Ant-Man Review: It Was Never Just a Heist

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Our second original film of Phase 2 was released in 2015 and it was a hero that no one truly expected to see on the big screen.  Ant-Man is not really one of the first superheroes you think of when you think of Marvel’s roster of characters. He most likely doesn’t crack most people’s top 15 when they think of Marvel heroes.

I mean some die-hard fans might know him as one of the founding members of the Avengers, and I was lucky to know him from the Avengers Earth’s Mightiest Heroes TV series but I still never thought he would get his own movie.  To my great surprise, the movie presented a new type of MCU movie that I didn’t know I needed.

As we talked about with Captain America The Winter Soldier, the MCU began experimenting with other genres that they could combine with the typical superhero story with a different type of film that audiences are familiar with.  With The Winter Soldier, it was the combination of superhero and spy but here with Ant-Man, we get a combination with a heist film.

Now I love heist films with my favourite being Oceans 11.  I get really invested in them hoping that they will pull off the heist. They are super creative when they show how the team pulls off the heist. The films can be intelligent and quite witty with our protagonists usually pulling one over on who they are stealing from.  A hero such as Ant-Man whose main powers are shrinking is a great use of the heist formula.

Now to talk about our leading man Scott Lang. Let’s just say once again Marvel killed it with the casting. Paul Rudd was a well-known actor long before Ant-Man, but I don’t think many people would’ve cast him as a superhero. He is perfect for this role as he has the comedic sensibilities to be able to joke about the situation and how ridiculous the concept of an Ant-Man is but at the same time, his earnest scenes are among the best of the film as well.  Some of my favourite scenes are when he is with Cassie or is talking about Cassie.

He is the first superhero that we have who is a dad and I love that they lean into that. His whole reason for becoming Ant-Man is to be the hero his daughter has always thought he was.  I love the scene where he is talking to Hope in the car and he explains why he is wearing the suit and not her. His understanding of what it means to be a dad allows him to connect with Hank. Speaking of Hank, Michael Douglas does a great job as Hank Pym.

The original Ant-Man is now an old bitter scientist who’s lost everything but needs to pull it together to stop a larger threat. Our final main character is Hope Van Dyne who is played by Evangeline Lily and is the daughter of Hank Pym.

Her role is certainly expanded in the sequel but here we get to see her at a time when she has a lot of built-up anger. I liked seeing her walls come down in the film. Also, a quick shout out to Luis as played by Michael Pena because he steals every scene he is in, and his storytelling is hilarious.

The creativity that is on display during the fight scenes is incredible and I love that we get to see Ant-Man use his shrinking abilities in multiple different locations. My favourite is his first test with the suit where we see him falling through multiple different nooks and crevices that you would only get to see when you are that small.

I also like the explanation of how he is effective in the field. Showing how the force of his hitting is like the force of a bullet. I like the training montage as we get to see Scott gain his confidence with the suit.  The MCU easter eggs that we see in the film are pretty good and cement the film firmly in the MCU. We get references to S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA, the Avengers plus a great scene with Falcon, and Howard Stark. These all help to show those connective moments.

I only have two negatives with this film. Firstly, Darren Cross is another weaker villain who doesn’t really have an intimidating presence though I will admit his suit looks cool.  Ant-Man also feels much smaller than the movie that proceeds, Avengers Age of Ultron, or the movie that follows it, Captain America Civil War, and you can certainly feel it.  It’s not necessarily a bad thing but the smaller-scale adventure is a bit jarring compared to the previous couple of films.

Overall, Ant-Man may not be the of the MCU but it still is a really solid film. With some excellent casting, creative action scenes, and a heart that you don’t see in every superhero film Ant-Man may be a smaller film but it measures up where it counts! Definitely give this one another look!