Ant-Man
Dir: Peyton Reed
2015
****
Marvel films have gone from strength to strength under the leadership of their President Kevin Feige. Each of the better known Avengers (Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man etc) have graced the silver screen at least twice but in 2014 Marvel famously took a risk (was it really a risk?) and decided to make an adaptation of one of their lesser known group of heroes, the Guardians of the Galaxy. It was a huge hit and a well deserved success. It's got to the point now where I think Marvel could probably bring back Howard the Duck for a feature length version and people would lap it up (I certainly would). The thing with the Marvel movies is that a lot of the 'fans' don't really know anything about the comics or the Avengers. Indeed there was a lot of fuss in October 2014 when Marvel announced an alternative version of Thor whereby the Asgardian God of thunder was a woman. Non-comic readers were up in arms shouting 'Political correctness gone mad' not realising that all the Marvel characters (and DC characters for that matter) have gone through changes as alternative realities within the Marvel universe are explored. Not one of them complained when Thor was a zombie or a Dog (yes, Thor was once a Dog. I believe he was a Fish once too). So it is a big relief that people are accepting other characters, and so they should, especially as Ant-Man is part of the Avengers line up. 
 I was overjoyed when I heard that Edgar Wright was directing and co-writing with Joe Cornish and then heartbroken when he walked away from the project. Did Ant-Man retain the humour you'd expect from Wright and Cornish like Paul Rudd claimed and was Peyton Reed, director of The Break-up, Yes Man and Bring it On, really the best man to replace them? Well the answer is a resounding yes but, I suspect the ground work was pretty much done for him. Wright and Cornish get top writers billing in the credits and it's clear to see why, the humour throughout is typically absurd as it is effective. I suspect the reason for them leaving the project is that they probably lost many of their ideas by keeping within the strict Avengers story boundaries. Personally I love how Ant-Man fits (and will fit further) into the Marvel universe here, like I said, he is an integral part of the team after all. The casting is very successful, Paul Rudd is likable, funny and just works with the character. This is probably the most fun an Avengers film has been so far, it also doesn't shy away from the all important back story, quite the opposite, it indulges itself somewhat and saves the action for when the story warrants it. The action sequences are completely original, incorporate humour in a way I haven't seen very often and are well worth the wait. Ant-Man the film stays true to the original comic and captures the magic that those comics emulated. It's a 1950's B-Movie, it's a comedy, it's a superhero film and it's a heist movie. It's my favourite genres all rolled into one. It's such a strange idea, it is a credit to the talented writers for making it work and making it work as part of a much bigger story. This is how superhero films should be made and it makes it look so easy, so much so, that you wonder how so many superhero films have failed in the past with such simpler stories and characters. Somehow, the Avengers just got a hell of a lot more exciting.