Ant-Man: A 2015 Marvel Comics Film

Ant-Man is a superhero film based on the Marvel Comics characters from the comic series of the same name. Two characters from the comics, Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Hank Pym, get their lead roles in this film. Other characters in the film are within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Ant-Man is about Hank Pym, a scientist who is the creator of the Ant-Man shrinking technology, and Scott Lang, the protagonist, who is infamous for his criminal record. Hank Pym is the creator of the special suit that allows Lang to shrink down to ant size and to control an army of ants.

The main protagonist, Scott Lang, is very interesting. In the beginning of Ant-Man, he turns to a life of crime and loses his wife Maggie after ending up in prison. After being released from jail, Lang is unable to hold down a job because of his criminal record. Despite these drawbacks, Lang breaks into a house during a burglary and finds an old motorcycle suit, unaware that the suit allows him to shrink down to ant size. After finding out that Hank Pym manipulated him into stealing the old motorcycle suit, Lang goes on the adventure of his lifetime. What the viewers find compelling about Lang’s character is how he transforms from an unwanted criminal who lost his wife to a superhero who has the ability to control ants and to shrink down to ant size. Even more exciting is that Lang discovers he has more strength while wearing the suit despite his shrunken size.

Compared to other Marvel Comics films such as Spider-Man, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man stands out by showing the viewers a perspective from somebody shrunken down to the size of an insect.  The message of this film is that even heroes who are small in size can save the day. This is shown throughout many fighting scenes in the film when Lang goes through training to fight and control ants. A reference to this film in real life is how powerful ants can be despite their small size. Other heroes in the Marvel Comics films are usually shown to be big and strong. Ant-Man takes the viewers through a close-up lens of Lang wearing the suit and interacting with the ant colony. Several stunts Lang performs while wearing the suit are seen in close-up shots of him climbing on top of objects while shrunk.

Hank Pym’s daughter, Hope van Dyne, is a supporting character who makes her debut appearance in this film. Compared to other female leads, Hope stands out as a supporting heroine to Lang, defying the gender stereotypes portrayed in other Marvel Comics films. Other Marvel Comics films depict men as stronger than women and show women as the “damsels-in-distress”. Hope’s mother, Janet, died prior to the film’s introduction, which is later revealed that Janet shrank herself and became trapped in the subatomic Quantum Realm during a mission with S.H.I.E.L.D. as the Wasp. Since her mother’s death, Hope has a strained relationship with Hank Pym. Throughout the film, Hope is seen as a girl with a tough attitude.

Ant-Man can be described as an incredible shrinking adventure.