‘Ant-Man’: MovieMantz Review

“Ant-Man” is one of Marvel’s “strongest films yet ,” so says Access Hollywood’s Scott Mantz in his latest review…

• “Ant-Man”
  
• Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly
• Directed by: Peyton Reed
• Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Well, I sure as heck didn’t see that one coming. After a troubled production that saw its original director replaced – not to mention the fact that the character itself isn’t nearly as well known as the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk or other high-profile superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – “Ant-Man” is more than just a pleasant surprise; it’s one of the strongest films yet to emerge from Marvel Studios since it launched as a stand-alone production entity with the release of the first “Iron Man” in 2008.

In fact, given the choice between “Ant-Man” and the other box office juggernaut that kicked off the summer movie season, “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” it turns out that “Ant-Man” is the better movie of the two, by far. Regardless, it’s still safe to say that Marvel has done it again.

Paul Rudd in ‘Ant-Man’ (Marvel)

WATCH: Ant-Man’: Paul Rudd ‘Stupified’ & ‘Psyched’ To Be In The Marvel Universe

The main reason for that is when compared to the 11 previous movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – which, in addition to “The Avengers,” also includes the individual films and sequels featuring its members, as well as last summer’s surprise hit “Guardians of the Galaxy” – “Ant-Man” is the most family-friendly of them all. It’s charming, clever and loaded with humor, and that makes it hard to resist. And for a film that features the smallest superhero of the stable, it has a big heart, since Ant-Man’s motivating factor is to become a better father.

Based on the character created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers for the 27th issue of “Tales to Astonish” back in 1962, Ant-Man has to be one of the more preposterous superheroes of all time, even by the standards of its source material. But through his alter-ego, scientist Hank Pym, he became a cult favorite among fans over the years and appeared alongside the Avengers in their first issue. That integration is part of the plan with the film version too, since a couple of Avengers pop up throughout the movie (and be sure to stick around for the two bonus scenes that run during and after the closing credits).

WATCH: Evangeline Lilly: ‘Ant-Man’ Role Was Outside My Comfort Zone

The cinematic incarnation of Ant-Man focuses on Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a thief, ex-con and divorced father who’s trying to clean up his act and look like a hero in the eyes of his young daughter. He gets his chance when he is recruited by Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to help him protect his innovative technology, which has the ability to shrink humans in size, increase their strength and give them the telepathic power to control an army of tiny ants. But Pym’s power-hungry former protégé (Corey Stoll) has bigger plans to use that technology for his own agenda, and time is running out for the Ant-Man to stop that from happening.

After being developed for nearly a decade, “Ant-Man” was ready to roll under the helm of acclaimed British director Edgar Wright (“Shaun of the Dead”). But when Wright and Marvel Studios parted ways over “creative differences,” Peyton Reed (“Down with Love,” “Bring It On”) stepped in to take over the reigns. While Reed may seem like an unlikely candidate for a movie like this (even though he came really close to directing “Guardians of the Galaxy”), it turns out that he was the ideal choice to make “Ant-Man” stand out from the rest of the pack, since it’s so charming and heartfelt while also delivering the action-packed goods.

WATCH: Michael Douglas: ‘Ant-Man’ Was A Learning Experience

“Ant-Man” is also the funniest of the Marvel movies, which makes a comedic actor like Paul Rudd an inspired choice to play the reluctant hero with a heart of gold. He and Michael Douglas have great chemistry and make the most of their witty dialogue, no doubt thanks to the script polish that Rudd and Adam McKay did on the screenplay co-written by Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish. Evangeline Lilly also stands out as Pym’s strong daughter who has a future of her own in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while Corey Stoll seems to be having a blast as the baddie with his own plans for world domination.

Since “Ant-Man” is an origin story, it’s filled with the clichés that go along with it: too much set-up and exposition, extended scenes where our hero learns how to use his powers (with often humorous results), the obligatory spectacle during the final showdown and an overlong running time. But it still feels unique, and that’s because “Ant-Man” is a superhero movie for the whole family. It has a big heart, it’s a lot of fun, and that vibrancy is infectious. And what a pleasant surprise it is, because I sure as heck didn’t see that one coming.

— Scott Mantz