For such a relatively obscure super-hero, or at least one who hasn't seeped into the non-comic book reader's consciousness, Ant-Man had a long, tortured journey to the screen. Writer/director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World's End) began work on the script with Marvel back in 2006, before Marvel Studios became the money-making behemoth that it is today. As the years went on and the script went through many phases and languished in development while Wright worked on other projects, the Marvel franchise took on a life of its own and by the time the film was ready to go into production, the studio was no longer interested in independent auteurs taking control over any of their franchise characters. Subsequently, Wright and Marvel parted ways citing that old chestnut, "Creative differences". In reality, Marvel has transformed into the closest thing we have today to the old studio system and in that system, it's the producer who's king.
The one thing you have to say about those producers is that they've perfected their formula and they've managed to produce another winner with this film. Wright still gets a writer's credit, although it went through several rounds of revision after he left, but reportedly the general plot and tone remains fairly close to his original vision. The tone is humorous, and while it features some nicely choreographed action, it's all kept remarkably light and easygoing. This playful tone is helped by the presence of comedian Paul Rudd, who was one of the writers to work on revising the script, in the lead role. He brings his dry delivery and approachable charisma to the part, while at the same time playing the action scenes believably thanks to some obvious time in the gym.
Rudd plays Scott Lang, a cat burglar who, when the film begins, is just being released from prison. He is recruited by Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas) to take part in a little industrial espionage. Pym was the original Ant-man and he wants to keep the technology he used to create that character out of the hands of his former protege, Darren Cross. Lang is anxious to redeem himself so that he can regain visitation rights to see his young daughter. Pym has daughter issues of his own with Hope (Evangeline Lilly), who resents the distance her father put between them and feels looked over when it comes to her father's legacy.
Essentially, the plot is a heist film. A good portion of the story is Scott training for his big job. Dr. Pym teaches Scott to use the Ant-man suit, which allows him to shrink and grow at will, and retain his full-size strength while small. The special effects used during these scenes of growing and shrinking are quite good and demonstrates just how far CGI has come over the past decade. We now take such scenes for granted. The border between reality and fantasy is now nearly invisible. The filmmakers also make good use of the size differences to generate humor. What seems tense and life-threatening at microscopic size, is just silly at life size.
The script works hard to connect the film to the established Marvel universe. An Avenger, albeit a minor one, makes a guest appearance, as does a Stark. Given that Ant-man was an original member of the Avengers in the comics, it seems that Marvel is keen to put the character in other films, and Rudd has already signed up to appear in Captain America: Civil War. It doesn't seem like too much of a stretch to picture him in Avengers 3.
Ever since Batman Begins, the DC superhero films seem to be getting darker and darker. Marvel tends to keep their films much lighter and isn't afraid to keep their tongue in cheek, while remaining faithful to the original source material. Ant-man is very much in that vein. It's lightweight, often humorous, but also manages to deliver some solid action. It's aided by a great cast. Like its titular character, it packs a hefty punch for a small (at least in Marvel terms) film.
