Ant-Man (2015) starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, Michael Douglas
Ant-Man is a very enjoyable entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Former thief Scott Lang is given a chance at redemption by the original Ant-Man.
Review
Marvel’s Ant-Man is a very enjoyable heist movie, for a variety of reasons. It’s fast-paced, but still takes the time to introduce us to each of the major characters. It also invests the time in getting us to know them, so we care about them. Even the secondary characters.
At its heart, Ant-Man is a story of redemption. Scott Lang is a mechanical engineer, who did the wrong thing for the right reason. And, went to prison for it. In the process, his wife divorced him, and is now living with a police officer. He loves, and in a sense lives for, his daughter Cassidy. He’s determined to do well once he’s out of prison, for her sake. But society doesn’t make it easy for ex-criminals to reform.
When he thinks he has no other choice, he agrees to do “one last job” for his friend, Luis. What neither of them realize is … They’re being set up. Breaking into an eccentric millionaire’s house is, in fact, an audition. The millionaire inventor is the original Ant-Man … And he needs someone with specific skills. To stop someone from not only destroying his legacy, but giving Hydra an unstoppable weapon.
Characters
Ant-Man: Scott Lang (Paul Rudd, Avengers: Endgame)
Scott Lang becomes the second Ant-Man. He’s a creative problem solver, as well an an ex-convict. The original Ant-Man, Hank Pym, needs him to prevent Darren Cross from re-discovering the “Pym particles” that enable him to reduce in size to the size of an ant. Before Cross can sell the discovery to the terrorist organization Hydra.
Yellow Jacket: Darren Cross (Corey Stoll, House of Cards)
Darren Cross is outwardly successful. He led a hostile takeover of Pym Industries, and runs it successfully. But, the rationale behind it was feeling rejected by his mentor, Hank Pym. As was Hank’s daughter, Hope, who sided with Darren in pushing her father out of the company that he created.
There’s a race against the clock, as Cross gets ever closer to creating his own version of the Pym particles. But he doesn’t know that insufficient shielding in his armor could drive him mad …
Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lily, Real Steel)
She’s distanced from her father, after her mother’s death many years ago. Hank sent her off to boarding schools, and blocked her out emotionally. As the saying goes, “hurt people, hurt people”. She cast the deciding vote to wrest control of Pym Industries from her father to Darren Cross. But, she’s not willing to let her bitterness endanger the world.
Despite her original animus towards Scott, she helps him train to be the new Ant-Man. Despite multiple arguments with her father that she should be the one to go on the mission.
Hank Pym (Michael Douglas, Ant-Man and the Wasp)
Hank Pym is the scientific genius who discovered the Pym particles back in the 1960‘s. He was a founding member of S.H.I.E.L.D., alongside Howard Stark and Peggy Carter. It was on a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission that he lost his beloved wife, Janet. He retired shortly after. And Howard tried to steal the secret of the Pym particles. This led to decades-long animosity, and his distrust of the entire Stark family.
Luis (Michael Peña)
Luis is Scott’s former cell mate, and friend. It’s safe to say that he’s not reformed. With two other “former” criminals, he puts Scott up to breaking into the Pym mansion. Later, when the Pyms realize that they’re short-handed, Luis and his friends are recruited to assist. And Luis reveals that he’s more than comedy relief.
Paxton (Bobby Cannavale)
Paxton is engaged to Scott’s ex-wife. Both she and Cassidy live with him. He’s also an honest cop. At first, he seems like a very by-the-book individual, annoyingly so. He doesn’t want Scott to show up unannounced at Cassidy’s birthday party. He later has to arrest Scott, when Scott’s breaking back into the Pym mansion. Hope has called the police, unaware that Scott’s trying to return the Ant-Man suit. And then, with Hank’s help, Scott breaks out of jail. Toward the end, however, Paxton shows his true colors, investigating the break in at Pym Industries … And putting his life on the line to protect Cassie when Yellow Jacket attacks.
Falcon (Anthony Mackie, The Winter Soldier)
When Scott tries to retrieve an older piece of Hank’s technology, there’ a problem … It’s now stored at The Avengers‘ headquarters. This leads to a confrontation with Falcon, who detects the ant-sized intruder. An interesting conflict develops … And toward the end, Falcon’s looking for “a guy” who can shrink …
Editorial review of Ant-Man courtesy of Amazon.com
The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe harnesses the tiniest but mightiest force know to man and introduces the newest member of the Avengers: MARVEL’S ANT-MAN. Armed with the amazing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang joins forces with his new mentor Dr. Hank Pym to protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from ruthless villains! With humanity’s fate in the balance, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a daring heist against insurmountable odds. Filled with humor, awesome special effects and exclusive bonus features, this action-packed adventure takes you to new levels of pulse-pounding excitement!
