Tiny hero, huge amount of fun – Ant-Man review

Oh Marvel; you bring us so many wonderful films. We have come all the way from Iron-Man, past the Avengers, and now we’re here. I was of course skeptical, so the question you’ll be asking; did Ant-Man deliver? Put simply, yes, yes it did.

Remember, Ant-Man is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film takes place after the events of Age of Ultron, however introduces us to a whole new story. The film tells the story of Scott Lang, an intelligent thief fresh out of prison. Upon seeing his family life is difficult, he jumps back to crime. However, a second chance comes along for Scott in the form of becoming a new kind of hero. There is so much more I could tell you about the story, but I don’t want to ruin it for you.

Perhaps my favourite thing about this film is its casting – literally spot-on. Paul Rudd may have seemed like an unusual choice for a superhero initially, well at least it did for me, but man what a great decision. It’s not as if he is being made out to be a serious character. Scott Lang is a funny guy, so really Paul Rudd is perfect. Naturally likeable to start off with, he is a joy to watch on screen. The villain, Corey Stoll, delivers a menacing performance combining a charismatic businessman with essentially a maniac. Other members of the cast are fantastic also, like the hilarious Michael Pena, Evangeline Lily, and of course the legendary Michael Douglas.

Moving onto other aspects of the film, the visual effects are stunning. The sequences involving Lang becoming the Ant-Man are not only impressive, but also interesting. Showing us the world from that perspective isn’t something we’re used to, but I certainly look forward to seeing it again.

The only real problems I have with the film are firstly the Yellowjacket (the villain) was pretty underwhelming. I thought Corey Stoll was great, but when it came to being the Yellowjacket, it didn’t bring as much impact as I’d of hoped. It isn’t really surprising though when you look back at the MCU. Having watched villains like Loki and especially Ultron, the Yellowjacket feels more like a left out pal taking a tantrum than a truly powerful character.

Secondly, the whole film just feels like it’s missing that special something that makes it legendary. Don’t get me wrong, I still loved Ant-Man, but when the MCU is all over and I look back at all of the films, will it stick out to me as the best? No, but still go see it. The level of fun to be had with this film is certainly not on a sub-atomic scale.

Rating: Crackin

If you’re interested, watch the trailer below.

Am I insane? Is Ant-Man dire? Or did you love it? Let me know in the comments below or send a tweet using the widgets to @frew_cameron.