We're introduced to convicted felon Scott Lang just as he's released from prison and trying to reintegrate into the world and his daughter's life. He finds himself caught up in the scheme of reclusive millionaire and genius Hank Pym to keep the revolutionary technology Pym invented and hid decades ago out of the wrong hands.
The Good: at this point, Marvel can make these movies in their sleep. I know that I've said that before, but they're so good at plugging in characters and situations to their existing format and creating fun, exciting, extremely watchable flicks that there's no reason they can't just continue on like this in perpetuity. This is especially true since they've begun to abandon the typical "superhero origin" tale in favor of laying superheroes over other genres. They did this with Thor 2 (fantasy), Cap 2 (political thriller), Guardians (space opera) and now Ant-Man (heist). Marvel continues to knock it out of the park with casting as well. Paul Rudd is an extremely likable dude, one who's a perfect fit for this role and he steps right in. The real coup here is Michael Douglas. Douglas hasn't worked much lately, but he knocks Hank Pym out of the park and is easily the best part of this movie. Evangeline "Kate from LOST" Lily does "badass" pretty well, and she stands to have a larger role in the Marvel universe moving forward. I've always been a fan of Michael Pena's, and he stands out as comic relief here as Lang's roommate/former cellmate. The other supporting cast (Bobby Cannavale, especially) are more than up to the task and they really make the flick rise above the silly schlock fest it easily could have been. There are two things this flick does really well, though: 1. comedy. It isn't afraid to be silly and laugh at itself, and given that the main character can control ants, that's kind of crucial, guys. 2. and this is going to sound silly, but everything with the ants is pretty damn great. They're given some solid scenes, have a lot of personality and are pretty damn charming. It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? But that's just where Marvel is in 2015. They can build scenes around CGI ants and have those scenes be the best part of a pretty good movie.
The Bad: if Marvel films have a shortcoming, it's that they consistently fail to have memorable or significant villains. I like Corey Stoll, but his Darren Cross is simply another version of Obidiah Stane from Iron Man. Also, at times it's unclear if the movie wants to be a comedy or wants to be a generic superhero film. It's not enough to ruin the flick, but some scenes are weirdly serious in a way that feels betrayed by the general tone of the rest of the film.
All in all, this isn't the best Marvel film by any standard, but it's solid and a whole lot of fun. I'd rank it somewhere in the middle, in the Thor 2/Captain America range, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. Marvel has successfully added another corner to its universe, and it feels like it fits right in. Come for Paul Rudd being charming, stay for Michael Douglas, Michael Pena, and an awesome last 30 minutes.
7.5/10.
