Trying to make the contrasting elements work within the confines of the movie should have been a recipe for a cinematic disaster on the level of Sucker Punch, but as you can likely tell at this point, it does not. In retrospect, it was a smart move to get Adam McKay and Paul Rudd to write the movie, as McKay namely has a large amount of experience merging the absurd with the pragmatic. Just look at his work writing The Other Guys and how that film was able to mix heightened comedic and action sequences with the naturalistic dynamic of Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.
Of course, Ant-Man goes far more crazy than even McKays most farcical comedies, but his experience with balance explains why the characters in Ant-Man end up being so emotionally resonant. Rudd also can't be undervalued for his contributions to the movie as a leading man, as his turn as Scott Lang is one full of choice moments in terms of conveying both drama and comedy. The innate likability of Rudd also comes in handy, as one can't help but root for his character from the moment he walks on screen.
Rudds acting may be golden, but let's face it, that adjective cannot be applied to Scott Langs life right now. Being released from prison (his crime was pulling off a heist that centered around robbing a corrupt businessman), he finds getting a job a difficult proposition, which means paying child support for his daughter Cassie becomes a near impossible task. The tale of the divorced dad is well trodden storytelling ground, but luckily, some subversion's are brought to the table here, namely in that Scotts ex-wife, Maggie (played in far too little screentime by Judy Greer). is NOT depicted as some kind of creature existing only to nag or berate her ex-husband. Films like The Fighter could stand to take some cues from this sort of writing detour from convention.
Besides the fresh interactions between Scott and his ex-wife, I also liked how Scotts daughter acts like a real kid, and not as some vessel for cheap one-liners. It helps make their father/daughter relationship feel all the more emotionally potent. Now, the dire financial state Scott finds himself in means he has no choice but to say yes when Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) offers him the chance to use his skills as a thief to take down his maniacal ex-protege, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll). In order to take down such a foe, Scott will have to use the Ant-Man suit, a piece of technology that allows the wearer of the suit to shrink down to a minuscule size.
Similar to Scott, Hank has complex personal problems which stem from his estranged relationship with his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly). Nuance is again in heavy supply in depicting this conflict, as the perspectives of both Hank and Hope in this matter are showcased. Douglas and Lilly do an excellent job at bringing their characters inner turmoils to the screen without coming across as just begging for audience sympathy. The two actors are supporting by a kind of writing that may actually be one of my favorite aspects of Ant-Man; this feature has taken a hero that many dismiss as just a joke and lend him and his supporting cast with genuine gravitas. Even better, the presence of such drama doesn't detract from more light-hearted moments at all and only lend more emotional heft to the sequences of action.
And boy howdy, is there some fun action to be found here. Director Peyton Reed is obviously having the time of his life bringing the scenes of Scott in shrunken form to life, and the decision to use macrophotography to create the backgrounds of Scott in shrunk form makes such visually driven scenes pop all the more. Another smart decision related to design comes in the form of ants, who are absolutely adorable and are the movies true scene-stealers. No wait, I take that back, Michael Pena is the movies scene-stealer. This guy is just so freaking funny every time he pops up on screen and it's nice to see a talented actor like Pena finally be utilized in such an effective fashion.
I do wish the movies villain Darren Cross was on that level of quality, especially since his backstory is full of engrossing tragedy. His quieter moments are subtly devastating, so frankly, it's a shame he's sort of reduced to just yelling for the finale of the movie. Corey Stoll gives the character a crazed menace that's pretty terrifying in his best moments, and the Yellowjacket armor he dons is fantastically designed, but I was still yearning for a more consistently engaging villain by the time the film concludes.
Even with the problems that come with Cross as a baddie though (in terms of flaws, I'll also note the overly bright lighting in some scenes made the backgrounds of one or two scenes feel like poorly implemented green-screen), I still found Ant-Man to be a more than exceptional tale to astonish. It's got some great acting (Lilly and Rudd have lively chemistry), memorable action and flying ants fighting bad guys. Ant-Man is the sort of riveting bricolage of human drama and unique spectacle that one can't help but fall head over heels for.
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