ANT-MAN (2015)

Nothing awful about this entry in the Marvel franchise featuring a hero who, via an incredible super-suit, can shrink to the size of a bug to fight crime, his strength, stamina and speed increasing proportionately when he shrinks.  The film moves well, has some nice special effects, comedy and action sequences, and benefits from a dramatic Michael Douglas as the man who invented the technology, who gets ex-con Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) to wear the suit so he can steal his own tech back from the very company that ousted him, before a new hot-shot can adapt it for evil.  The problem is, the film is just sort of ... bland.  You don't dislike Lang, but he's not that likable, either.  The story and effects are really nothing we haven't seen versions of before.  And well-done as it is, the film only truly glows whenever the hilarious Michael Pena is on-screen; he steals every scene he's in.  Otherwise, again, not a bad film; just ... another notch on Marvel's belt that simply feels too rote.  Or maybe I'm getting burnt out on superhero films. (rated PG-13)  B-