Ant-Man is the latest superhero in the Marvel universe to get a big screen outing - but, with superpowers including the ability to shrink to the size of an insect and communicate telepathically with ants, this one doesn't exactly feel like a sure-fire hit.
In practice, however, it looks set to be another success - with a lightness of touch getting round the peculiarity of the central character, and staggering visuals giving the film a quality unlike anything in the Marvel oeuvre to date.
At the centre of it all is Paul Rudd, playing Scott Lang - a cat burglar struggling to get a foothold on life - who becomes Ant-Man after teaming up with brilliant scientist Dr Hank Pym (Michael Douglas).
For Anchorman and Friends actor Rudd, the film is his debut as a lead in a major Hollywood blockbuster.
Brushing off the pressure that, inevitably, comes with that, he said: "There are so many external pressures that you'd feel if you think about it for five minutes.
"I just worry about what I'm dealing with in the moment - that I want to try and be believable in this part."
In order to play the hero of a comic book movie, first on the agenda for the 46-year-old was getting into shape.
He explained: "I didn't do anything fun for a year.
"I ate no carbs or sugar, I basically made health and fitness the focus of my day, for a long time.
"I was eating protein and vegetables and eating at specific times of the day and not drinking alcohol.
He jokingly added: "I was miserable to be around for a year."
Rudd also co-wrote the script, originally penned by Brits Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish.
Wright was set to direct the project but left following creative differences with the studio, and was replaced by Yes Man helmer Peyton Reed.
While many fan-boys will rue what might have been had he stayed on board, those who took over - comic book fans themselves - have clearly poured a lot of passion into the film.
However, although Rudd was a comic book reader growing up, Marvel comics weren't his thing - suprisingly he spent his time reading the Beano and the Dandy.
He said: "I read more English comics actually, my aunt and uncle would send me comics from over here called the Beano and the Dandy.
"I grew up with those characters and was into Roger the Dodger and stuff like that, so I probably read more of those than Marvel comics."
It's been quite a ride for Rudd - but above all else, the movie has taught him a new-found respect for ants.
He said: "Last week I was standing by the sink and some ants started walking towards the coffee maker.
"Maybe in an earlier time I would have given them a little flick, but now I absolutely let them do what they wanna do.
"I stand back."
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