Ant-ManMost movies have us root for the underdog, because most people relate to the "average Joe" who deals with everyday--or at least more "human" problems--than those faced by the so-called "one percent". Life's problems happen--child support, menial jobs, and for some, even doing jail time. Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) faces these problems; he isn't a hero--except to his daughter, Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson), estranged but not forgotten when he finally gets released from prison. He is not a hardened criminal, but is gunshy about getting involved in anything illegal, risking his relationship with his daughter again.
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The crime which sent Scott away to prison is one which resonates on many levels; he was effectively a whistleblower/Robin Hood, who tried to call out a vast corporation's unethical practices of stealing from the poor, only to then take it upon himself to hack their systems and redistribute the wealth back to the people. So, he is not an immoral criminal, but essentially a vigilante--no stranger to the realm of superheroes who operate above the law. His decision to take the "easy way out" again is done out of a well-meaning intention to reconnect with his daughter, so we avoid judging him too harshly. His target is described as a retired guy living off a "golden parachute", so once again his target is the wealthy, who is no doubt insured against a little burglary. His allies--like his former cell mate, Luis (Michael Peña)--are all men who have had to resort to crime to get by. Although they resemble "toughs", they are the kind of decent guys who will let a buddy just out of the slammer crash on the couch, even making waffles for him and his other friends. The "David and Goliath" myth runs through the whole of Ant-Man; the villain of the piece is an arrogant and pretentious industrialist, a weapons designer and all-around jerk called Darren Cross (Corey Stoll). Darren exudes a kind of smarmy corporate slime which resembles that of the multi-billionaires who give ego-driven press conferences and throw around buzzwords, the kind who squander fortunes on superfluous events and tout around like rock stars. Darren also shares a connection as a surrogate "Prince John" of the Robin Hood myth--he is still a substitute, filling the shoes of a legend who came before, trying desperately to impress his mentor, even as his rival. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) is the bridge between these two worlds. Our first introduction to him--and the movie--comes from the cold open of Ant-Man, where courtesy of some savvy computer graphics, we meet the somewhat younger inventor of the "Pym particle" in the year 1989. This is the Michael Douglas who might just as well have walked off of the set of Wall Street or The Game, two equally suited comparisons for our impressions of the three-piece suit-wearing star, delivering business ultimatums and playing high-level games of finance and cutthroat business; only the role is a little different here. Hank Pym may have done well as a result of his industrialism, but he acts as the conscience in this high-powered meeting of minds, one of the first to say "no" to the large-scale weaponization of his invention.
The meeting is a crucial point for him and other members in the shadows of the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" at this point, his conference including characters from the Marvel show, Agent Carter, and referencing events yet to come. Ant-Man is firmly entrenched in the MCU, also with frequent nods to other connected movies, and cameos by other characters. It raises the question whether Ant-Man would be the same movie without the establishment of the world it exists within. Ant-Man stands on the shoulders of its superhero movie brethren, but is not dependent on it to exist. The cameos and references are ultimately window dressing, or a guiding line, and the overall presentation and plot has all the earmarks of the Marvel adventure movies, replete with action, suspense, and comedy (a little more so with talented comedy writers like Edgar Wright and even star Paul Rudd contributing). Ant-Man has been described as a "heist movie", which is appropriate considering Scott's gifted ability to break into almost any kind of building, safe, or more. He's a hero who has survived not because he is tougher, but because he is smarter; but so is his nemesis. Darren is also very smart--not as smart as Pym, who has concealed the secrets of the Ant-Man suit from him for so long, as well as the secrets of the Pym particle, forcing Darren to develop it himself--with expectedly disastrous results. Pym takes it upon himself to pass the torch of his Ant-Man legacy to Scott, perhaps charmed by his computer acumen and his well-intentioned act which landed him in prison. But Pym had a protegee before, and that was Darren, who continues to rail at his now rival for not sharing the glory with him. Darren is self-serving, and Hank had recognized this--he claims he saw too much of himself in Darren, also explaining that he always felt the science was "too dangerous". So what makes Scott different? Conscience; his actions are guided by goodness, science propelled by the enrichment of life, not the domination of it...not the blank, cold, sterile future Darren envisions in his megalomania, but one where there is a harmonious balance. It is no coincidence that one of Ant-Man's "powers" is the ability to communicate with ants, and it is clearly stated that it is a "communication", not control, even though the ants are awfully cooperative. It is an old moral of science fiction movies--even those with giant ants from the Fifties--that advancement not guided by the spirit of harmonious cooperation with nature is ultimately a peril and not a blessing.
Recommended for: Fans of the Marvel superhero movies and other tales to astonish (ha). Ant-Man banks more heavily toward comedy than some of the other entries into the franchise, so allow yourself plenty of time to chuckle, but enjoy some spectacular effects--in keeping with the franchise--and don't let a minor phobia of ants stop you from enjoying it (speaking from experience).
The meeting is a crucial point for him and other members in the shadows of the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" at this point, his conference including characters from the Marvel show, Agent Carter, and referencing events yet to come. Ant-Man is firmly entrenched in the MCU, also with frequent nods to other connected movies, and cameos by other characters. It raises the question whether Ant-Man would be the same movie without the establishment of the world it exists within. Ant-Man stands on the shoulders of its superhero movie brethren, but is not dependent on it to exist. The cameos and references are ultimately window dressing, or a guiding line, and the overall presentation and plot has all the earmarks of the Marvel adventure movies, replete with action, suspense, and comedy (a little more so with talented comedy writers like Edgar Wright and even star Paul Rudd contributing). Ant-Man has been described as a "heist movie", which is appropriate considering Scott's gifted ability to break into almost any kind of building, safe, or more. He's a hero who has survived not because he is tougher, but because he is smarter; but so is his nemesis. Darren is also very smart--not as smart as Pym, who has concealed the secrets of the Ant-Man suit from him for so long, as well as the secrets of the Pym particle, forcing Darren to develop it himself--with expectedly disastrous results. Pym takes it upon himself to pass the torch of his Ant-Man legacy to Scott, perhaps charmed by his computer acumen and his well-intentioned act which landed him in prison. But Pym had a protegee before, and that was Darren, who continues to rail at his now rival for not sharing the glory with him. Darren is self-serving, and Hank had recognized this--he claims he saw too much of himself in Darren, also explaining that he always felt the science was "too dangerous". So what makes Scott different? Conscience; his actions are guided by goodness, science propelled by the enrichment of life, not the domination of it...not the blank, cold, sterile future Darren envisions in his megalomania, but one where there is a harmonious balance. It is no coincidence that one of Ant-Man's "powers" is the ability to communicate with ants, and it is clearly stated that it is a "communication", not control, even though the ants are awfully cooperative. It is an old moral of science fiction movies--even those with giant ants from the Fifties--that advancement not guided by the spirit of harmonious cooperation with nature is ultimately a peril and not a blessing.
Recommended for: Fans of the Marvel superhero movies and other tales to astonish (ha). Ant-Man banks more heavily toward comedy than some of the other entries into the franchise, so allow yourself plenty of time to chuckle, but enjoy some spectacular effects--in keeping with the franchise--and don't let a minor phobia of ants stop you from enjoying it (speaking from experience).