I wasn’t too excited to see Ant-Man, especially when Edgar Wright was no longer directing. I am a huge Edgar Wright fan: Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. I actually think Avengers: Age of Ultron was a harbinger of things to come: the real visionary filmmakers are no longer welcome. The franchise is just a big ATM. My expectations were really low for Ant-Man, but I am a completist, and I’ve given Marvel too much of my money and time to stop now. At least I paid matinee prices.
Bottom line: if you like Paul Rudd or Michael Douglas, you’ll like Ant-Man. You won’t leave the theater energized with excitement, but you also won’t leave angry. Ant-Man won’t change the world, but it provides a mild diversion though not too original two hours of entertainment. Unlike other Marvel movies, Ant-Man isn’t angst-ridden or grandiose. Instead Ant-Man labors over the theme of inadequate fathers and disappointed daughters while keeping things light even in the face of a sadistic madman who hurts cute animals. Ant-Man is fueled by the personality and rhythm of its characters and feels like a live action Saturday morning cartoon. Ant-Man also has important implications for the characters’ role in future Marvel movies. Side note: Ant-Man succeeded at making me feel empathy for ants, and I despise insects.
Ant-Man also feels like an in house eye roll at the Avengers’ recent bloated entry, which I appreciate, and even pokes fun at a member of the most recent and underwhelming line-up of Avengers.

SPOILER

Honestly if Anthony Mackie wasn’t such an ass in real life, I would have been inclined to give side eye to Ant-Man for throwing shade at one of the two black Avengers, but I’ll sign a waiver and say thank you. I vaguely felt a bit off over the racial dynamic of Ant-Man. There is a running joke that Luis, a fellow ex-con who is Hispanic, enjoys going to art exhibits and wine tasting. The joke is funny along with the delivery, but what EXACTLY makes it funny. I’m going to let it go for now because I can’t put my finger on it, and I really enjoyed Michael Pena’s performance, but still….