If there were ever a movie made about my life, I want Paul Rudd, who has the perfect mixture of comic and dramatic ability, to play me. Rudd brings his understated appeal to the new superhero film "Antman," the latest in the long line of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) adaptations. One of the lesser known and unusual Marvel characters, "Ant-Man," much like an ant, is small yet mighty; the great cast makes it enjoyable enough though much of the story is over-the-top silly and predictable. Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang (Rudd) must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Oscar-winner Michael Douglas), protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang along with Pym's daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world from the evil Yellowjacket (Corey Stoll). Directed by Peyton Reed ("Yes, Man") and with a story by Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Rudd and Adam McKay, of all people), the modestly enjoyable, charming "Ant-Man" certainly has the energy of an ant and is helped by a talented cast and strong visuals, which carry it past some of its story issues. For those unfamiliar with the comic book world (and count me one of them), Dr. Pym and his late wife, one of Stan Lee and Marvel's little-known characters, were the first Ant-Man and Wasp a duo who were the founding members of what we know now as the Avengers. Now that you have your Marvel Comics history lesson, you can see the importance of the Ant-Man character, though you wouldn't know it by the film's uneven, silly storyline, which doesn't explain much of this and instead focuses on the comical integration of Lang to the superhero world. Some of it works, some of it doesn't, plus you're never entirely sure how serious the writers really take this, with an intent on having Dr. Pym unnecessarily explain all the movie's technology, as well as a confusing climax that alternates between small and large. Still, the movie succeeds on the cool special effects - the real ants are pretty cool - and the charms of Rudd, an inspired though unconventional casting choice here who makes it work for him, and especially Douglas, who is also very believable as Pym. However, some others aren't as well-written: the movie's chief villain, the Darren Cross/Yellowjacket character, is much too milquetoast and definitely not evil enough that the story requires, while Lilly's character is woefully underwritten. On that note, "Ant-Man" has some clear story problems (chiefly - an enormous amount of untold backstory) yet has enough fun and energy to make it another hit in the Marvel machine. Give it time and it may grow into a decent series for Marvel; for enthusiasts there are some nice touches: an enjoyable cameo mid-film from Falcon (Anthony Mackie) as well as some nods to someone named Stark.
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