Movie - Ant-Man

Note:  As per the usual, there may be spoilers throughout, but I will try to keep them at a minimal.

     Ant-Man is the newest Marvel movie to hit theaters, and I think I can safely say that this one is their hardest sell.  It's a movie about a comic book superhero that (I'm guessing) nobody really knows, such as Iron Man and Captain America.  But over the last several years, Marvel has done a good job of building up the Marvel name as opposed to just focusing on their big brands, and thus they have made some really memorable movies.  They have made some that were forgettable as well (I'm looking at you Iron Man 2), but even their worst movies are better than most of the big blockbusters that hit movie theaters, and that is why I think that Ant-Man has turned out to still be a success story.
     Ant-Man is about the character Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd), a thief and criminal who is trying to make amends for his life of crime so that he can be with his daughter, and be someone that she can really look up to.  While trying to adjust to this new life, and unfortunately failing, he falls back into his old ways and that is how he comes in contact with the Ant-Man suit, which was planted for him to find by the Ant-Man suit creator, Hank Pym (played by the always fantastic Michael Douglas).  The movie then follows along the tried and true Marvel methodology, show Scott adjusting to his new suit and learning how to become the Ant-Man, then introduce the nemesis, in this case Darren Cross (played by the underrated Corey Stoll), and then come to the happy conclusion that all Marvel movies end up doing.
     So, let's get to the cast.  Paul Rudd plays Scott much like he has played a lot of his other characters throughout the years, and that is the likable yet misguided and charming slacker of sorts.  He plays the character as it should be played, and therefore comes off as he is intended to, which is a plus for the movie.  The premise of the movie is a bit obscure (a man that can shrink to the size of an insect and can control ants through a communicator he has in his ear), and so it takes a certain touch to keep the mood light and airy, while also making sure that the audience takes the movie serious enough to not laugh it off as too unbelievable.  Rudd does this as only he can, and I think that the success of the movie should go to him for the way he brings Scott Lang to the screen.
     The supporting character do their parts as well, as Michael Douglas is always a plus in a film and his daughter (Evangeline Lilly) plays the bitter daughter who doesn't understand her father's motives and thinks that he doesn't care when he is just trying to protect her.  Corey Stoll does a good job of playing the villain, but I wish that the script would have given him a little more free reign to elevate the character to the likes of, say Jeff Bridges in the first Iron Man.  The character comes off much like other villains in recent Marvel movies, and that is that they are just there to keep the movie rolling along as opposed to really fleshing the character out and letting you know the character more like you get to know the heroes.
     Everything else about the movie feels safe, and hits all the right notes, but doesn't try to really set itself apart.  There are multiple references to the Avenger movies, and there is even a cameo by one of the Avengers in the movie (which may well be the highlight of the movie), but I would like to have seen the movie try to be more of itself and not focus as much on the movies that came before it and the movies that are coming after it.  While I do think there needs to be continuity between the movies to make the Marvel Cinematic Universe continue to roll like it does, I think that each movie is good enough to stand on its own and should be treated as such.
     The movie was also one of the funnier movies that Marvel has put out.  There have always been some humorous parts of the other movies, but this one really took it a step further, and having a comedian as your main star helps to make that possible.  Guardians of the Galaxy was a very humorous movies, but I felt that Ant-Man pulled the humor off better than Guardians did, but I think a big part of that falls on Scott's "crew" (led by Michael Pena).  They helped a lot in keeping the mood light and allowing for some very funny moments throughout.
     While I don't think Ant-Man reinvents the wheel, I do think that it is a solid movie, and is worth taking a look at.  If you like the other Marvel movies, than you will like this one as well.  While I don't think that Ant-Man was the best movie Marvel has made, I do think that if falls right in the middle of the pack.  Ant-Man proves at least one thing, if it proves nothing else.  The Marvel machine is not going to be stopping anytime soon, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

My rating for Ant-Man is 7/10