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REVIEW: Smaller Scale Works In 'Ant-Man's' Favor

By Kyle Buis

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Sometimes in the middle of a long run, you need a break.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe, to its credit, hasn't hit the level of Transformers—wall-to-wall, indistinguishable action that wears you down through sheer Michael Bay force. But the stakes can only reach so high.

To Train a Thief Featurette - Marvel's Ant-Man by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

The Chitauri invasion and ensuing fight with The Avengers devastate a city, gems that contain ultimate universal power are slowly being gathered, an entire city is taken airborne and held hostage.

The Suit Featurette - Marvel's Ant-Man by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

After the stakes climbing seemingly as high as they could, you get "Ant-Man."

The movie, starring Paul Rudd in the titular role, is a welcome step back from the "save the world" plotline and brings the fight to a smaller scale. Instead of a story of some noble hero, it's the tale of a thief who's trying to redeem himself in the eyes of his family.

"Ant-Man" is a welcome sidetrip in the MCU, much in the way the Netflix series "Daredevil" reduced the scope to just Hell's Kitchen. With less globetrotting, there's much more room for character exploration.

There are moments when the holes created by the movie's long and difficult development process do show, but the seams are minimal. Instead, you get a movie that's more than just a popcorn seller. Which is good, because unless you have an airpopper at home, the place to see this is on Blu-Ray or digital HD starting on Tuesday.

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