Who on earth is Ant-Man? Well, chances are you’re not the only one left wondering: compared to his superhero contemporaries, Ant-Man seems to be dwarfed by big-named peers like Spider-Man, Iron Man or Wolverine.
Unless you’re a comic book nut, you won’t know that Ant-Man is a wise scientist who can shrink or grow his body at will, that he debuted in comic book pages in 1962, or that he’s one of the founding Avengers.
So it is only fitting that he gets his day in the spotlight by appearing on the big screen. Director Peyton Reed (Bring It On, The Break-Up and Yes Man) was a fan of the comic book character as a kid and was obviously thrilled to bring the story to life.
“There’s an inherent absurdity to his powers, but that to me was one of the cool things,” Reed says. “We had to make the shrinking technologically as cutting edge as possible and photorealistic. And we had to create these ants that you really sort of bought and can invest in.”
Reed has a clear vision of how he wants to present the film: “I want it to be under two hours. I want it to be a repeat viewing experience, and I want it to have a strong comedic and emotional component.” Lead actor Paul Rudd (Clueless, Anchorman, I Love You, Man) acknowledges the funny elements although he scoffs at insinuations that the movie is more of a comedy compared to other superhero flicks.
“I think it fits more in line with what people come to expect from these films,” Rudd says. “It will have funny parts in it. You’d think that it would be a very silly, joke-heavy movie, but it’s really not. But there are moments of levity — we are dealing with ants here after all.” And despite going through a strict diet throughout filming, Rudd enjoyed wearing his costume.
“You can’t help but feel kind of cool,” he says. “You stand differently, it feels like a suit and because of that, working from the outside in, everything starts to change and it’s pretty cool.”
Similarly, playing the role changed his relationship with ants. He explains, “I have seen ants in my trailer sometimes or in my house or car. Other times, I might have flicked them outside. Now I look at them as just divine intervention and friends.”
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale and Michael Douglas
Running time: 117 minutes
Rating: PG13
