Ant-Man: Good things do come in small packages

ANT-MAN is the 12th installment in superhero film franchise under the ‘phase two’ series of Marvel Cinematic Universe. Phase Two began with Iron Man 3 in 2013 and concluded with Ant-Man.

With a budget of US$130 million (RM500 million), Ant-Man is directed by Peyton Reed who best known through his works such as Bring It On, The Break-Up and Yes Man.

The story happens a few months after Avengers: Age of Ultron. Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd) is a former thief who wants to turn a new leaf with the help of former superhero and renowned scientist, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas).

Scott is responsible for safeguarding the mystery and secrets behind the technology of Ant-Man from Hank’s former protégé, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll). Pym’s invention allows the user to shrink in size but at the same time increase the user’s strength.

Ant-Man features a new selection of characters from Marvel comics to the silver screen such as Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), supervillian Yellowjacket, Cassie Lang (Abby Ryder Fortson) and others.

The continuation from the Marvel Cinematic Universe film series can be seen through the return of past characters such as Howard Stark, Peggy Carter, and Sam Wilson/Falcon played respectively by John Slattery, Hayley Atwell and Anthony Mackie.

Some adrenaline junkie filmgoers may be used to mundane extreme special effects and computer-generated imagery (CGI) when it comes to a superhero flick.

Scenes like collapsed skyscrapers, dozens of cars flying by and a blast scene which destroys everything seems like a ‘must’ nowadays. Some have begun to label these cliché scenes with all films that have been adapted from comic books.

In contrast, Ant-Man can be seen as a good example of a film that introduces a new character. The storyline is not too heavy and complex for the audience to understand and the main character is created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby.

A family melodrama between Pym, his daughter and Lang and Cassie is seen as the backbone of the story. The exploration of the world of insects would definitely tease audiences’ curiosity.

Special effects applied to the hero’s transformations would certainly attract attention.

The film managed to separate itself from the cliché Marvel’s formula with an addition of a heist scene in the plot.

Some may argue that this movie would be better suited as a comedy rather than epic superhero film as humor can be seen in most parts of the 117 minutes running time.

Although the film has its flaws, but it is not a problem for Disney and Marvel who have already ensured the continuation of the titular character in the next superhero film, Captain America: The Civil War.

Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Tip "T.I." Harris, Wood Harris, Judy Greer and David Dastmalchian.

Release Date: July, 16 2015

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