Review: Ant-Man (2015)

My ratingIMDbRotten Tomatoes
CriticsAudienceCriticsAudience
8.5/1064/1007.9/1079%91%
Numbers obtained from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes on August 1, 2015.

I remember when Paul Rudd was announced as Ant-Man a couple of years ago, I had mixed feelings: surprised that he would do an action movie and glad to think about the possibility of a Marvel movie having more humor (this was before Guardians of the Galaxy…).

Having watched Ant-Man, I’m happy to say that it exceeded all my expectations. Not only is it a great action movie, it is very funny! And Paul Rudd doesn’t disappoint at all. He plays Scott Lang, a man who spent time in prison for a crime he committed in his previous workplace (that he thought was justified) and now wants to regain his daughter’s admiration and the possibility to see her more frequently. However, he’s convinced by his friends (one of them played by the hilarious Michael Peña) to break into a house one last time. That’s when his path crosses with Dr. Hank Pym’s (Michael Douglas) and his journey as Ant-Man really begins.

Paul Rudd nails it, not only in the funny parts, but also in the action sequences. Credit is due also to the writers and the director (Peyton Reed), who were able to produce an interesting story and not just action scenes. The supporting cast is also extremely competent and I enjoyed seeing Michael Douglas in this kind of character (a good guy seeking redemption for something that happened in the past). Corey Stoll is also good as the villain, but I kept thinking about Peter Russo, the character he played on House of Cards every time he was on screen.

As always, Stan Lee does a quick cameo in the movie. Another very interesting cameo was Falcon’s (Anthony Mackie), making the connection with the Avengers franchise (a very smart move, by the way).

I think it’s safe to say that Ant-Man is one of my favorite super-hero movies mainly because it doesn’t focus only on explosions and fights. And when it does, they are all in the size of ants, which makes it even funnier.

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