Ant-Man

After a shocking directorial exodus and a series of rewrites, Marvel's Ant-Man makes it to the screen as a reasonably enjoyable piece of summer fare thanks to the total charmer playing the title character. Paul Rudd is Scott Lang, a wisecracking professional thief given a new lease on life when Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) shows him the wonders of his incredible shrinking suit. Rudd was given the job by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), who left the film as its director after working on the project for years. While Wright still gets an executive producer credit and some writing credit, Peyton Reed (Yes Man), a virtual stranger to big budget blockbusters, wound up at the helm with a script rewrite from Adam McKay and Rudd himself. Reed does a good—although not outstanding—job in Wright's place. The framework for the movie plays it mighty safe, with an emphasis on family viewing and very little of the offbeat touches that are the hallmark of a Wright affair. Still, Rudd is great as the title character, and some of the shrinking sequences are a blast.