When Marvel Studios launched their Cinematic Universe with Iron Man (2008), the film and the universe concept were both considered a risk. Obviously the gamble paid off, as every Marvel movie since has become a huge hit, with Avengers crossover movies and even big risks like Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) taking off and becoming huge hits. After a full 11 films in the MCU, Marvel Studios has gone the risky route again for their 12th film, based on a not-so-A-List character called “Ant-Man.” The title character is a man who, as you can guess, shrinks down to the size of an ant.
In the comics, Ant-Man was one of the original Avengers—you can see him riding around on (what else?) an ant on the cover of the team’s first issue. As for the film, the signs of a long production are all over it. Edgar Wright, director of The Cornetto Trilogy, wrote the original screenplay with Joe Cornish and was long slated to direct before being replaced by Peyton Reed with script rewrites by Adam McKay (yes, the director of 2004’s Anchorman) and the actor who plays the title character in Ant-Man, one Paul Rudd.
With a pedigree like this, one might wonder how Ant-Man works in the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe. The answer is that it depends on which scene we’re talking about. Some of the scenes that could be the most ridiculous and comical end up proving to be the most interesting. It may be goofy to see Scott Lang (Rudd) shrink down to ant size and avoiding bathwater, stomping feet and other everyday things that are hazards when you’re only a few centimeters tall, but it’s fun. In addition, scenes of Rudd riding around on ants and conducting an ant army have the potential to be ridiculous, but end up working in the film’s overall narrative.
The narrative, however, suffers from the character not being taken seriously. Marvel Studios has become known for their post-credits sequences, and this film is no exception. Ant-Man is the first film in the saga to contain a pre-credits sequence detailing the earlier days of scientist (and original Ant-Man) Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). As the story continues, we meet Rudd’s character, a genius with a Master’s Degree in engineering, as he is released from prison for burglary. This happens right around the time that Pym’s former protégé Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) has almost perfected a more evil Ant-Man technology clone called “Yellowjacket.” Pym and his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly), who works for Cross, have plans to stop Cross that happen to coincide with Lang’s search for legitimate employment to support his daughter.
Edgar Wright has a knack for taking a silly situation and making it surreal and hilarious but still somehow realistic. In many scenes this influence shines through. But in others, the silliness becomes an almost winking slapstick. Yes, the character is called “Ant-Man,” no the other characters don’t take the name seriously. Yes, the heist plot is over the top, no they won’t let this get heavy handed, so they pack it with comical interludes.
Surprisingly one area in which Ant-Man does shine is in the fight scenes. Sure there is a level of suspension of disbelief when seeing a man the size of a toenail clipping jumping up to punch someone, but the choreography is fast-paced and exciting. Ant-Man seems to vanish and reappear as he shrinks and grows, punching all around his enemies and inventing new ways to win.
The film is almost the sum of its parts, with Rudd proving to be capable with drama and action (but still more adept at comedy) and Douglas managing to keep a straight face throughout all of his grandiose speeches. However, it constantly attempts to prove that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. That may seem appropriate for Ant-Man, but if the makers don’t take him seriously, why should we? At some point, no matter how much fun we may be having, we realize we are watching two grown men in shiny costumes fighting to the death on a Thomas the Tank Engine play set. Sure, it’s fun, but it doesn’t always fit perfectly. After all, this film is not just Ant-Man but also Marvel Cinematic Universe Part 12. That said, the cameos and references that connect the film to the rest of the MCU are something to see and might just be worth the ticket price alone.