Marvel Studios is in a tough spot, arguably more so than in the years before Avengers. That experiment worked, and the MCU is not only in full swing, but on top of the world - the highest-grossing franchise in film history. With upcoming pressure from Warner Bros. with Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, and 20th Century Fox with Fantastic Four, X-Men Apocalypse and Deadpool, Marvel has to keep bringing it to stay king of the hill. So with the Marvel Cinematic Universe in its seven-year-itch, it's good that Ant-Man serves as a barometer for where the studio's strengths and weaknesses lie.
To the chagrin of many a comic purist, Ant-Man features Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) as the titular hero, not first Ant-Man and original Avenger Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). However, Pym is much of the film's focus; he's a scientist whose studies in atomic density led to the creation of the "Pym particle", a shrinking serum that grants super strength. Pym built a containment suit for the serum, shrinking himself and fight in the Cold War, earning the nickname "Ant-Man". This landed SHIELD's attention in 1989, but fearing the creation of legions of small, but super-strong soldiers, Pym refused to hand over his formula, going into isolation.
In the present day, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), Pym's protege, is on the cusp of recreating the formula, with many buyers at his door. Pym and his daughter, Hope (Evangeline Lilly), devise a plan to steal Cross's formula and destroy the research. This is where Lang comes in. Recently released from jail for burglary, Lang tries to reconnect with his daughter, but must first pay child support. Pym offers to help Scott with the money in exchange for using the Ant-Man suit to steal Cross's work.
Ant-Man is one of Marvel's weirdest outings (can't out-weird a humanoid tree with a sparse vocabulary, but it's still pretty "out there"). Like The Incredible Shrinking Man or Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Ant-Man is at its strongest when it shows us the world from a smaller perspective, when Ant-Man leaps in the air and shrinks through a keyhole, or runs from the flood caused by a bathtub. Mice are fearsome behemoths, and ants are, like in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, absolutely adorable. Through this view, the film provides some of the most thrilling and inventive superhero action since the first Avengers. It's a blast seeing Ant-Man constantly shrink and grow to out-maneuver his opponents, using various common items as brutal weapons (or at least, as brutal as a Thomas the Tank Engine toy can really be...).
As admirable as Marvel's recent embrace of stranger comic properties has been, it's met a fair share of resistance, which is where the dark side of the MCU rears its head. Last year's Guardians of the Galaxy sent Marvel on a Star Wars-meets-Firefly adventure, introducing more aliens and galactic talk than ever, but the story, when boiled down, amounts to Avengers in space. Ant-Man, in a similar fashion, feels like a minor-league version of Iron Man. The film distinguishes itself enough to provide its own quirky brand of sci-fi heroism, but the similarities (a reluctant hero searching for redemption fighting against a villain wishing to sell a dangerous technology to the military for profit) are obvious, and difficult to ignore. As a result, the film can feel repetitive, as we've seen this type of story before.
Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) developed Ant-Man since 2006, hired by Marvel to write and direct the film. Wright started production, but left the project, citing "creative differences." Marvel brought in Peyton Reed (Bring It On) to direct, but Wright's fingerprints can be seen throughout the film, especially in editing. Wright's films are lean, brisk; despite a flurry of unconventional visuals, Wright manages to edit scenes together flawlessly, keeping the story at just the right pace. Reed just doesn't pull this style off; revelations seem to come out of nowhere, transitions are awkward, and actors' reactions can feel stunted. The editing is Ant-Man's greatest hindrance: it leaves the story presented in a sloppy, rushed pace.
Despite the movie's snafus, Ant-Man is enjoyable, in the same way as weaker Pixar films: they may not be as great as their predecessors, but are preferable over most popcorn flicks. Rudd, Douglas, Lilly, and Stoll do fine character work (Stoll, in particular, can be so gleefully over-the-top; it's obvious he's having a blast as a villain). The action is some of the best in a Marvel movie, and there are enough references and Easter eggs to satisfy the most die-hard comic geeks. It's not a great time, but a good time nonetheless.
Thank you all for reading; I'm the Man Without a Plan, signing off.
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