Ant-Man: Review

When I saw Ant-Man the family-packed, mid-to-lowbrow crowd laughed and cheered and basically had a rollicking good time.  I love that salsa music is used on the soundtrack early in the film, indicating that this is going to be light and fun.  Watch out for the Baskin Robbins joke, which worked in the theater, yet played quite differently when I watched it again by myself, but echoes of the laughter from my memories were there.  Much of the humor in this film is of the Jon Stewart type where supposedly absurd or outlandish or obscure ideas are later confirmed or fulfilled in the face of all odds and rationality.

Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lily.

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is an average type of guy playing an awkward superhero.  He is a professional burglar recently released from prison who has vowed to never steal or again be a criminal.  His comical fast-talking friend Luis (Michael Peña) has doubts about this resolution (he's also part of the Baskin Robbins joke).  Lang is also trying to reconnect with his son and redeem himself in the eyes of his ex (Judy Greer) and her current partner (Bobby Cannavale).  

Michael Douglas

Lang is recruited by the original ant-man, who is a genius scientist and inventor Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), to be the new ant-man for one special mission.  Businessman Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) has dangerous plans for the secret shrinking technology.  Dr. Hank Pym and Lang are assisted by Hank's daughter Hope (Evangeline Lily).  Tensions occur as Hope want to be the person in the suit (Ant-Woman).  Hank's reasons for forbidding this are more obvious than the film pretends, but it's not a big problem for the story. 

Corey Stoll as a supreme prick.

I liked this film more the second time for one reason: 3D.  I saw this film in 2D in theaters.  The humor makes for fun, if not laugh-out-loud, viewing, but the 3D is the best that I saw in any 2015 movie.  I believe it is one of the best 3D presentations ever (right up there with Hugo and the better content from IMAX and Pixar).  Due to the simulated perspective of being shrunken with over-sized surroundings it reminded me of Disney's Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!  Watching it at home from my projector was like being in a theme park 3D auditorium.

Scenes like this blow the senses in 3D.