Clever, funny, cool Marvel movie has lots of sci-fi action.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Products & Purchases
a lot
Baskin Robbins (and one of their smoothies) is heavily featured in one scene. Other brands/products seen include Cadillac, Ford, iPhone, and Dell. Many promotional/product tie-ins to the Avengers universe, including references to specific members and logos.
Violence & Scariness
some
Frequent sci-fi/action violence. Weapons include a gun that the villain uses to kill people by disintegrating them into gory goo (in one case, he just flushes what's left of the person down the toilet). During scientific testing, scientists end up killing sheep as they attempt to shrink them. A beloved ant is killed. Many people are shot at during a long stand-off, and one person seems on the verge of death. Fist fights leave bloody bruises. People crash into things. At one point the villain grabs a child, but she's not in extended danger.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Kissing. An adult woman sits on top of her boyfriend whispering and laughing in his ear. A couple of women are referred to as "hot" in suggestive ways. A man refers to a woman as the "first pair of boobs I ever touched."
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Encourages forgiveness and redemption. Flawed characters, particularly Hank and Scott, are given an opportunity to redeem themselves for past mistakes. As with most superhero movies, teamwork, courage, and trust are also valued.
Positive Role Models
some
Scott/Ant-Man and Dr. Pym are flawed men with uneven pasts, but each seeks redemption by doing what's right. They both love their daughters and want to protect them/be there for them. Hope is a strong, capable, successful woman who isn't easily impressed by charm or wealth. Paxton is a good cop who lives by the law and loves Maggie and Cassie. The trio of thieves may be ex-con robbers, but they step up to help Scott and Dr. Pym.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Ant-Man is a Marvel Studios/Disney superhero film (based on a Stan Lee comic) that's tied into the rest of the "Marvel-verse." While audiences familiar with Avengers-related movies will have an advantage, it's not necessary to be a Marvel fan to enjoy the film, which stars Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas. There's definitely plenty of action/sci-fi violence -- from fist fights to shoot-outs to a few gory deaths in which the human (or animal) victim turns into gelatinous goo -- but overall this adventure is on the tamer end of the Marvel movie scale. Occasional bursts of language (mostly "s--t," "ass," and "damn") are peppered throughout the dialogue, and there are a couple of suggestive jokes/references, but there's only one (brief) kissing scene and very little drinking. The hero and his young daughter are sometimes separated, which could upset younger kids, but she's never in extended peril. Like Guardians of the Galaxy, this action adventure is full of humor, with some edgy jokes that will go over younger kids' head. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
This movie, while very good, is not appropriate as a family movie, certainly not for 12 year olds as indicated.
Maybe that's the reason kids say such bad words and act inappropriately with the opposite sex at such young ages anymore, because too many parents let their kids watch movies like this and think it's OK.
With words like p---y and a--hat I'm not sure how this gets a CSM "Great for families" stamp of approval. Maybe some families don't believe in modesty or clean language, but I would certainly not give a movie like this a "GFF" stamp with such language. Certainly not for a 12 year old. It's a slippery slope to say "what is in movies now is more acceptable than in the past." By the time the current 12 year olds have kids should we expect a "GFF" stamp on a movie containing topless women and sexual harassment from men? I would argue that CSM's family stamp isn't worth the pixels its painted with. It's a PG-13 movie. Why would CSM rate it 12+?
What's the Story?
In ANT-MAN, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is a Robin Hood-like burglar who's just been released from San Quentin prison. With few legitimate prospects and a young daughter and ex-wife to pay child support to, Scott agrees to go in on a heist with his former cell-mate, Luis (Michael Peña), and two other pals to rob a rich old man's safe. The target turns out to be Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who set up the robbery opportunity to recruit Scott as the new Ant-Man -- a suit-wearing superhero who can shrink down to the size of an ant and also communicate with insects to make them do his bidding. Hank and his skeptical daughter, Hope (Evangeline Lilly), want Scott to help them keep megalomaniacal Dr. Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) from perfecting his own Ant-Man-like suit -- which he wants to sell as a military weapon to the highest bidder.
The Marvel Universe's story about a tiny but fierce hero is also its funniest. As always, Rudd is a natural with sarcasm and one-liners, playing off of a hilarious Peña as Scott's prison bestie Luis and enjoying an easy mentor-mentee rapport with Douglas' Hank Pym. As Cross points out, Hank and Scott have a lot in common -- particularly as fathers with a an obvious need to protect their daughters. The bantery chemistry between Scott and Hope is a predictable "opposites attract" storyline, but Hope is one of the most interesting Marvel women to date because she's clearly itching for a chance to put on an ant suit and get things done.
Cross is the standard emotionally fragile, egomaniacal villain with extreme daddy issues. Stoll seems to be making a name for himself as a baddie, and he's well able to play a man who simultaneously hates Pym and desperately seeks his approval. The plot and the explanations of how the Ant-Man suit works can get a bit convoluted, but the action sequences and humorous dialogue (much of which sounds like it came straight from Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, two of the five screenwriters) make up for the occasional plot holes. Bottom line? There's a lot to enjoy or laugh out loud about in Ant-Man, and Rudd is so charming and so easy to invest in as a viewer that it's only natural to hope for a sequel that puts him in touch with more of the other Avengers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the popularity of Marvel movies. Why do you think these comic books have turned into such well-received movies? Are all movies inspired by comic books created equal? Does Ant-Man stand out? How?
How does Ant-Man compare to other superheroes? Is he more like Iron Man, because of the suit, or like Spider-Man, because he has affinity with and traits of another species? How is he unique?
Ant-Man isn't a natural hero; Scott has a criminal past and a spotty record. How does he live up to his daughter's expectations? How does his past help him as a hero?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Sandie Angulo Chen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
