Ant-Man review: How does it impact Infinity War?
By Alex Hodgson
What worked?
An unexpected success
Sandwiched between Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War which featured a number of Marvel’s big-hitters, it seemed that Ant-Man was doomed to fail. However, it managed to perform rather successfully. Unlike Iron Man or Captain America, Ant-Man wasn’t really that well known outside of comic-book fans, so it was a bit of a gamble on Marvel’s part.
Thankfully, much like Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel managed to make a minor character a huge success. Marvel’s understanding of their characters allows them to make lesser-known characters a much wider appeal.
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Casting
Another thing Marvel always seems to get spot-on is the casting. Paul Rudd was known for his comedic roles in the past, but he brings Scott Lang to life perfectly. He’s able to demonstrate the cat-burglar with a heart and the budding superhero in a truly effective way.
Of course, Ant-Man does have a comedic tone, but it wouldn’t work without the actors able to pull this off. Rudd isn’t the only one who does this. One of the greatest gifts Ant-Man gives to the MCU is Michael Pena’s Luis.
Pena’s energetic portrayal brings a magical quality to Luis’s tremendously intricate storytelling. Let’s be honest, all we really want to see right now is an MCU recap told by Luis.
A final mention to Michael Douglas. His Hank Pym plays the straight man in the house of fools. This is certainly not jarring either. Pym is a world-weary man who doesn’t have time to joke around. Douglas plays this excellently.
Tone
Many of the MCU films will be more than simply a superhero movie. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was described by the Russo Brothers as a spy-thriller and you certainly wouldn’t argue against this. Ant-Man is no different and takes the shape of a heist movie.
Because of Scott Lang’s particular skill-set, there are a number of occasions when he breaks into places. There’s the initial break-in to Pym’s house when he acquires the Ant-Man suit, a quick trip to the Avengers facility where he does battle with the Falcon and finally, the attempted break-in to Pym Technologies.
Making Ant-Man a heist film was an inspired choice and it perhaps explains why Scott Lang’s incarnation of the hero was chosen over Pym. Marvel always have a plan.