Disney’s latest big-screen Marvel superhero doesn’t take himself too seriously.
And that’s a good thing, with a name like Ant-Man. “This is a guy flying on the back of an ant, this is not the Winter Soldier,” laughed Paul Rudd, referring to the arch-foe of Captain America.
“Marvel is well aware of that. You can have fun with all that... and still tell an emotional story,” added the 46-year-old, who had to live on an almond a day to get into six-pack shape for the role.
The movie, released in the United States on Friday, could catapult the actor and co-screenwriter into the Hollywood megastar galaxy.
Known until now for comedies with Judd Apatow like 2007’s Knocked Up and This is 40 (2012), Rudd could follow in the footsteps of fellow Parks and Recreation TV star Chris Pratt.
Pratt made his blockbuster debut in last year’s Guardians of the Galaxy, before starring in this year’s record-breaking Jurassic World.
Playing a superhero has become a Holy Grail needed to enter the club of global Hollywood megastars, because the films are distributed — and lapped up — around the world.
Actors known for more serious dramatic roles like Mark Ruffalo and Edward Norton (who have both played Marvel’s The Hulk) have taken the path, while Iron Man helped to revive Robert Downey Jr’s career.
Moreover, Ant-Man has been a hit with critics in the US even before its release.
“The Marvel cinematic universe can be an awfully big, noisy and repetitive place to spend your time and money,” said the Variety trade magazine.
“But at its best, it can also allow for humour, whimsy and lightness of spirit — all qualities that come into play in Ant-Man.”
The movie tells the story of Hank Pym (played by Michael Douglas), a science guru who discovers a chemical substance that can shrink someone while increasing their strength.
Ant-Man can also use his mental power to control armies of ants.
But his former gifted student Darren Cross (Corey Stoll of House of Cards fame) manages to replicate his invention and wants to sell it to ruthless arms dealers.
So the ageing Pym chooses Scott Lang, a low-level thief just out of prison and trying to organise visiting rights with his daughter, to become Ant-Man and save the planet.
“He made some pretty questionable decisions in his life, things are not working out for him. He has to decide if he’s going to do the right thing,” Rudd said of Lang.
The heart of the film lies in the father-daughter relationships between Pym and van Dyne, and Lang and his estranged daughter Cassie.
The film has visual fun with dimensions, as Lang shrinks from human size to infinitely small, passing by microscopic.
Director Peyton Reed’s precise camera-work highlights the comic effects, notably with Michael Pena, who plays Lang’s thief friend.
“It was important to Marvel and they took it very seriously that they don’t want to repeat themselves, they want to try to do different things,” said Reed.
“That appealed to everybody — let’s not go big; let’s literally go small.”
With the comedic Rudd leading Ant-Man, the film ups the laughs with the actor delivering witty, self-deprecating one-liners, while supporting star Pena often steals the spotlight as Lang’s dim, goofy sidekick Luis.
“Because it’s a heist movie, it’s a very strong comedic tone that we were after,” Reed said.
Rudd, who said he was only a modest fan of superhero comics when he was a child, said he understands why the larger-than-life characters fascinate filmgoers, especially “tortured” ones like The Hulk.
“When you go back to the comics, smart people wrote these and lots of bright people get into them. And kids can be into them too,” he told reporters ahead of the film’s release.
The actor’s next role sees him in another black and red costume in Captain America: Civil War, due out next year. And Rudd says he hopes to stay in the Marvel universe for some time to come.
