Ant-Man: The Power of Being Small

Marvel Studios is charging full steam ahead and their next superhero offering is Ant-Man. Who seems a rather laughable hero, until you watch this movie. Thanks to the special effects and the ineffable charm of Paul Rudd, Ant-Man is a perfectly decent addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and further proof that the superhero well hasn't run dry yet.

Rudd plays Scott Lang, a small-time cat burglar who has just been released from prison and is trying to get back on the straight and narrow so that he can pay up child support and regain visitation rights with his young daughter. Meanwhile, Michael Douglas plays Dr. Hank Pym, a scientist who discovered the Pym particle and developed a suit that allowed him to shrink down to the size of an ant. Donning this suit, he was able to infiltrate enemy territory and fight the Soviets during the Cold War. However, he recognized the catastrophic consequences of his work getting into the wrong hands and therefore refused to share his research with S.H.I.E.L.D. or anyone who could be tempted to sell his secrets to the highest bidder.

Now, Pym's protege, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), looks poised to develop a shrinking suit that could cause worldwide chaos. Pym is too old to don the suit and too protective of his daughter, Hope (Evangeline Lilly), to let her help. Instead, he approaches Scott, convinced that with his particular skills and his desire to become a better man for his daughter's sake, he is the perfect candidate to be the next Ant-Man.

The special effects are the best part of this movie. They offer a mind-boggling visual extravaganza as Scott shrinks down to the size of an ant and has to contemplate the world around him. Of course, it draws comparisons to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, but only to show how far we've come with technology. Some part of my brain was aware that this is all fake movie magic, but another part of my brain was totally along for the ride, fully immersed in the spectacular miniature world the filmmakers have created. The most fun is probably when we flash back and forth between the shrunken and full-size worlds, seeing how an intense battle when you're the size of an ant doesn't look quite so impressive when you're a full-size bewildered onlooker wondering what flew into your bug zapper.

Marvel excels at casting funny men to be their superheroes, and Paul Rudd is his effortlessly charming self throughout this movie, along with a hilarious turn from Michael Pena as his small-time crook friend, Luis. Unfortunately, I didn't think the movie was as funny as other Marvel efforts have been (I certainly didn't love it as much as Guardians of the Galaxy), and it went in for a certain amount of melodrama as far as the Pym family's back story was concerned. All told, however, Ant-Man is a marvelously entertaining movie, filled with unusual action set pieces and good core performances that will ensure you have a good time at the theater.