Henry Pym, genius inventor of a size-shifting suit that enables the wearer to control ants, needs a thief to pull off a world-saving heist of epic proportions. In order to do so, he enlists the help of a recently released ex-con (Paul Rudd) who is hoping to turn his life around.
Why It Makes My List:It has a lighter tone with several 'laugh out loud' moments and Paul Rudd's normal guy in an extraordinary situation approach comes off quite well. If you liked the heist/romance elements of The Italian Job and the more light-hearted, Marvel flavor of Guardians of the Galaxy, you'll probably like this film.
Other Reasons to Watch:
- Good One for Kids: This film could easily be a fit for younger kids as the language is limited, the violence is not graphic, and even the most perilous scenes are only mildly dramatic. Marvel has made a wise move in crafting Ant-Man as one of, if not their most, family-friendly films to date - which should increase the probability of entire families going to see it together.
- Female Presence: Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies) does a great job with her character and deftly brings a nice female element to this heavily male film and Marvel universe.
- Mid-/After-Credit Scenes: I enjoyed that both the mid- and after-credit scenes were significant and worth the wait - unlike some of the time-wasting scenes of other Marvel films (i.e. end of The Avengers).
- Dull Villain: Like many superhero films, Ant-Man suffers from an incredibly dull villain whose presence in the film is neither engaging nor intimidating.
- Humor: As mentioned previously, most of the jokes work, but there aren't near as many laughs as Guardians of the Galaxy or The Avengers: Age of Ultron. There is less witty dialogue and more silly, circumstantial humor that relies heavily on comedic timing.
