Its really hard to watch a Paul Rudd movie and not think about how funny and amazing the dude is at being the screen version of himself. That is why it was no surprise that, when the credits ran, Paul Rudd had a writing credit for the film. You can tell throughout that this was all about creating a dynamic and funny character that will be the perfect comic relief (alongside the Spectacular Spiderman) for a future Avengers movie. As for the Ant Man movie itself, there were moments of greatness and moments that treaded the edges of stupid.
I would give this movie a much higher rating if they would just remove the storyline/conflict between Rudd and his ex wife’s new beau. It is a dumb plot device that seems to have little value other than giving us that redemption storyline. Sadly, that storyline is too contrived to be believable. Without spoilers I can tell you that Paul Rudd is a convicted felon and his ex’s new dude is a cop. Insert classic movie trope here indeed.
What it lacked in deep and intricate storytelling it made up for in fun characterization. The story swirls around the Scott Lang character and his fairly one dimensional cohorts. The ‘bad guys’ are thinly written and even more poorly represented on screen. In truth, it isn’t about the bad guys at all. Ant Man is about Scott Lang forming a bond with Pym and becoming the Ant Man.
Is that enough for a movie? Not really. I enjoyed what there was, however minus the beautiful scenery and fun action scenes, there isn’t much of a story there to tell.
Some Thoughts:
- There are two after credit scenes for Ant Man. The second is especially relevant to the upcoming Civil War movie, but it seems slightly contrived. Regardless, stick around, true fans. There is enough there to get you pumped.