Movie review: Ant-Man stands surprisingly tall

In an expanding Marvel superhero universe — the shrinking hero makes his grand entrance.

Ant-Man is a self-explanatory superhero, and “Ant-Man” is a self-explanatory superhero film. A man possesses the ability to shrink himself to the size of an ant, he is able to control other ants as his swarm of sidekicks, and the entire movie is about this man using those two skills to save the world. Classic Marvel material.

This formula is standard among Marvel films, and like many before it — it works. Ant-Man is not the superhero kids dream of becoming. He’s not a famous playboy like Tony Stark and Ironman. He’s not the courageous leader Captain America is. He sure can’t crush things like the Hulk and he’s not as divine as the hammer-swinging norse god of thunder. His name is Scott Lang and he’s kind of lame.

Lang (played by Paul Rudd) is not actually the original Ant-Man. That would be Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who recruits Rudd to help him stop Pym’s protegé, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), from world-ending shenanigans. Pym is a brilliant scientist who created an Ant-Man suit that allows the wearer to shrink and control those trusty ants, but there is nothing super or special about Scott Lang. Lang is a burglar who can’t hold down a job or pay his child support. We sympathize with his situation because Paul Rudd plays the lovable loser better than most and he’s more of a Robin Hood type burglar than true criminal. Pym scouts him as the perfect fit for his operation and “Ant-Man” is born.

The beauty of “Ant-Man” is its simplicity. It is not dark and chilling, or epic and grand like many other superhero films. It’s diminutive and concise. There are allusions to the greater Marvel universe, but for the most part it stands alone as a fun adventure for a handful of characters. Those characters get in dramatic, action-packed fight scenes and the world is in (apparently) grave danger, but this is all mixed with a heavy serving of lighthearted humor and fun. As I mentioned earlier, Paul Rudd is not your normal superhero actor and Scott Lang is not your normal superhero character. Neither were stretched to be something they weren’t — nor should they be. Rudd is full of dad-jokes and cheesy one-liners throughout, and Douglas reacts with minor disgust and annoyance every time. The dynamic makes for a lot of laughs as Pym, with the help of his daughter Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), seek to teach Lang how to use the Ant-Man suit and impress upon him the importance of the mission at hand.

Lang eventually learns, but will it be too little too late as Cross is preparing to release a highly-weaponized version of the shrinking technology used in the Ant-Man suit? Again, what would a good Marvel movie be without an underprepared new superhero fighting a technologically superior villain?

While it is a fun film, it’s a very safe film. There aren’t deeper themes to consider like there are in other Marvel films. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” raised questions of government militarization and over-supervising of the American people. It resonated with audiences during a time when our government and investigative organizations are increasingly under fire for the use of similar tactics. It provided a fantastic depth to a superhero movie that isn’t always seen. “Ant-Man” lacked anything like it. The film survives without a deeper social commentary, but it’s hurt without it.

“Ant-Man” is great for kids, and has been popular among every person who took their kids to see it over the opening weekend. The film makes a great family outing to the movie theater if you need to get your kids to sit and be calm for a couple hours this summer. And while I don’t think I’ve ever heard of someone wanting to grow up to be “Ant-Man” — this film just might change that. Attempting to telepathically control the little insects may replace burning them with a magnifying glass for kids across the country.

Then again, if they keep burning them, maybe there’s a real Ant-Man out there they’ll have to answer to.

Provided by AP Exchange. Copyright 2015 www.mcalesternews.com. By David Dishman, Staff Writer, Mcalester News-Capital, Mcalester, OK.

The Gayly – July 25, 2015 @ 3:50pm.