This was a film that I feared might indicate that we were reaching an over-saturation of Marvel movies, but ended up being a very pleasant surprise.
I was extra skeptical once Marvel had bounced Edgar Wright (director of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz etc) off of the project. Thankfully the movie both survived his departure and still maintained some of the dead pan charm that marks his best work.
Ant Man was hardly the most high profile of Marvel's heroes, and the cynical amongst us could have been forgiven for worrying that Marvel were digging too deep. What it did however, was make for a good, fun, heist movie romp that is anchored by a sterling performance by Paul Rudd.
He plays the accidental hero perfectly. A misfit dodging another prison stretch to try and care for his daughter.
It didn't try and be a 'serious' action flick, and was played with a light touch throughout and was all the better for it. It's essentially a heist movie as he uses his new found powers to try and try to prevent the villain from completing his suitably nefarious plans. (Corey Stoll plays the bad guy well)
Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly flush out the cast well, and Michael Peña provides some extra, perfectly pitched, comic relief.
Put simply, it's fun. In many ways it's the type of old fashioned movie romp that they don't make as often anymore.
Also, Thomas the Tank Engine cameo, enough said.
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