The Nerd Reviews: Ant-Man

The latest film to come from Marvel Studios, Ant-Man brings a largely unknown character to the silver screen and I must say the results were unexpectedly  good; yes I am saying that Ant-Man is both a good Marvel film and movie all around. The plot isn't your typical Marvel affair as there is no universal threat to stop or brainwashed friend to rescue, it's a more personal film and that grounded aspect of it really works for the film. Scott Lang ( Paul Rudd) is a thief that is trying to get off the criminal path but when things get hard he finds himself once again committing crimes; only this time he choses to steal from Hank Pym ( Micheal Douglas) and is forced to commit a heist for him that has far reaching consequences. The casting for this film was really well done, I initially didn't like the fact that Douglas was to play Pym simply because I always felt like Pym should have been the star but after watching the film I can admit I was totally wrong in my decision as Douglas manages to capture the essence of Hank; a man of principle that would rather destroy his own creation than to see it be used for evil. Another aspect of Pym that is shown is his less than stellar relationships with the women in life, like with his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lily) who is actually portrayed really well in my eyes. Yes, a lot of critics will try to paint her as a set piece or a character designed simply to move the story along but if you pay attention to the film she's an integral part of the plan and actually trains Scott and is more than just a love interest (especially if you see the mid credits scene). Speaking of Scott, Paul Rudd nails it, I haven't seen an actor be so at ease at playing a hero since RDJ took the role of Iron Man; Rudd's natural comedic timing and charm bring Lang to life in a believable light. It's not just Rudd either, the entire cast has great comedic timing from Micheal Pena all the way to Douglas, this film does comedy in a way that isn't forced like the other Marvel films.

These fight scenes are truly amazing

I would be remissed if I didn't talk about the action in this film, it takes full advantage of Ant-Man's signature ability to shrink and really adds a bit more flavor to the fights. There a quite a bit of action scenes in this film that you couldn't do in other Marvel films; where else would you see a man have to out run a tidal wave that is formed from a shower head? Or be attacked by a rat? Dodging gun fire by actually jumping onto a gun? There is a particular fight scene with a particular character that was absolutely phenomenal; not only because of the choreograph but also how it ties to the rest of the Marvel Universe and sets up the character to appear in future Marvel films. I really cannot stress enough just how freaking awesome these fights scenes are, it's like nothing you've seen before in the MCU.

Now this film isn't perfect, there are a few weak points to it like with Yellowjacket's ( Corey Stoll) characterization. He's the bad guy but his motivations are sorta lame and he becomes evil just because the movie needs a bad guy (they sorta half ass explain in it in the film but still) and of course there's the "Ex- Wife's Bf/Fiance is a douche" trope that rears it's ugly head, even though they sorta resolve that situation by the film's end. The film has other issues too but honestly that's just getting into nitpicking territory and really don't hamper your ability to enjoy this movie.

Do yourself a favor and go watch this film, it reminds me a lot of Iron Man (in a good way). The cast is great, the action is perfect for the film, it's comedic ( that final fight totally pokes at the end of the battle destruction seen in most superheroes films), it just combines a lot of elements well. I was thoroughly entertained by the film ( even the person  I went with suddenly had interest in Ant-Man and they aren't even into comics). The box office numbers aren't gonna compare to the Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy but truthfully that's irrelevant, this is a great damn film and you need to watch it.