Ant-Man is the latest character in the Marvel universe to get a big screen outing - an off-kilter and lesser-known superhero whose powers include the ability to shrink to the size of an insect and communicate telepathically with ants.

On paper, it may not seem like a sure-fire hit - and if you factor in its turbulent production, the movie would be easy to write off.

The screenplay for Ant-Man was originally written by Edgar Wright - of Shaun of the Dead fame - with Joe Cornish (Attack the Block) for Wright to direct, but the British helmer left the project due to creative differences. 

While many fan-boys will rue what might have been, those who took over have clearly poured a lot of passion - and humour - into the film, while elements of Wright and Cornish's creation (the heist movie set-up; the film's climactic third-act battle in a little girl's bedroom) still remain.

At the centre of the action is Anchorman and Friends star Paul Rudd, who plays Scott Lang - a cat burglar struggling to get on in life.

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Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas as Scott Lang and Dr Hank Pym

Fresh out prison and down on his luck, he is approached by Michael Douglas’ Dr Hank Pym, whose ground-breaking science is set to be harnessed by former protégée Darren Cross for all the wrong reasons.

With the help of Pym’s daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) and Lang’s criminal buddies - including Michael Peña's Luis - the group hatch a plan to stop Cross, with Lang donning Pym's size-shrinking Ant-Man suit.

Rudd is charming and likeable (isn't he always) in the lead role - his first in a major Hollywood blockbuster - but plays it relatively straight, allowing the comedic elements of the film to grow around him (Peña's hilariously goofy supporting role comes very close to stealing the movie).

The whole set-up is approached with a lightness of touch that gets around the peculiarity of the central character: the effects side of things - different sizes of Ant-Man bring different worlds - is not only hugely impressive, but provides plenty of scope for visual gags.

Director Peyton Reed (Yes Man, Bring it On) may lack the frenetic, hypercaffeinated approach Wright would have taken, but he has done an admirable job.

With a feel unlike anything in a Marvel movie to date, this one’s not only worth a watch, it’ll leave you wanting more.

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Ant-Man is out tomorrow (July 17).

For our interview with Paul Rudd, click here.