget (it’s the lowest production budget of any MCU film), the effects are dazzling, providing the only interesting element that spans the entire film.

            The idea of giving this largely unknown and offbeat hero an introductory movie that matches his size wasn’t a bad call.  It’s the fumbling that occurred with the script, directing, and editing that makes this film so lifelessly forgettable.  Perhaps this lack of spark is what caused original director Edgar Wright to jump ship, leaving his replacement with only one last-minute defense:  to lay there like a slug.

Other Notes (Ridiculous Plot Point Version):

Ø  At one point, it’s claimed that Ant-Man’s suit has more potential dangers than Tony Stark’s, which is complete crap.

Ø  Along the same lines, what’s with the conceit that the suit would give the bad guys such a grave upper hand if they got ahold of it?  All you’d have to do is give the technology to the good guys, too, and the playing field would be level again.

Ø  The mysterious long-term mental effects of the serum makes no sense in this movie’s mythology.

Ø  So was Rudd’s character a Robin Hood-esque figure or a common burglar before he became Ant-Man?

Other Notes (Normal Version):

Ø  I really like the Ant-Man suit.

Ø  Let’s all take a collection and fund a solo movie for Michael Peña, because it was painful to see him relegated to this role.

Ø  *Credits Sequence Spoiler*:  Yeah, about time we get a female character that can actually fight with the big boys.