Simon Morris looks at the new Marvel Comics movie, Ant-Man, starring Paul Rudd playing a reformed burglar.
Ant-Man starts with quite a few strikes against it. First of all, Ant-Man? Really? A hero as small as an ant is an unpromising hero to talk up, you’d think. But the biggest problem for me is I’ve seen so many of these films now. Ant-Man is simply one tight-fitting suit too far.
In fairness, my neighbours at the Ant-Man screening were three young chaps - average age about 11 - who had the time of their lives, whooping and hollering at every size-changing action stunt.
Unlike many Marvel movies, Ant-Man isn’t complicated by too many villains. Instead it throws in some father-daughter issues.
But once the action gets under way, Ant-Man is basically a traditional heist movie, with added trick photography. The stunts and the comedy were the attractions for my 11-year-old neighbours. The rest of us get the likable Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas, and the fact that micro-battles are frankly hilarious when the camera pulls out.
Ant-Man is entertaining enough, if you’re not good and sick of comic-book films now. My neighbours enjoyed every moment of it, and why shouldn’t they? It was made for them.
But after nearly ten years trapped in the comic-book store, I’m looking for the exit.
