As we all still try to recover from Infinity War, it’s very welcoming to take a break from that emotional roller-coaster and immerse ourselves into the smaller, yet funnier world of Ant-Man and the Wasp. Warning, spoilers ahead…
Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) has been on house arrest since his involvement in Captain America: Civil War for nearly two years when Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lily) kidnaps him because he has knowledge that she and her father Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) need to save her mother Janet (Michele Pfeiffer) from the Quantum Realm she’s been trapped in for over 30 years.
Things are tricky for all three due to the fact that Hope and Hank are fugitive’s thanks in large part for Scott taking their technology to help Cap back in Germany and Scott can’t leave his property yet for another few days. We have the FEDS, Homeland Security, a shady businessman (Walter Goggins) and a mysterious woman (Hannah John-Kamen) with ghost like abilities are all after them and the technology they have. Throw in Pym’s former partner from SHIELD, Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne) who has ties to the mysterious woman and you have a cluster you know what on your hands.
Scott ends up enlisting the help of Luis (Michael Pena) and his band of security specialists from the first film to help in keeping them from getting caught. Pena is so good that his super powers is his comedic timing. And man can he tell a story. One of the things I marvel at (pun intended), is the innovative and creative special effects put forth into these films. The visuals are outstanding and well executed by director Reed and his team. You believe an office building could shrink to the size of a carry-on suitcase or a car can go from a workable hot wheel sized vehicle to a full size in a matter of seconds while driving and avoiding debris in the process.
This film is a lighter and certainly brighter than some of its most recent predecessors but thanks to a believable and effortless chemistry between Rudd and Lily, Ant-Man and the Wasp exceeds the original and stakes a claim as one of the
better Marvel films in this vast universe of films. Is the movie corny? Of course it is. But that’s what makes it so much fun. Marvel shows that their universe is a versatile as the real world we need a distraction from. DC, please take note. Watching Ant-Man and the Wasp proves that good things really do come in small packages.
FYI… ending credit will make you gasp.
Directed by: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, Michael Pena, Walter Goggins, Hannah John-Kamen, Abby Ryder Fortson, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Laurence Fishbourne, Michael Douglas and Michele Pfeiffer
PG13 118 mins
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP – **** (out of 5 stars)
