Ant-Man

Break out the popcorn, because the summer flicks are rollin'. Films during the summer are specifically designed for that 18-24 year-old single male demographic which is to turn many of the season's flicks into high adrenaline, high explosive, big budget fare with gunfire and a few babes thrown in for good measure. Why cater to this demographic at this time you ask? Hey, these guys are out of school and are bored so let's woo them in the multiplexes with the aforementioned types of films which these guys will love and Hollywood will make a ton of money off of. To add to that ever flowing list of films these guys will love is the anticipated "Ant-Man".

The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios' "Ant-Man". Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threat, namely Darren Cross (Corey Stoll). Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym, Lang and Pym's daughter, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), along with Scott's buddies, Luis (Michael Pena), Kurt (David Dastmalchian) and Dave (Tip T.I. Harris) must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Others to round out the cast are Bobby Cannavale as Jim Paxton, Judy Greer as Maggie Lang, Scott's ex-wife, Abby Ryder Fortson as Cassie Lang, Scott's daughter, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon, Wood Harris as Gale, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, John Slattery as Howard Stark, Martin Donovan as Mitchell Carson and Garrett Morris as Cab Driver.

As I said above, these types of films are what we come to the multiplex to see considering the time of year at hand. This was truly effectively directed by Peyton Reed ("The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" (TV movie) '95, "The Love Bug" (TV movie) '97, "Bring It On" 2000, "Bad Haircut" (TV movie) '01, "Down With Love" '03, "The Break-Up" '06, "Yes Man" '08, "Gregory Brothers" (TV movie) '11, "To My Future Assistant" (TV movie) '13). Even though this guy is certainly used to directing to a commercially minded audience, a good deal of his experience has not been like this production. This was directed effortlessly, or appeared so, that he will certainly tackle the next installment as will get more work in general. It was written by Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay and Paul Rudd based on a story by Wright and Cornish which is based on Marvel's comic book by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby. OK, a lot of hands went into this script which, normally is a film's no-no, but somehow these guys were able to actually pull this off. No, this is, by no means, perfect, however it gave the audience the background that was needed to resonate with this guy who gets pushed in the proverbial corner and has to come out helping out Pym, because, otherwise there's too much at stake here. This was quite the roller coaster ride if for no other reason than because of the visual effects predominantly supplied by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) and Double Negative. They were, as you would expect, seamless.

If you have been waiting to see this, go see it. Rudd's deadpan dry humor really fits this character, and Douglas' Pym is precisely as one would expect given the character. It's got to be seen on the large for obvious reasons, so with the grandiose of the production along with the nifty 3D format, you'll be breaking out popcorn. Can you say "Ant-Man 2" anyone?

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                 Rated: PG-13                               117mins.