Review: Ant-Man

For better or worse, everything is connected in the Marvel Universe. The ties may at times be tenuous, but they are in place nonetheless. It's been said that Edgar Wright parted ways with Marvel Studios over this policy of integration. This was no small separation - Wright had been developing Ant-Man for eight years. . .as a stand-alone crime caper comedy. How his vision was going to fit seemed a source of contention and the studio's request for another round of rewrites proved too much for the Cornetto trilogy filmmaker, who upped sticks when the script that he had re-written with co-writer Joe Cornish was given to the studio's in-house writers for more "polishing."

Who knows what Wright's Ant-Man would have been? The Ant-Man that is hitting the screens is an entertaining diversion, a modest origin story that generally avoids the bloat and self-seriousness that have been defining elements of most superhero movies. Whether helmed by Wright or current director Peyton Reed, Ant-Man is a risky proposition for Marvel Studios, perhaps even their riskiest to date. Ant-Man has fewer safety nets than last year's gamble Guardians of the Galaxy, which at least had Groot and Rocket Raccoon. Iron Man had the luxury of Robert Downey, Jr., Thor had Tom Hiddleston's Loki, and even the seemingly bulletproof The Avengers had the Hulk as insurance. Ant-Man has the eternally affable Paul Rudd, always a winning presence but certainly an atypical choice to anchor a summer blockbuster. The character itself doesn't possess the most exciting superpower - shrinkage - and is too off the Marvel radar to call upon their most established darlings.

The Avengers are referenced in Ant-Man, establishing a blatant though awkward connective tissue. The preamble introduces Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas, digitally youthanised), a widowed scientist who rails against S.H.I.E.L.D. and Howard Stark (John Slattery) for wanting to use his particle research. Stark believes Hank's particle suit and technology, which allows its wearer to shrink in size whilst retaining super strength, could be for the greater good. Hank believes otherwise and, fearing his work could fall into the wrong hands, takes the formula and hides it away.

That was in 1989 and Hank sees his worst fears realised when, 25 years later, his former protégé Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) replicates Hank's technology, touting it as "the ultimate secret weapon [...] to end warfare as we know it." Determined to thwart the power-hungry Darren, Hank and estranged daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) recruit recently released ex-con Scott Lang (Rudd) to help them steal and destroy Darren's newly-developed shrinking technology named Yellowjacket. Scott isn't exactly eager to sign up for the job since he just wants to keep on the straight and narrow in order to convince his ex-wife (Judy Greer) to let him spend more time with their daughter Cassie. But what's a guy to do when no one wants to hire someone with a prison record? Besides, Hank says, it may be too late for him to repair his relationship with Hope, but it's not too late for Scott to be the hero Cassie wants him to be.

Father-daughter dynamics are at the heart of Ant-Man. Hank convinces Scott to suit up by reminding him of whose world will be destroyed if Darren has his way. Scott is first and foremost a father, and it is his fatherly duty to protect his daughter. Of course, a father's protectiveness can breed resentment as evidenced by Hank's complicated bond with Hope. Hope is far more qualified than Scott to carry out the mission - a fact she never neglects to mention at every available opportunity - but Hank will not let her claim what is essentially her birthright. Scott points out that he's expendable to Hank. Hope, however, is not.

And so Scott trains to save the day, learning to throw a punch, transition between sizes, and communicate with four different species of ants, all of whom are to help him infiltrate Darren's laboratory. Darren is less a villain than narrative justification for the film's often witty and inventive set pieces, the best of which employs Thomas the Tank Engine to full comic effect. There is a certain tongue-in-cheek manner with which the destruction is dealt on a decidedly smaller scale. Compared with the decades required to rebuild the damage done by the Avengers, the wreckage Ant-Man leaves in his wake can probably be cleaned up in an hour or two.

How Ant-Man will be deployed in Phase Three remains to be seen, though the filmmakers tease potential crossover interactions by staging a humorous fight between Ant-Man and Falcon (Anthony Mackie). Those familiar with Stan Lee's comics know that Hank was a founding member of the Avengers and, perhaps more importantly, was the first Ant-Man, carrying out missions with his wife Janet Van Dyne, also known as the Wasp. Ant-Man may seem an unorthodox way to close Phase Two yet, if the mid-credits scene is anything to go by, it may also be a most elaborate bait and switch on Marvel's part. If that's the case, then "it's about damn time."

Ant-Man

Directed by: Peyton Reed

Written by: Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay, Paul Rudd

Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Michael Peña, Anthony Mackie, T.I., David Dastmalchian, Wood Harris, John Slattery, Martin Donovan, Hayley Atwell