Unlike many of the previous Marvel movies before Ant-Man, the action doesn’t start from the get go. Straight away we know we are in for something a little different to what we are used to. However, there is a back story we are getting to know and this proves necessary. This back story allows us to get to know Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), then eventually, not too far away, we get to understand the technology that allows Ant-Man to be.

Ant-Man allows you to swim back up to the surface for air after the darkness of the Age of Ultron, and before we are forced to deal with the tension that’s to come in Civil War. Scott Lang, a friendly burglar as we get to know, burgles one more time only to come across a suit. He takes the suit and quickly discovers what he is armed with. Eventually, we discover it was Pym’s plan all along to get Lang on his side and there you go, we have our film and the action begins.

All compliments to Rudd for making a Marvel hero his very own. He is very special as Ant-Man. Rudd is the perfect personality that allows us to see Ant-Man/Scott Lang in a light we never thought we would be able to see. He makes sure that his charisma is what never allows you to lose sight of our main character and his goals. It’s also great to see our hero doubt his ability to use the suit and make remarks such as ‘I think we should call the Avengers.’ All that personality makes Rudd as Lang as Ant-Man all the more realistic.

The Avengers world plays a part in this film, so there’s no point trying to understand things such as HYDRA, or who Falcon is if you haven’t had the pleasure of joining the Avengers world from the beginning. Though all our heroes so far have a humorous side which allows us to take a break from their more serious persona, Ant-Man is an adorable and less serious inclusion to the Marvel Universe, and the world needs it. We need to also remember that Lang accidentally comes across this power. He doesn’t create it himself, nor is he born into it. He is just an average Joe. Despite his hesitation to take it all seriously at first, his personal goals, such as making his daughter proud and protecting her, is eventually pushed forward and this makes our new favourite hero so much more likable.

Douglas’ is how Douglas’ is. He is professional and sometimes humorous in something that, to us, is a little different to what we are used to seeing him in. His daughter Hope, played by Evangeline Lily, is a character who’s trust you will doubt. Her need to want to wear the suit herself makes you wonder if she is actually here to help bring down Stoll, though she works for him.

Shout out to the hilarious supporting role of Michael Pena, as well as T.I and David Dastmalchian. I don’t feel they are getting the recognition they deserve. Though they don’t impact the story as a whole too much, their parts are still important. They act as a helping hand to the cause and during the intense fight itself they are the relief. Actually if you think about it, it is the gossiping from Pena’s character Luis that takes us to where the movie needs to go.

Stoll plays our evil villain, Cross. He discovers the secret formula that Pym created which causes the shrinking, and creates a suit of his own, Yellowjacket. However, he has still to discover how to use the formula on humans. Stoll as an actor has the aura of a bad man who can conspire to an evil plan. He is clean cut, bold headed and in a suit, and you’d love to contribute in bringing him down. Hats off to Stoll for being a great bad guy.

You will have so much fun watching this. You won’t need to hold your breath and stress over our hero’s well-being. It’s really chilled out, even when the pace gets a little faster. It’s all very exciting, compelling and it flows well. I cannot pick a dull moment.

When you stop and pick at it, we have heard this story line before. A guy that has been in jail is picked out of the bunch by the man that needs his help to stop the bad guy. The bad guy turns out to be someone who the brains behind the cause had once taken under his wing, but has eventually gone rogue. Though it is a story line we have heard before, it is still a fresh take on it and progresses with no obvious speed bumps.

As a side note, I walked away with a bigger appreciation of ants and what they do. Yes, they are in control thanks to the technology Pym develops, but we can see why Pym has chosen ants, and you become more aware and appreciative of what ants are capable of. It’s normal to go in thinking to yourself, ‘how do you make an ant into a superhero?’ You wonder the logic but, you will walk away with a change of mind.

I really enjoyed Ant-Man, more than I thought I would. The characters really make this film and its progression work, so I will give it a 4 and a half out of 5.

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