Ant-Man and the Wasp marks the twentieth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and offers something fresh and more upbeat compared to the more political or intense films the franchise has given us this year. If you're looking for "potential end of the world" stakes and a lot of intensity this film isn't for you. If you're looking for a lot of fun however you should give this a watch.
In this film, Dr Hank Pym and his daughter Hope van Dyne are trying to open up the quantum realm that Paul Rudd's Scott Lang found himself in during the first film, in an effort to find their wife/mother that has been stuck in it for over thirty years. Their plans are constantly jeopardized by the FBI, a group of black market technology smugglers, and Ghost, a woman able to phase through things that is in need of Pym's tech.
Paul Rudd is back as Scott Lang and is exceptional. He manages to make almost all of his jokes hit and is constantly charming. The relationship with his daughter, played by Abby Ryder Forston, feels beyond genuine and it is honestly just straight up adorable. There is a scene at the beginning of the film where he creates a big fun heist inside his house to entertain her while on house arrest and it looks like the some of the most fun I've ever seen. Evangeline Lily is back as Hope van Dyne and is also great. She has a seriousness and intensity that is strong enough to contrast with Rudd, but also tones it down enough for the chemistry between the two to work really well. Michael Douglas once again plays Hank Pym and gives a very solid performance as always. One of the standouts for me in this film was Michael Pena. We only get one of his hilarious storytelling sessions this time around but he is constantly hilarious and makes for some of the best moments of the film. Ghost is played by Hannah John-Kamen, and while I found her character interesting and her performance was alright, what I really loved was the effects used to showcase her powers. Some other new additions include Walton Goggins as the tech dealer, who is pretty under utilized, Laurence Fishburne as a former partner of Pym's, who is really great, Michelle Pfieffer as Janet van Dyne, who isn't in the film much but is good nonetheless, and Randall Park as the agent assigned to Scott Lang, who is funny but his role doesn't fit very well. Other members from the original's cast including Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale, T.I., and David Dastmalchian are all back and despite not having a lot of screen time manage some great moments.
A lot of the technical elements in here work really well. The action other than one early scene is fantastic, and the shrinking and growing gimmick is used perfectly. It makes the action more interesting, while also making it a lot more fun. The effects are quite great, as I said before the ones used for Ghost are really cool, but the effects for the rest work really well. The music is good, however I think I would have liked a bit more of it. The cinematography is for the most part standard but shows some really strong moments. Where the films issues hit are in the tone and pacing in the first half of the film. The first half of the film struggles to nail down consistency in terms of its tone and pacing, the editing for a while is pretty jumpy and it takes away from the immersion into the film for a bit. Luckily those issues are solved and the second half of the film is incredible. I think another issue that also affects the first half problems is the lack of a central antagonist. Ghost is arguably not really a villain, and the other villains are just generic black market dealers and cops, and I think that with a strong and clear villain this could have been a bit better.
This film has an okay first half, an incredible second half, and a ton of fun throughout. It may not be as impressive as Marvel's other entries but it offers a good break from the harder hitting stuff of late and puts a smile on your face throughout, and for that and the heart it shows I give this film a lot of credit.
PS. Make sure you stay for at least the mid credits scene.
Rating: 3.75/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
In this film, Dr Hank Pym and his daughter Hope van Dyne are trying to open up the quantum realm that Paul Rudd's Scott Lang found himself in during the first film, in an effort to find their wife/mother that has been stuck in it for over thirty years. Their plans are constantly jeopardized by the FBI, a group of black market technology smugglers, and Ghost, a woman able to phase through things that is in need of Pym's tech.
Paul Rudd is back as Scott Lang and is exceptional. He manages to make almost all of his jokes hit and is constantly charming. The relationship with his daughter, played by Abby Ryder Forston, feels beyond genuine and it is honestly just straight up adorable. There is a scene at the beginning of the film where he creates a big fun heist inside his house to entertain her while on house arrest and it looks like the some of the most fun I've ever seen. Evangeline Lily is back as Hope van Dyne and is also great. She has a seriousness and intensity that is strong enough to contrast with Rudd, but also tones it down enough for the chemistry between the two to work really well. Michael Douglas once again plays Hank Pym and gives a very solid performance as always. One of the standouts for me in this film was Michael Pena. We only get one of his hilarious storytelling sessions this time around but he is constantly hilarious and makes for some of the best moments of the film. Ghost is played by Hannah John-Kamen, and while I found her character interesting and her performance was alright, what I really loved was the effects used to showcase her powers. Some other new additions include Walton Goggins as the tech dealer, who is pretty under utilized, Laurence Fishburne as a former partner of Pym's, who is really great, Michelle Pfieffer as Janet van Dyne, who isn't in the film much but is good nonetheless, and Randall Park as the agent assigned to Scott Lang, who is funny but his role doesn't fit very well. Other members from the original's cast including Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale, T.I., and David Dastmalchian are all back and despite not having a lot of screen time manage some great moments.
A lot of the technical elements in here work really well. The action other than one early scene is fantastic, and the shrinking and growing gimmick is used perfectly. It makes the action more interesting, while also making it a lot more fun. The effects are quite great, as I said before the ones used for Ghost are really cool, but the effects for the rest work really well. The music is good, however I think I would have liked a bit more of it. The cinematography is for the most part standard but shows some really strong moments. Where the films issues hit are in the tone and pacing in the first half of the film. The first half of the film struggles to nail down consistency in terms of its tone and pacing, the editing for a while is pretty jumpy and it takes away from the immersion into the film for a bit. Luckily those issues are solved and the second half of the film is incredible. I think another issue that also affects the first half problems is the lack of a central antagonist. Ghost is arguably not really a villain, and the other villains are just generic black market dealers and cops, and I think that with a strong and clear villain this could have been a bit better.
This film has an okay first half, an incredible second half, and a ton of fun throughout. It may not be as impressive as Marvel's other entries but it offers a good break from the harder hitting stuff of late and puts a smile on your face throughout, and for that and the heart it shows I give this film a lot of credit.
PS. Make sure you stay for at least the mid credits scene.
Rating: 3.75/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
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