Marvel's Ant-Man

 Well, it took me forever, but I finally saw the film Ant-Man. It's kinda ironic since it took literally forever for this movie to see the light of day. I remember reading almost a dozen years ago in Wizard Magazine about how a script that would involve multiple generations of people bearing the mantle of Ant-Man was floating around Hollywood but never could find anyone to commit to it. For the life of me, I couldn't understand how this concept would work and it made sense that this was the superhero movie that nobody wanted. 

   That is until this Sunday when all of the pieces fell into place and I finally could see the full picture that this amazing script was to paint on the silver screen. 

    Elderly Dr. Hank Pym's (Michael Douglas) days as the Ant-Man for the American military covert ops are over. Not wanting the formula to his Pym Particles, a mysterious substance that can shrink and enlarge organic material, to fall into the wrong hands, Pym willingly allowed himself to become a pariah of SHIELD. As a result, Pym loses his company and is estranged from his daughter. When a former colleague of Pym is close to unlocking the secret behind the Pym Particles, the original Ant-Man enlists the help of Scott Lang to prevent project Yellowjacket from becoming a reality.

    Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is a cat-burglar recently released from prison. Down on his luck, Lang wants to make amends in order to restore his relationship with his daughter, Cassie. Desperate, the ex-con agrees to one last job and, as a result, steals Pym's Ant-Man suit. But this heist was really a test to prove if Lang has what it takes to finally redeem himself, save the world from terrorists looking to weaponize Pym's work,  and become the new Ant-Man.

   Filled with lots of great cameos, Ant-Man was a literal who's who (Oops, I'm sorry, wrong company)- a literal The Official Handbook of the Marvel <Cinematic> Universe. Ant-Man was planned as the final project in Marvel's Phase Two which looked to expand the number of heroes and villains in the movie universe. And though a sequel has yet to be approved, that doesn't mean the end of the diminutive hero. Rudd's character looks to play a major role in the forthcoming Captain America: Civil War (2016.)

    A major character starring in Civil War has a great- gee, I wouldn't call it a cameo- let's say supporting role in Ant-Man. It's probably been spoiled to death as to who pops up, but you will not find out who it is from me, folks. But, speaking again about Civil War, be sure to stay during and after the credits to learn more about Scott Lang's future in the movies. (Yes- there are not one but two bonus scenes!)
  
    Compared to the latest Marvel film to hit the big screen, this film was fantastic. The acting was superior with its all-star cast. The special effects were generations better than the Fox flop to remain nameless and I was surprised by how much I was interested in a movie about a guy that can shrink to 4-inches tall and commands legions of ants. 

    The only thing that I felt was wrong about the movie was that the plot and ending were telegraphed numerous times. This might not be the fault of the director or screenwriter. The fact that I pretty much knew how this film would end by about the 35-minute mark on, could very well be because I've read so much of the Marvel catalogue that not very much surprises me anymore as much of Lang's origin was taken from his origin story in the pages of Marvel Premiere, 1979.

    But this was a good movie and a fun ride. A little heavy on swears, this is still the type of super-hero movie that kids as much as adults will want to see. Especially during the very funny climatic battle between Ant-Man and Yellowjacket on a child's toy train set. 

    Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.