Antman is the smallest Avenger. I know, I’m a regular Captain Obvious. But I am not necessarily referring to his superhuman ability to shrink (and grow as we see in Civil War and Antman and the Wasp), but rather to the fact that Antman was probably one of the smaller properties to bring into the MCU (Guardians of the Galaxy, Shang Chi, and the Eternals are the other names that immediately come to mind). Though there were rumors of an Antman movie for almost the last two decades, Antman was nowhere near a household name like Captain America, Hulk, and Spiderman.

 

After the success of the Avengers, Kevin Feige and co had a problem. With movies like Captain America: Winter Soldier, Iron Man 3, and Age of Ultron coming out, all of which deal with heavy issues, the team at Marvel wanted to keep the innocence that they had developed in Phase 1. For this, they decided to introduce two new properties into the mix: Guardians of the Galaxy, and Antman. While these movies were known for their incredible humor and laughs, they also introduced the audience to two key landscapes: the cosmic MCU, and the Quantum Realm.

 

This slow introduction to the Quantum Realm from Antman to Antman and the Wasp, all the way to Endgame and beyond, has allowed Marvel to keep audiences engaged with the relatively low stakes movies that the Antman franchise is known for.

 

So how do you create a low stakes and humorous MCU movie that introduces important topics to audiences? Well first you must hire a fantastic director like Peyton Reed, who under difficult circumstances, carefully balanced the greater MCU with the plot of the movie. Next you get a generational comedian (and worlds sexiest man), Paul Rudd to carry the franchise as the lead. Then you surround him with an incredible cast, like Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Corey Stoll, and the adorably talented Abby Ryder Fortson. Marvel absolutely nailed it.

 

The heist tone is so unique in the MCU, especially as this was the pallet cleanser to Avengers: Age of Ultron as well as a precursor the Captain America: Civil War. One major part of creating this fun tone is the music. Christophe Beck’s first venture in the MCU delivers a fun, quirky and downright epic backdrop to the film. Beck would later go on to write amazing music for Antman and the Wasp, Wandavision and Hawkeye.

 

The most stated criticism that the movie has faced has been that it allegedly follows the formula of almost every other superhero origin story. This criticism is always brought up around MCU movies, mostly illegitimately, because people that criticize the MCU for having a formula either haven’t seen the movies but have been told that this is true, don’t care enough to think about it, or are just too stupid to see otherwise.

 

I am now off my soapbox and the Xanax is kicking in. 

 

Where were we? Ah yes. This movie also falls into the trap that some MCU movies do, which pits the protagonist of the movie against a villainous version of themselves. Captain America had Red Skull, Iron Man had Iron Monger, Dr Strange had Kaecilius. After a while, these sorts of fights can get repetitive. Despite this, Corey Stoll delivers a strong performance as Darren Cross and the Yellowjacket.

 

One actor that, while only mentioned once so far, stole the show in a lot of people’s eyes, was Michael Pena. Nothing but a bumbling sidekick and fellow rascal of Scott Lang, Pena lights up screens and smiles in many of his more comedic moment. Without stealing too much of the spotlight, Pena plays the comic relief in a comedy with amazing balance and incredible on-screen antics.

 

Overall, Antman delivers on its promise. A family friendly, low stakes, comedy that expands the MCU into territories that it had yet to explore. The comedy works, the cast works even if the villain is lacking in some areas. Across the board the production and execution of the film excels, and special plaudits should go to director Peyton Reed, and composer Christophe Beck. With the franchise expected to explode with a major MCU flick like Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania, going back to this movie will definitely be a nice change of pace. Are you excited for Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania? Do you think we will see many different Kang vari-ant-s or just one? Let us know your thoughts!