Ant-Man

Ant-Man co-founded the Avengers with the likes of Thor, Iron Man and the Hulk in the comics, but he took longer to get on-screen. Don't let his name turn you off. His movie is what Marvel does best when it doesn't throw everything on the screen.

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) went to prison for robbing his dishonest employers. All Scott wants to do post-prison is to see his daughter, Cassie, again. But his ex-wife won't let him unless he goes straight. Since no employer will keep him, Scott teams with his buddies to rob some guy's house. All they get is an old suit, which as Scott finds out, shrinks its wearer.

The "some guy" is Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), the former superhero Ant-Man. Pym wanted Scott to steal the suit as rehearsal for an ultimate plan. Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), Pym's former protegee, created the size-changing Yellowjacket suit for evil purposes. Pym wants Scott to become the new Ant-Man and steal the Yellowjacket before it's used for evil. Scott reluctantly agrees and spends the movie bonding with Pym, his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) and their specialized Ants.

'Nuff said? Not yet.

The screenplay is credited to Rudd, Adam McKay, Joe Cornish and Edgar Wright. Wright, the originally-planned director, abruptly left in pre-production, making way for Peyton Reed. The final product is a bit goofy, but it also knows how to be serious. Scott is a likable anti-hero whose quest for redemption is believable. His buddies, especially Luis (Michael Pena), are enjoyable comic relief. Cross is a truly psychotic villain who gets worse as the story goes on. And Pym makes for a good mentor for Scott.

There's plenty of visual flair in this Marvel adventure. All the size-changing allows for some fun gags and exciting action scenes. The environments tiny Scott must navigate make the ordinary extraordinary. The best digital effect, on the basis that I didn't realize it was a digital effect until later, was de-aging Michael Douglas for the 1988 opening scene. It looked like a good makeup job; now, I know it's a great digital makeup job.

Ant-Man is a well-plotted heist movie. The build-up lets us spend time with some good characters, the pay-off is exciting and the aftermath is satisfying. Anyone not convinced that Ant-Man means quality superhero might think otherwise once they see what the film lets him do.

As usual, the end-credit scenes set up the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The second one is meant to set up the next film, Captain America: Civil War.